Woman travels across one of 'most dangerous places on planet' and shares terrifying reality

In the thin strip of land connecting North and South America is an area so inhospitable that even today there is no road through it.

This is the Darién Gap, one of the most difficult and dangerous places in the world due to the incredibly hostile environment.

The gap stretches for about 60 miles across the border of Panama and Colombia - right across the area between the north and the south.

In the 20th century, there was an effort to build a pan-American highway connecting North and South America, which was foiled by this one spot that was just too dense.

Now, terrifyingly, the area has become a choke point for people who are migrating without a visa from the south to the north.

Those who attempt this journey face 60 miles of dense jungle containing all manner of dangers, and in 2021, journalist Paola Ramos shadowed a group of people making the perilous trip.

The journey takes several days and is highly dangerous (RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Paola shared that in 2019, over 24,000 people made the journey through the area, braving the many dangers, of whom around 4,000 people were children.

But this number has risen enormously since then, with The Guardian reporting that in 2023, some 520,000 people, more than half a million, attempted the journey.

This huge increase has been driven in part by mounting instability in Venezuela, though people from dozens of countries make the journey, which can last five-to-six days.

Many people attempt the journey without proper supplies, with some even lacking the most basic things like proper footwear.

There is also no law enforcement or proper medical supplies available in the region, meaning that even an otherwise trivial injury could become fatal.

Many dangerous animals also live in the jungle, including venomous snakes, insects, spiders, scorpions, and jaguars, not to mention diseases, and a hot, humid climate.

But the remoteness of the path means that there are other dangers as well.

The route has grown from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands (LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)

These are the gangs that roam the area looking for vulnerable people to rob and kidnap, with women and girls especially vulnerable to being abducted and sex trafficked.

"On the trail are poisonous snakes, scorpions, and jaguars, yet far worse are the gangs looking for prey," said Paola.

"The migrants are vulnerable to being robbed at any time, and many women become victims of sexual assault and rape."

Describing the people around her, Paola said: "I'd say that there's at least 100 people here, there are children from the ages of five to literally three months old, and you can sense a true anxiety, particularly among the women that are trying to ensure that their children are safe and that they make it in one piece through this jungle."

The location makes the gap a focal point for people trying to go between the south and north, and with a lack of documentation closing off boats and planes to many, the Darién Gap is their only option.