Exploring the Bayano Lake Caves in the Dense Panama Jungle
Panama’s jungle is an unforgiving place. Home of exotic animals, dangerous rebels, indigenous tribes and the Darién Gap, this is one of the least visited areas on the planet. And there are plenty of tales of people who braved it and were never heard from again.
While Costa Rica conjures up images of sloths and monkeys and cloud forests, Panama feels a little more shrouded in mystery. Most of the country is covered in a thick jungle, with small villages and cities popping up here and there. The southern part refuses to be tamed, though. It’s known less for touristy-jaunts and more notorious for adventures of the lawless variety – you know, like robbery, kidnappings and misfortunate run-ins with the cartel or anti-government rebels.
It’s a wild place, for sure. But not because we humans haven’t tried to tame it. Much the opposite. When Panama belonged to Colombia, the Darién Gap separated the country, creating different cultures on either side. Then, when the Pan-American Highway was being built in 1971 (which, by the way, is the very bicycle touring route that inspired the beginning of The Pedal Project) nothing would stand in the way of man’s dream to connect all of North America to all of South America. Except for environmentalist and the Darién Gap – right where the Panama jungle connects to Colombia – that is.
Needless to say, I didn’t think that heading into the jungle was one of the things I’d do in Panama. But when I heard about the amazing caves that could be found there, I was instantly game. And, well, we’re here for adventure, right?
On that Note: One Tip When Exploring the Jungle
Best not do it alone, ok?
I collaborated with the team at Bayano Adventure to put together this post and share my cave adventures in the Panama jungle with you. They put together Panama tours that are based on getting people off the beaten path and supporting the local people that live in the places we visit. The entire team grew up here in Panama themselves, and their love for their country is clear in everything they do.
Plus, even though we weren’t going to be going near the trouble in the Darién Gap, I wouldn’t recommend that anyone try this adventure by themselves. The trusted guides at Bayano Adventure know the area, can keep an eye on signs of flash flooding and have the safety materials needed. Which meant we’d be in safe hands while exploring the adjacent swatches of the Panamanian jungle.
Even still, this is definitely not one of the Panama tours that my mother would join me on. Which is kind of how I rate my adventures. On a scale of mom-approved to, “hell nah, I can’t believe I did that.”
This one falls somewhere in the middle.
A Journey to Bayano Lake
While we were heading into Panama’s jungle in search of some great slot canyons and caves, we first needed to get to Bayano Lake, about a 2-hour drive on winding roads from where the Pan-American Highway comes to an abrupt stop.
It’s the second-largest manmade lake in Panama and covers 136 square miles (or 353 km²). Technically, it’s the second-largest lake in all of Panama, since there are no natural lakes in the country. The first being Gatún Lake – the one that ships use to get into the Panama Canal.
I didn’t read much before the trip. But I did know that we’d be, “getting wet from the neck down.”
I was advised to bring hiking shoes (I wore tennis shoes), a swimsuit, dry clothes, passport, bug spray, and drinking water. I’d also add to that a dry bag, a plastic bag for your phone, sunscreen, sunglasses, and pants. I wore shorts, but the water is quite cold.
I joined my fellow adventure seekers at our meeting point in Panama City. Even though I was the only non-native English speaker, they still set me up with a great bilingual guide. And Edgar made sure I never missed a thing. We easily passed the time in the car chatting about traveling, nature and different cultures, with Edgar telling me about all of the amazing things to do in Panama. We spent about 2 hours driving on a well-paved highway that cut neatly through the Panama jungle. Then, we pulled onto a dirt road and stopped at a small private farm.
That was my first glimpse of Bayano Lake, blue as can be with no end in sight. We got out to stretch our legs, grab headlamps, helmets, and lifejackets. After gearing up, we bumped down the road a bit further to a small inlet on the lake, where our chariots awaited. The ‘chariots’ were two wooden dugout canoes, retro-fitted with Yamaha motors.
I made a mental note to tightened my lifejacket before hopping in for a 45-minute ride across the lake.
Birds, monkeys, and other things to see in Panama’s jungles & forests
There was nothing but the hum of the motor and the occasional bird squawking in the distance. I quickly slipped into the serenity of Panama’s jungle, Bayano Lake and the wildlife that surrounded us. The forest-turned-lake was still home to monkeys and birds. They set up homes at the top of the branches or swung from the trees in the mangrove forests and jungles that flanked Bayano Lake. As we cruised along, the boat sent ripples across the water, gently hitting the trunks of trees that poked out through the surface of the lake. And that queued anyone who was home to take off flying overheard.
There wasn’t a house or soul in sight – a big difference from the madhouse that was Cartagena earlier this month and, heck, even Panama City. Honking horns were replaced with the occasional angry screech of a howler monkey, letting their presence be known. I’d been craving an adventure just like this for a while.
The Great Sloth Rescue Mission of 2019
We saw pelicans fishing for lunch, fish jumping across the water, an otter splashing in our wake – and even a sloth floating along in Bayano Lake! But that poor little dude definitely wasn’t out for a Sunday swim. He was more than a little frazzled.
Read: sloths are not exactly aquatic animals.
We decided to give the guy a lift to dry land. We carefully pulled the boat up next to him, shut off the motor and let him float to us. We were careful to not touch him and used a stick as a sort of a rescue buoy. He gratefully grabbed on to that, and then the side of the boat, where he latched on with all four limbs and cruised with us to the shore. Once we got over to one of the many islands in Bayano Lake, he used the same stick to crawl from the boat to safety.
Side mission accomplished. We said goodbye to our little hitchhiker and continued on to find the Bayano Lake caves we originally set out to find.
Trekking Through Panama’s Jungle Caves
We docked the boats in a marshy valley. We were facing the forest, with distant mountains rising up behind this piece of the Panama jungle. After squish-squishing our way along a muddy riverbank we came to a small hut. And there it was. Just behind the hut was a small, worn sign. The casual hiker would easily walk right by. Not that hikers ever made it this far into Panama’s jungle. But, it said that we had, in fact, arrived.
“Welcome to the Bayano Lake Caves”
We had a bit of safety de-briefing on how to forge through the river and stay safe in the caves. Then, we hiked down the path and hopped into the water. After just a couple of yards, I lost visibility of my feet. Soon, I realized we only had few slivers of sunlight from the slot canyon above to navigate by. They created sunbeams in the caves and the reflection danced off the cave walls all around us.
And then the lights went out.
Well, sort of. The slot canyons closed off, the water levels rose and Panama’s jungle was above us. We all got in a group to turn off our headlights and see just how dark pitch blackness was. I don’t know if I’ve ever been in that much darkness, completely forgetting that it was actually only about noon in the world overhead. So, as it turns out, one of my favorite things to see in Panama was, well, nothing at all.
We were in a different realm now.
Our guide had us turn on lights back on and warned us that there would be some waterfalls and bats up ahead. And that the river we were standing in might be up to neck-high. No joke.
But Edgar and the other guide kept an eye on the water levels (which can turn into a potentially dangerous situation in slot canyons). And they made sure everyone safely made their way through the caverns. Which meant all I had to worry about was keeping one eye on what might be in the dark waters, and the other on the bats that were swirling overhead. I may or may not have put my backpack over my head at one time. You know, juuuuuust to ensure no one would get any ideas about landing on my head.
Do bats do that? I don’t know.
Exploring the World Under Our Feet
To say that trekking through the Bayano Lake caves is one of the more adventurous things to do in Panama feels like an understatement. Want to see a different side of the country? This is it. It’s like seeing a whole new place.
I followed a river through slot canyons and caves. I stood under underground waterfalls. I dodged bats and I even unknowingly walked by two sleeping caimans (which to my untrained eye, look a lot like hungry alligators). You know, until someone pointed it out. I looked down and noticed that I was standing in the same pool as one of them. That was a whole lot closer to nature than I wanted to be at that moment.
A Post-Exploration Meal
By the time we had emerged from the caves, I almost forgot it was only mid-day. It took my eyes some time to acclimate to the sunlight. I quit squinting by the time we returned to the hut where we began. There, the indigenous women prepared a traditional local meal of fish and patacones. Patacones are a very popular side dish in Latin America. They are smashed fried green plantains. Tastier than it sounds.
I think I fell asleep mid-sentence at some point on our way back to Panama City. I was that pooped. And maybe I dreamt that I was one of the original explorers in Central American, hiking up rivers and bushwacking my way through Panama’s jungle, trying to make it the 50 miles from the Pacific over to the Atlantic, meeting the kind indigenous people that were there, living off the land.
Or maybe I was too tired from the day’s adventures in the Panama jungle and at Bayano Lake to dream anything.
But it was one of the Panama tours that I won’t be forgetting any time soon.
And if you wanna trek into the untamed Panama jungle yourself, Antonio at Bayano Adventures (check out their photos on Facebook) will definitely make sure you have a safe trip. This is definitely one of the unique things to do in Panama City that you should add to your list. You’ll see untouched parts of nature, support local families and get to practice your Spanish!
