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Darien gap

Squamch

Squamch

Canadian
Joined
May 19, 2020
Member Number
93
Messages
1,653
Loc
republic of Vancouver island
I watched a video the other night of some guys who rode klr650s from the arctic down into South America, including through the Darien gap. Got me thinking, apparently chevy pushed corvairs through 50 or 60 years ago, land rover has done it once or twice in camel trophy type rigs...but has anyone ever done it with a couple well sorted wheeling rigs?
It's 40ish miles through the jungle. Mud, foliage, river and creek crossings. Apart from exceptionally deep rivers, it seems like it wouldn't be horribly tough.
With lockers, 40s, well built axles, body of your preference, whatever reliable motor you like (let's not kid ourselves, it's an LS), some winches and a chainsaw. It seems like it wouldn't be too awful. 40 miles would take its toll certainly, but...from my seat on this comfortable couch, it looks doable.

Whaddya say? A good test for Austin's irate MOG?
 
Sounds like a good time. Who's down?

I'd drive my K30 down from Canada and all the way if fuel wasn't insane. The logistics of getting a rig down there would suck.
 
I lived in Panama (stationed there in the Army) from Jan '90 until Nov '95. Made the trip to the "end of the road" once with the Back Country 4x4 club (military club). The Darien gap was the topic of conversation in the club. The club even had a visitor / presentation once by the lady who accompanied the  only guy to have successfully driven a 4x4 through the gap.

Going off of memory here. The Corvairs didn't make it. Another guy on a motorcycle accompanied the guy in the 4x4 and was (at the time) the only motorcycle rider to make it.

The guy who did make it tried 3 times before he was successful. First in a full size pickup truck (Ford F150, IIRC) which was abandoned. Second was a CJ7 which was confiscated by the Colombian government (he apparently didn't follow proper protocol/administrative BS). Finally he was able to do it in an old CJ5 with a PTO winch.

The final trip took over a year as certain parts are only navigable about 3 months out of the year (dry season). He broke a rear axle, stored the Jeep in some off the grid farmer's barn for the 9 months of rainy season and then came back with a new axle and completed the trip.

One of the more interesting challenges was a giant tree in the middle of a ridge that he needed to descend. He cut 3" off of his tube steel bumpers and welded them sideways on the end of the bumper so he could run the winch cable through them. The Jeep literally hung on the winch cable as he drove around the tree.

Needless to say the pictures taken by his passenger were very interesting. I can't remember which magazine had it, but one of the 4x4 magazines of the time had the story and pictures.

I haven't heard of any newer crossings of the Darien gap, but it is possible that others have made the journey.

Edit: watching the video above, it might be he was the only one to do it solo.
 
MChat said:
I lived in Panama (stationed there in the Army) from Jan '90 until Nov '95. Made the trip to the "end of the road" once with the Back Country 4x4 club (military club). The Darien gap was the topic of conversation in the club. The club even had a visitor / presentation once by the lady who accompanied the  only guy to have successfully driven a 4x4 through the gap.

Going off of memory here. The Corvairs didn't make it. Another guy on a motorcycle accompanied the guy in the 4x4 and was (at the time) the only motorcycle rider to make it.

The guy who did make it tried 3 times before he was successful. First in a full size pickup truck (Ford F150, IIRC) which was abandoned. Second was a CJ7 which was confiscated by the Colombian government (he apparently didn't follow proper protocol/administrative BS). Finally he was able to do it in an old CJ5 with a PTO winch.

The final trip took over a year as certain parts are only navigable about 3 months out of the year (dry season). He broke a rear axle, stored the Jeep in some off the grid farmer's barn for the 9 months of rainy season and then came back with a new axle and completed the trip.

One of the more interesting challenges was a giant tree in the middle of a ridge that he needed to descend. He cut 3" off of his tube steel bumpers and welded them sideways on the end of the bumper so he could run the winch cable through them. The Jeep literally hung on the winch cable as he drove around the tree.

Needless to say the pictures taken by his passenger were very interesting. I can't remember which magazine had it, but one of the 4x4 magazines of the time had the story and pictures.

I haven't heard of any newer crossings of the Darien gap, but it is possible that others have made the journey.

Edit: watching the video above, it might be he was the only one to do it solo.
Click to expand...


These guys did it in 17 or 18 on KLRs.




I've watched the pack of jeeps going through too. Cool video.
 
east_beast said:
If I had to bet my life on a 4x4 drivetrain, it'd be a 1FZE with an A442F behind it
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:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:

And the sport only stands to gain when people who think like that give it a try and don't return.

Provience said:
Fuel sipping, simple efi machine with lots of parts of carb with a rebuild kit?
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If you start with a new and tuned carb there's nothing you can do to it in a month that you can't fix with some hand tools and brushes.

I'd just pick whatever drive-train the locals down there run and slap a carb adapter on top. The loss of 20% top end power is worth it for a system that's much more "field hackjob repair-able"
 
When I googled it, it said a hundred thousand people a year cross the gap. Doesn’t sound that bad.
 
CDA 455 II said:
Did you partake in the invasion on Christmas Eve '89?
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I arrived in country on Jan 6, 1990. There were still operations ongoing but the bulk of it was over.

I was temporarily assigned to a medivac unit as my permanent unit (617th SOAD) was a little busy to train up a kid fresh out of bootcamp/AIT.

The medivac unit used me as a "door gunner" (M16 with 40 rounds of ammo, since mounted weapons aren't allowed on a medivac bird) for about a week. Closest to "action" for me was watching a couple hammerhead sharks dismantle a smaller fish from the helicopter door when we were flying to David, Panama.
 
Provience said:
Sure, but that is likely walking just walking it. Where's the fun in that?
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Walking and pack animals. Having been out there, unless something has changed I seriously doubt the 100,000 per year. More like 100 to 1000.

The people that live out there live off the land and don't have much need of traveling.
 
MChat said:
Walking and pack animals. Having been out there, unless something has changed I seriously doubt the 100,000 per year. More like 100 to 1000.

The people that live out there live off the land and don't have much need of traveling.
Click to expand...
Maybe it is 100,000? Illegal immigration has become increasingly popular lately. :flipoff2:
 
MChat said:
Walking and pack animals. Having been out there, unless something has changed I seriously doubt the 100,000 per year. More like 100 to 1000.

The people that live out there live off the land and don't have much need of traveling.
Click to expand...
200k+ just this year to October. Simple migrant families seeking better life in the USA.

For some reason the number has exploded over the past couple years...must be the covids :laughing:
 
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