Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Chagres National Park, Carretera Madden, Colon Panama
Start at 5am after your picked and taken in an all-terrain vehicle from your hotel to the remote village of San Cristobal.
After enjoying a typical Panamanian breakfast, visit a campesino survival agricultural farm in the Chagres National Park.
Next, hike for about 2-hours up to Rio Piedras. This area is a Chagres River tributary, where you will get into your rafts and begin to float downstream, (Class II-III rapids) floating into the untouched jungles of the Chagres National Park. Keep an eye out for wildlife such as monkeys, sloth, river otter, iguana, toucan and fish.
From late February through early June you might have to hike all the way to the Chagres River (which takes 3-hours) because Piedras River might be to low to raft on.
After lunch, continue rafting further downstream passing an impressive granite canyon with some white water rapid action, and ending just before encountering Madden Lake where you met by a "piragua" (native wooden canoe equipped with outboard motor). Ride in the piragua further downstream to the nearest road where a driver will be expecting you and ready to bring you back to civilization, and to your hotel in Panama City around 7pm.
Duration: 12 hours
Pass By: Embera Drua Villiage, 7F6M+P28, Chico, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
we will paddle by it at the end of the day
Pass By: Emberá Purú Village, 9F89+VFM, Quebrada Candelaria, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
We will navigate along it at the end of the day
Pass By: Comunidad embera Tusipono, 6FG6+MV6, Colón, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
We will navigate along it at the end of the day
Pass By: Centro De Salud Cerro Azul, 5HJR+WGH, Panama City, Panamá Province, Panama
we will drive next to it at dawn
See Availability.
Traveler pickup is offered
We pick up from any hotel within Panama City. Also some outside Panama City with an extra transportation fee.
05:00 AM
14 to 16 hours(approx.)
Not wheelchair accessible
A minimum of 4 people per booking is required
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 7 days of travel. In this case confirmation will be received within 48 hours, subject to availability
Posted By : 62kurto
The trip was amazing. Javier did a great job planning and executing on every aspect of the day. There was not a moment that was not interesting,l ans beautiful and it was always challenging without being too challenging. Highly recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-01-28
Posted By : U3179VZyvetter
Javier was a wonderful guide. He takes safety measures seriously. The hike was physically challenging but it was well worth it. It is every bit of a 14 hour day. The rapids were not as scary as I thought they would be. The virgen jungle and river were spectacular. It was the highlight of my tweens’ Panama trip. They will remember it forever. It was the whole jungle experience in one day.
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Posted On : 2023-08-05
Posted By : Sean C
Very challenging and rewarding adventure. Admittedly, it kicked my butt, but I am super glad I finished with my family and friends. Please remind Javier to bring his canteens and water the day prior to the trip as we had to improvise and get containers and coconut water from the locals.
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Posted On : 2023-01-06
Posted By : ARBenedetti
Awesome! Due to the river’s history and wild and scenic beauty, rafting the Chagres has been on my bucket list for quite some time and the experience has left me seriously stoked. Our guides were on point with safety throughout the journey and all our transport transitions were smooth and on time, along with the celebratory cold ones at the end!! Thank you Aventuras Panama very much for making this such a memorable adventure.
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Posted On : 2021-12-21
Posted By : Crystal_G
Our Chagres Challenge experience was incredible! We saw parts of Panama that we would not have seen any other way. It really was an expedition.
Our group was picked up in the early morning and we drove into the mountains to begin the trip. After a nice breakfast, we enjoyed some off-roading. Our driver was skilled and got us to the trailhead.
We began hiking through the jungle to the river. Our guide Javier had extensive knowledge of the flora, fauna, topography and history of the area. We were able to see lots of animals and learned about the many kinds of trees and plants that exist there. It was a beautiful remote hike in the jungle.
Bring shoes that can get really wet and are ok for hiking. Something like Choccos or Tevas would be ideal but, I wore water shoes with socks and was just fine. You will want something with some grip since the trail is likely to be slick. It is a rain forest.
When we arrived at the river, we relaxed while Javier's team inflated the rafts and prepared the equipment. After safety training we began rafting.
It had been raining more than usual and this made our rafting adventure even more fun as the river was running fast. Our raft operator Fabian was calm, skilled and exceptionally pleasant. We worked as a team with his guidance to navigate the rapids and nobody fell out.
We have all been rafting before and this was unlike any other. Seeing the jungle from the river in the rain was an experience that I will never forget in the best way. The launch point is extremely remote and this meant that we had the river completely to ourselves.
We had a nice meal along the river before transferring to motorized long boats that took us across Lake Alajuela where our van was waiting.
Everyone in our group would highly recommend this adventure.
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Posted On : 2021-12-06
Posted By : friscomendez
The Chagres Challenge was an exciting experience where we were able to hike up through the panamanian Rainforest and then raft down the Chagres river, all within a day. We saw different animas, learned about the history of the National Park, rafted through some Class III rapids and even enjoyed lunch by the river. A must for anyone visiting the city.
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Posted On : 2021-12-03
Posted By : travelsacrossglobe
book this tour as it will be the best tour you will do in Panama. my wife and i went on this in February 2020 and it was an amazing day. you hike in the jungle, wade across beautiful streams, raft down the Chagres river and then get picked up by an indigenous tribe and taken back to a waiting pickup across a lake. Javier is a great guide - he really knows the jungle and the river. If you want a truly memorable holiday - book this tour. you will not be disappointed. it really was fantastic. Javier runs the only tour to do this so you have the river to yourself. I cannot recommend this trip enough - its a long day but you will keep great memories forever. this deserves to be on your bucket list of things to do in your life!
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Posted On : 2020-02-15
Posted By : bergerth0mas
We enjoyed this unique river rafting down to lago alajuela
Javier has been a very profesional guide and so interésting person
We recommend+++
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Posted On : 2020-01-13
Posted By : Jimmy G
The whole day was fantastic. Be prepared to be exhausted at the end but it was definitely worth the time and money. Great scenery, informative, exciting, good food. Everything ran seamlessly and it supports a good cause. Javier is a great guide.
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Posted On : 2019-12-10
Posted By : maryfunaoka
During the third week of November, my husband and I participated in the Chagres Challenge. The tour description was exactly what we experienced. Our guide, Javier, is a hidden Panamanian gem - his knowledge and skills were beyond measure and definitely contributed to the overall satisfaction of our trip. Safety is Javier's number one focus and then teaching. He gave us historical, ecological, political, and social lessons that made helped us immerse into the Panamanian culture. In addition, Javier was prepared and calculated - not a minute was wasted. The highlight of our rafting ride was spotting a jaguar in addition to white eagles and howling monkeys. We already told our family and friend to start planning a trip to Panama - this company is definitely worth the trip!
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Posted On : 2019-11-29
