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Darién Gap - The Darién Gap begins where the Pan-American Highway ends.

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Dark spot - It is one of the planet’s largest dark spots.

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No service -

There is no service, meaning GPS and cell phones will not work.

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Climate -

The climate is a difficult element for those who dare to cross it.

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Climate - The air is thick in the Darién Gap, making it difficult to breath.

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Wildlife - Not to mention the scary wild animals who live deep in the jungle waiting to attack.

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Criminal organizations -

Guerrillas and paramilitary groups also hide out there as well.  

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Hurdles -

Other rough obstacles include impassable mountains and impenetrable swamps.

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Crimes -

Kidnappings and rape are rampant in the area as well due to the many criminal organizations that operate there, control the area, and hold people for ransom.

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Death - Some don't make it out alive after these criminal organizations get involved. 

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Clan del Golfo -

One of these groups is Colombia’s Clan del Golfo.

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Taxes -

They control the flow of migrants by taxing passerbys.

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Drug smuggling -

Migrants are sometimes even loaded with cocaine to smuggle the drugs with them on their journey.

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Hill of Death -

Finally, after days of trekking through the dense forest, migrants are faced with perhaps the biggest challenge yet: the Hill of Death.

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Hill of Death -

To reach Panama, the journey takes 12 hours uphill without breaks.

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Hill of Death -

The last two hours have been described by travelers as the worst.

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Hill of Death -

It is marked with crosses, cadavers, and tombstones in memory of those who did not survive the trek and died on the journey.

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Difficult journey -

Many migrants who attempt to cross searching for a better life in North America often don’t make it through the many dangers of the forest.

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Border patrol -

And the lucky few who survive the frightening journey are often turned back around upon being met by Panamanian border patrol.

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Denied entry -

Being sent back into the jungle often means a death sentence for the families and travelers.

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Lost -

If they aren’t killed or murdered, explorers, scientists, and researchers who bravely enter this unmapped place will often get lost, their bodies found years later.

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Migrants -

For the courageous migrants, this is a testament to just how bad the lives of these people were.

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Dangerous trek - So much so that they dared to make the trip through the Darién Gap.

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Seeking a better life -

Some are escaping war, religious persecution, or gendered violence. Others seek better economic opportunities that they don’t have at home.

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Military - Panamanian children pose next to a military checkpoint in the eastern province of Darién, Panama.

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Clothes - Clothes from Cuban migrants hung up to dry.

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Children - Young kids playing in Darién.

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Darién Gap - A man reparing a fishing net in Darién.

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Sleep conditions - A migrant's makeshift bed in Darién.

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