Why There’s No Road Between North and South America

Bright Side

Ever wondered why you can drive from Alaska to Argentina—except for one small gap? That’s because of the Darien Gap, a 100-mile stretch of dense jungle and swamps between Panama and Colombia. It’s wild, dangerous, and practically impossible to build a road through, thanks to the rough terrain, extreme weather, and local wildlife (think snakes and jaguars!). Governments have also avoided building a highway there to prevent illegal activities like drug trafficking from spreading even more easily. Some adventurers have crossed it on foot or by bike, but it’s no easy trip. So, for now, the Pan-American Highway remains broken, and the Darien Gap stays one of the last true roadless frontiers!  Credit: James Wolfe / YouTube CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/: Mexicans crossing the Darien Gap: by Gustavo.ross, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:First_Mexicans_crossing_the_Darien_Gap_by_foot.jpg Astrocaryum standleyanum fruits: by Gonzalez Edgar, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astrocaryum_standleyanum_fruits.jpg Indianer ombord på Olga: by Sigvald Linné, CC0 1.0 https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Indianer_ombord_p%C3%A5_Olga_f%C3%B6r_att_h%C3%B6ra_grammofon._S%C3%A5ng_roade_dem_mest,_t.ex._La_Paloma_-_SMVK_-_004198.tif Astrocaryum standleyanum: by Cyndy Sims Parr, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Astrocaryum_standleyanum.jpg, https://flic.kr/p/7ZNP4m Animation is created by Bright Side. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV   Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Social Media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en Telegram: https://t.me/bright_side_official   Stock materials (photos, footages and other): https://www.depositphotos.com https://www.shutterstock.com https://www.eastnews.ru ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00So, it turns out that you can't drive between South America and North America.

00:05And there's a simple reason for that.

00:07There are no roads connecting the two continents, not even a rudimentary one.

00:12Technically, you could try your luck crossing on foot, but let me tell you, that would be

00:18a huge, huge mistake.

00:20The region that connects the two continents is called the Darien Gap.

00:25It stretches across southern Panama's Darien province and the northern part of Colombia.

00:30The only land route there is, is a 60-mile jungle trek.

00:34Crossing it can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days.

00:38It depends on weather conditions, how much you're carrying, and, honestly, just pure

00:42luck.

00:44Chance plays a big role here, because this isn't some chill, relaxing nature walk.

00:49It's a harsh, extreme environment, known for being completely isolated and one of the

00:54most dangerous places on Earth.

00:56Still, people seem to forget that and go there anyway.

01:00Every year, the number of people crossing just keeps growing.

01:04In 2014, fewer than 10,000 people crossed the gap.

01:08In 2023, that number increased to 520,000.

01:14You might be wondering, what are so many people doing in the middle of the two American continents,

01:19risking all that danger?

01:21Well, that's because the Darien Gap has become a route for refugees migrating to North America.

01:28But to get there, they face all kinds of dangers, from insect bites and infections to serious

01:34fractures.

01:35We're talking about a no-man's land.

01:38Since there are no police stations, immigrants must also watch out for thieves.

01:43Along the way, they have no choice but to rely on and support each other.

01:48Most people start the crossing with at least a tent or tarp, rain boots, water, and some

01:53food.

01:54But these things get heavy fast, and people normally can't carry enough supplies for

01:59the entire journey.

02:00At some point, people start drinking river water to avoid dehydration.

02:05But the water's full of bacteria and dirt, so it causes intestinal issues.

02:11And if things get serious, there's no medical help there.

02:14To make this whole scenario even worse, the temperatures are brutal, often hitting over

02:1995°F.

02:20Now, a small subset of people who venture through the Darien Gap are hardcore adventurers

02:28and travelers looking for a survival experience in the jungle.

02:32But this region is no place for a relaxing vacation.

02:36A group of tourists who went there in 2023 ended up getting jungle rot, a fungus that

02:42affects the feet.

02:43The situation got so bad that a woman had to be carried out by the group on the last

02:48day because she couldn't walk.

02:51No matter how prepared people are for the Darien Gap, in the end, survival mostly comes

02:57down to luck.

02:58Out there, travelers won't find cities with solid infrastructure, where they can crash

03:03at a hotel and gear up for the next day.

03:07In some spots, they might stumble across basic camps right in the jungle.

03:11These camps might offer wooden platforms for tents, bucket showers, toilets, and even

03:16plates of chicken and rice.

03:18But it all comes at a price.

03:21Wi-Fi, for example, might cost $2 an hour.

03:25And that seems like a pretty good deal, considering there's no cell phone service on the trail.

03:30They pretty much lose all contact with the outside world.

03:33Now, picture a dense rainforest with steep, muddy terrain.

03:38The hiking trail is littered with boulders and tangled with vines, like nature's own

03:43tripwires.

03:44It climbs sharply over a mountain, becoming a serious challenge even for someone in good

03:49physical shape.

03:51The area also gets constant heavy rainfall, which can lead to landslides, flash flooding,

03:57and extremely muddy conditions.

03:59The situation gets so intense that even the T-shirts and faces of those who make the crossing

04:05end up covered in mud.

04:07They'll also have to cross a lot of fast-moving rivers.

04:10A Venezuelan dad who recently went through the area with his two kids said their sneakers

04:16ripped apart on the very first day.

04:18That's how powerful the rivers can be.

04:21And they're deep, too.

04:22Sometimes the water reaches all the way up to their shoulders.

04:26But the dangers in that area aren't recent.

04:29For centuries, the Darien Gap was thought to be impossible to cross.

04:34The first Europeans who ventured into Latin America saw it as kind of a jungle training

04:39school.

04:40They totally knew about its dangers.

04:42But still, many adventurers tried to make the crossing in the years that followed.

04:47In 1854, for example, an expedition disappeared for 49 days in the jungle, battling starvation

04:54and exhaustion.

04:56Then again, in 1870, a group of 100 men set out to cross it.

05:01Even though they were well-prepared and carried cutting-edge equipment for the time, they

05:06still suffered tremendously during the journey.

05:08They had to rely on incredible resilience to survive the challenge.

05:13Over the years, people who ventured in often ended up passing away from hunger, thirst,

05:18and even drowning in rivers.

05:20They also faced the risk of being attacked by dangerous animals like jaguars, white-lipped

05:26peccaries, and the ferdelans – a fast, irritable snake that is one of the most venomous

05:32out there.

05:33The area is also swarming with mosquitoes, which can spread serious health problems.

05:39Leaning against trees to rest can also be risky.

05:42This jungle is full of spiked chunga palm trees, which are covered in long black spines

05:47up to 8 inches long.

05:49Unfortunately for us, these spines are covered in all sorts of bacteria.

05:54Just brush against a chunga, and you could end up with infected wounds.

05:58And yet another danger is getting lost in the dense forest and never finding your way

06:03back to safety.

06:04These days, though, this risk is a lot lower.

06:08Some people have mentioned color-coded markers that help guide travelers and keep them from

06:12going the wrong way.

06:14If they see blue or green fabric tied to trees, it means keep walking.

06:19But if they spot red fabric, that's a sign they're going the wrong way and need to

06:23turn around quickly.

06:25Since there are so many dangers, why not just build a road through the Darien Gap?

06:31While it might seem like a good idea, building a road connecting Panama and Colombia isn't

06:36really that simple.

06:38The Darien Gap has a humid climate, tough terrain, and constant rainfall.

06:43Which means any attempt to build a functional road would be highly challenging and super

06:48expensive.

06:50Even though there have been previous attempts to fill in the gap.

06:53You see, there's a huge road system called the Pan-American Highway, which stretches

06:58all the way from Alaska to the southern tip of Argentina.

07:02Nowadays, this highway hits a roadblock right at the Darien Gap.

07:07But it wasn't supposed to be like this, as the original idea was for the road to go

07:11through there.

07:13Leaders from Latin American countries tried to make this plan happen in the 70s, and then

07:18again in the 90s.

07:20But a lot of people were against it, mainly because they wanted to protect the local communities

07:24and the rainforest.

07:26Since the Darien Gap is mostly untouched by humans, it's one of the most biodiverse

07:32places on the planet.

07:33It's believed that one in five species are endemic to the region, meaning they only

07:38exist in that specific area.

07:40Like the Darien pocket gopher and the slaty slender mouse opossum, a road would've really

07:46damaged the ecosystem in the area.

07:48So the plans were scrapped.

07:50Eventually, an alternative was created to travel by sea.

07:54At least two companies started a ferry service connecting the two countries.

07:58However, the business wasn't profitable, and they ended up shutting down.

08:04Not long ago, Panama decided to close the Darien Gap route.

08:08Now they're sealed off with barbed wire fencing.

08:11It might just be a matter of time before other routes are created.

08:15But if you're an adventurer looking to visit South America, it's probably not best to

08:20wait for that.

08:21Traveling by plane to Colombia will always be a much safer option.

08:26That's it for today!

08:27So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your

08:31friends!

08:32Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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