Tailor-made holidays
Flexible, custom-made holidays to Latin America created to match your exact requirements: our tailor-made itineraries are as unique as the clients for whom they are designed.
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.
Panama
Panama City
Holidays Meet the Embera indians of Chagres river
From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.
Papagaio
Your edit for Latin American inspiration
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
View Extraordinary Inspiration
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.
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.
Hannah Donaldson - Travel Expert
Having spent part of her childhood in Colombia and worked in Brazil and Costa Rica, Hannah's ties to Latin America run deep. Hannah is a much valued Travel Expert in our Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tours sales team.
Mary Anne Nelson - Travel Expert
Born in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, Mary’s insider knowledge and dry sense of humour make her a highly valued member of the Tailor-made Holidays and Group Tour sales team.
Lina Fuller - Travel Expert
Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.
