Footwear-private Embera tour

[TMLAalum]

Our guide is recommending shoes that can get wet, eg Tevas or Keens. What wetness can we expect to encounter enroute to the Embera tribe? Do we wade in the water to get into the dugout canoes? Is the trail to the village muddy and wet?

 

Thanks- inquiring minds aka DH want to know!

[SanDiegoSue]

I would like to know this, as well. I hope someone can answer for us.

Thanks

Sue

[spirit rev]

I did a search of this forum since I remember I read something about this. OP, I do not know if you are going with Anne Gordon, but I know SanDiego Sue is going with her.

 

Here is what I found (from an April 2011 post)

We used Anne Gordon on our tour. There were nine of us on her private tour. We went to her village and had an unbelieveable time. We were in a canoe for about an hour, had to get out twice to help push, since we were at the end of the dry season - but heck that was fun too. We were welcomed and greeted by wonderful, friendly people. It was everything we had hoped and more. We were able to go with one of the men (I'm not sure, but he may have been their shamun) on a nature hike where he showed us the leaves, bark and plants that they used for medicine. We were able to go into their cooking house and see how they cook. The fish they fed us was caught that morning. It was an authentic and once in a lifetime experience. I would recommend it to anyone.

 

On a separate note, our 14 year old daughter is confined to a wheelchair. The Embera men lifted her, in her wheelchair, into the front of the canoe and then carried her up the stairs to the village, then down the stairs and into the canoe for the trip back.

 

That said, we are going back into a rain forest so I expect there just may be some mud here and there. From the above description, they do all they can to accomodate everyone who would like to visit.

[ScottishMaid]

We were on Anne Gordon's tour at end November 2011. I wore tennis shoes which did not get wet as we stepped off the end of the canoe onto land.

However they did get dirty from the wet red sandy soil in the village.

Be concerned more if you want to keep dry during the canoe ride. We used ponchos. Maybe it won't be the rainy season for you.

[Richard in Panama]

If it rains you will get wet and it will be muddy and your shoes will get dirty and there will be puddles. If it doesn't rain you won't get wet and your shoes will likely stay dry and there may or may not be puddles. So wear comfortable and old shoes. I think there are some Embera tours that include hiking to a waterfall so . . . if the waterfall is wet, your feet will probably get wet and if you want to wade around and get in the waterfall it might be easier with Keens, Tevas or similar. It is, of course, a RAIN forest. But wet or dry it will be a highlight.

 

Regards, Richard

[Milhouse]

Just returning from the cruise with TMLAalum (OP) and regular footwear (ie Runners) were fine for my wife. I wore day hikers. Shoes got a bit dirty but in terms of slippage and wetness, runners were fine.

We encountered some intermittent heavy (and I mean HEAVY) rain off the ship, to the canoes, and at the Puru village but traversing the areas we walked was fine with runners. (Got some dry spells during the canoe rides to and fro and a good chunk of the time in the village.) Wife's feet did not get wet. The only quasi slippery area was walking up to the school on the hill when it was pouring.

We did not do a walk in the forest though that many tours talk about. Likely due to the rain.

 

[Excellent experience. BTW, thank you Richard, as your website was a great resource and helped us to decide to join in this experience.]