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Design my tripMeet the Embera indians of Chagres river
Visit the traditional Embera indians who have only been a settled community for seventy years.
The riverine Emberá indigenous communities originally hailed from the remote Darien region of Colombia and Eastern Panama. They only started settling in villages in 1950. Partly owing to the presence of guerrillas and drug traffickers in the vicinity, in 1975 a number of families moved to a more accessible location in central Chagres, in the province of Colón. Here they have maintained their traditional way of life and are famed for their basket weaving.
Ease of access these days means you are privileged to be able to visit them, travelling upriver in a dugout canoe.
The region is heaven for birdwatchers with over 500 species of bird, some of which may be spotted on the journey including toucans and ospreys. On arrival at the village, you'll be greeted by dancing and music and have the opportunity to savour the Embera indians' simple way of life.
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Chris Rendell-Dunn - Travel Expert
Anglo-Peruvian Chris grew up in Lima and spent much of his adult life in between London and Cusco as a tour leader, before settling permanently in our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours sales team.
Paul Winrow-Giffin - Travel Expert
After graduating in Computer Science, Paul spent seven months travelling from Colombia to Argentina and came home hooked on Latin America.
Ben Line - Travel Expert
Ben fell in love with Latin America on a six month backpacking trip from Colombia to Mexico in 1995. Since then he has explored most of South America, including living in Peru for a year. He is now Head of Sales.
Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert
Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.
Sophie Barber - Travel Expert
Sophie lived in Chile before joining us and has travelled extensively across Latin America, from Mexico to the furthest tip of Patagonia and beyond to Antarctica.
Hannah Waterhouse - Travel Expert
Hannah had an early introduction to Latin America when her family moved to Ecuador and she returned to study in Buenos Aires for a year before backpacking across the continent.
