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Chilling reason why it's deadly to cross from North America to South America by road

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Published 14:55 2 Dec 2024 GMT

Chilling reason why it's deadly to cross from North America to South America by road

The Darien Gap has been described as 'hell on Earth'

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

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Featured Image Credit: YouTube/GeoGlobeTales/Getty Images/MARTIN BERNETTI

Topics: World News, Travel, Nature

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

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If you were thinking about attempting a road trip across both north and south America you might want to reconsider that travel dream due to the dangers that await you.

Since we live in one of the easiest ages for travel, you would think it would be simple enough to go from North America to South America, right?

A cheeky road trip with all your friends for months exploring vastly different countries and cultures?

Well this might be pretty difficult because there is no road connecting the two continents. And if you thought about hiking, it can be just as dangerous all due to the Darien Gap.

The dangers of the Darien Gap

The Darien Gap is a geographic region connecting the American continents, stretching from Panama's Darién Province up to Colombia's Chocó Department.

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The Darien Gap sees a lot of people crossing it (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)
The Darien Gap sees a lot of people crossing it (MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

A YouTube video by the GeoGlobeTales channel highlighted just how dangerous this area can be and why it likely isn’t worth trying to brave it.

The video narrator said: “Did you know it is physically impossible to cross from North America to South America by road? It is all because of this piece of land, the Darien Gap.

“[It is] one of the most dangerous places on the planet that even breaks the longest road in the world.

“An attempt to cross this section can be deadly.”

Just like most deadly places in the world, there isn’t just one reason as to why this location is particularly treacherous, even if you don’t try to traverse it by car.

In the region there is around 160 kilometers of dense tropical forests, swamps and mountains, so hardly the easiest place to get through when going long distance.

So, why not build a road in the Darien Gap?

While this might be even more reason to build a road through it, joining Panama, in the north, and Colombia, in the south, it really isn’t that simple.

 Aerial view of Migrants walking by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito village, the first border control of the Darien Province in Panama(LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)
Aerial view of Migrants walking by the jungle near Bajo Chiquito village, the first border control of the Darien Province in Panama(LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images)

The Darien Gap also has a humid climate, difficult terrain and continuous rainfall meaning any attempts to build a working road would be difficult and very expensive.

The video also continued to explain the difficulties migrants experience when they try and pass through this region and the place has previously been dubbed ‘hell on Earth’.

The narrator added: “The Darien gap is the only land route for migrants, who in search of a better life, try to cross these impassable jungles but not all of them reach their destination.

“The danger isn’t just due to the difficult terrain and wildlife because of the lack of government control makes it home to a large number of criminals, smugglers and armed gangs.”

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