The Chagres Challenge - a full day jungle expedition from sunrise to sunset

Overview

Available languages

English

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Leave behind the exhausting noise of cities and escape to the stunning natural beauty of the Chagres National Park. This unforgettable adventure includes hiking, rafting, camping and transportation on indigenous Embera motorboat. The Chagres River is virtually unseen in the trek trough the Chagres National Park due to the lack of access roads and protection against settlers. This part of the river, characterized by currents alternating with backwaters, is considered as class II, although several rapids are considered Class III by the International Classification of River Navigation. Although it's the natural habitat of big mammals such as tapir and jaguar, it is much easier to spot several others samples of the fauna, such as monkeys of the rainforest, sloth, river otter, iguana, tucan, and plenty of fish.

Additional Info

Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries

Not recommended for pregnant travelers

Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health

Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

A minimum of 4 people per booking is required

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Bottled water

Rafts and gear

Professional guide trained in white-water navigation skills, first-aid and CPR

Lunch

GST (Goods and Services Tax)

Breakfast

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

JW Marriott Panama

Calle Punta Colon, Panama City Panama

What To Expect

Chagres National Park

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.

12 hours • Admission Included

we will paddle by it at the end of the day

Admission Not Applicable

Options

The Chagres Challenge - a full day jungle expedition from sunrise to sunset

Pickup included

Reviews

4.91

22 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Super trailing and river rafting along a beautiful river, surrounded by deep tropical jungle.. exciting, safe, wonderful
Yoli E,
Nov 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Wonderful, comprehensive trip that includes trailing along a beautiful national park. The Chagres National Park surrounds rhe Panama Canal and is close to the city, at the same time you feel in the jungle! The expertise of the organizer, Javier Romero, and his team, gives you a total sense of security . Once you enter the Chagres River it is a fun, exhilarating and marvelous rafting experience.. all well organized and incredible.
Amazing Panamanian River-Jungle Immersion
paulafZ9891KQ,
Jan 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Perfect day trip. Combination of exercise, excitement, nature, relaxation. Very knowledgeable guides and crew. Crystal clear water all the way and beautiful jungle. Lots of yellow butterflies along the river bank.
Amazing experience
familiaf889,
Jan 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Amazing experience. Incredibly organized. You can tell the years of experience because everything was thouroughly thought of ahead of time. The Rafting was easy enough, the 2.5hr hike was not too tiresome and had beautiful sights.
Don’t miss this experience in Panama!
katiehK471QJ,
Nov 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Phenomenal day! It really is a challenge, but we loved it all. Started at 5am with pick up from our hotel, and enjoyed a delicious breakfast before switching to a 4x4 for the drive into the jungle. Led by Alberto, we hiked for about 2 hours to the river - it was steep and muddy, but great fun, so good hiking-water shoes are essential. We managed to beat the horses bringing the equipment to the river, so we relaxed until the raft was ready. Fabian and Alberto guided the raft and made sure we all had a fantastic and informative (and safe) time. We saw some amazing wildlife such as a huge iguana and many birds. We did not see a single person from the beginning of the hike til the end at the Embera village - it was sublimely peaceful and beautiful on the river with the rainforest all around us. The rapids were exhilarating and so much fun! You will definitely end the day soaking wet! Lunch was simple but perfect, at a convenient stony beach on the river. We ended at an Embera village and we were taken back to the van by a motor canoe, which was a lovely end to an exhausting but amazing day. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Our children aged 13 and 11 thought it was amazing. Thank you so much to Javier and the team!
Family Chagres Challenge!
Stay17408653149,
Aug 1, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
This was an amazing experience! We were visiting Panama with our three teenage daughters, and were looking for a tour that allowed us a genuine experience of the jungle as well as adventure and adrenaline, and this certainly ticked all the boxes! The trip starts with a 5am pick-up by mini-bus at your accommodation. We then had the most spectacular 1-hour drive through torrential rain, lightning and thunder (very unusual at this time of day!) high up into the scenic mountains. The weather miraculously cleared as the sun rose and we stopped for the most delicious breakfast (eggs, a local fried bread, coffee and drinks of our choice - all included!) at a truly 'local' roadside restaurant. We were lucky to see toucans high up and hear howler monkeys before taking a short drive to where the SUV's picked us up. When I say we went 'off road' I mean it - we bumped and skidded along the steepest, bumpiest road ever down the mountain. The driver was highly experienced, though, and the views were spectacular, as we passed remote houses with the clouds sitting on the valley below. Once we get to the start of the hike two mules, one horse, and 3 guides were waiting to receive the rafting equipment, water, food and supplies that would be accompanying us on the hike. The 4-hour hike that followed was definitely not a ‘walk in the park’ but also not an absolute killer. There is a lot of up and down, and a lot of care required when going downhill, especially as it had been raining. Our guide, Javier, has been doing this for 30 years. He is passionate about the area, hiking, and rafting. We had regular short stops where he would allow us a breather and point out certain trees, plants and landmarks, and share information about the area and its history. Many of the narrow paths we hiked along, as well as the ‘road’ we drove down were established by him years ago. He always walked ahead of us, making sure we did not stumble upon any sleeping snakes, as well as to make sure that we minimised damage to the area by sticking to the established path. We passed some very remote landholds, which had been established before the area was declared a national park, which added to the interest. Oh, did I mention the river crossings? These are regular, with some currents stronger than other, so watch your step and as Javier will suggest do not step on the big, slippery rocks or you will swim! We were excited to get to the rafts, ready and inflated, waiting for us at the pick-up point. After one last river wade we made it to our start point, where after a very comprehensive safety briefing (safety is definitely Javier’s number one priority!) we got in the raft to learn the commands and practice this in calm waters. With 6 of us in the boat, and Javier steering at the back, we made a good team! The first few rapids were a bit scary, with a lot of tossing and turning of the boat due to the rapids and rocks in the river, but by about the third rapid we were taking them like pros, with Javier expertly determining our best route, shouting commands and steering the boat from the back. Another guide was always ahead of us, in a single raft, providing back-up safety. After about 2 hours we had the most delicious cold cuts lunch on a pebbly river bank before setting off again. We knew we had reached the trickier part of the river when Javier stopped for an extra safety briefing and we headed for the rapid that included a 3-foot drop. Much to the girls’ amusement, mom as well as our fellow passenger flew out of the raft and had to be quickly hauled back into boat before we reached the next rapid. They are still howling with laughter! We then continued for about another 3 hours of rafting through rapids, beautiful stretches of jungle, and a gorgeous canyon. We even got to jump out of the raft for a nice, refreshing swim alongside the boat. After about 5 hours we reached the Embera Drun village, where we engaged with some friendly Embera indians that were on the river with their kids and dogs as we waited for the motorized Embera canoe to pick us up. I have to say we felt like participants on ‘Naked and Afraid’ getting extracted after their adventure - tired but so proud of our 9-hour accomplishment! After 45 minutes of again the most beautiful, scenic river and jungle scenery we docked at a small village, and were met by our mini van. After a cold beer/soft drink and a welcome change into our dry clothes we were on our way back home. What an amazing memory!! TIPS: Javier said to ‘only take what you will need on the hike and raft’. Being a mom I totally overpacked, taking water, rash guards, sunscreen, snacks and windbreakers. I should have listened to him - all you really need is your phone, if you want to risk it, in a waterproof pouch, and a rain jacket that you can wrap around your waist for the hike. Apply bug spray and sunscreen before you leave the mini van, and make sure you have towels, dry clothes, snacks etc for the drive home as you can keep these safely in the van during the expedition. I also wish we had brought cash tips for the driver and assistant guide, as they were amazing.
Excellent rafting experience in the virgin forest of Chagres National Park
169iv ne,
Jul 29, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Excellent experience in the virgin jungle of Panama, with a very professional and safe handling by the company, demonstrating great experience.
Incredible expedition!
tessaalliker1974,
Jul 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Honestly, the most fun and exciting expedition i have been on, from 5am until 7pm! I saw another part of Panama I didn’t know existed however all in a days trip from PC. A big thank you to Javier for his expertise and incredible organisation skills.
Fantastic way to spend the day in nature.
62kurto,
Jan 28, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
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.
Beautiful experience
U3179VZyvetter,
Aug 5, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
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.
Great Coconut Water Adventure
Sean C,
Jan 6, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
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.