I got to Panama on the Holland American ship m/s Zuiderman; I got to the Embera village by motorized dugout. What a contrast, both in terms of life style and mode of transportation.

The Embra are semi-nomadic, indigenous people who even in 2014 are retaining many of their old ways and customs.

The visited village is located on a river in the rain forest in Darien Province in Panama, reachable only by dugout canoe. Even with an outboard motor pushing the canoe, it took us at an hour to reach the village. The canoe leaked a bit and the seats were narrow wooden slats, not very comfortable, but I would make the trip again in a heart beat.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit this or another Embera village, be sure to do so. The day I spent in the village was unlike any other experience I have had.

Rather than write a long description of the village, I encourage you to look at this short video. It gives you a very good idea what the trip and visit are like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVPA_HSHhpQ

The Embera people have their own language but are required by the government to learn Spanish. If you can speak even a little Spanish the residents will enjoy talking with you. I had a good conversation with the chief and one of the people; they enjoyed it as much as I did.

The only bathroom facilities at the village for visitors is a latrine. A simple meal was served of fruit and fish.

I came across Garceth Cunampio Tocamo of Embera Tours Panama on cruise critic before coming to Panama. He met my friend and I at our center city hotel, and we used our rental car (cheaper) to get to the embarkation point, where we took a 1.5 hour motorized canoe ride to the Village. The Embera Village is very remote, and the journey up was very enjoyable. In the car, Garceth told us his story from childhood to where he is today. In the Village he translated and gave us tips for our enjoyment. We went for a walk with the medicine man, ate fish and fruits, listened to a talk from the chief, bought a few items, and went for a swim in the river-- very clean with a decent current near the village. You just need to stay a little closer to shore. This day really made our Panama trip, as the city is expansive and overwhelming and chaotic. One shouldn't drive in the city, as there are few street signs. Thanks Garceth. You would be wise to contact him a few weeks prior to your visit here.

Just think of a Safari ride and any thing can happen. (LOL) We traveled via dugout motorized leaking canoe, life jackets thru a tropical rainforest about one hour in to the Chagres National Park and then another 45 minutes to the Embera Puru Village, mesmerizing view. The village greeted us with traditional dancing and music. We learned about customs and their relationship with nature. Handcrafted available for sale. We were fed a traditional meal of fried fish and patacones. We had a chance to be painted with the temporary tattoo, a natural dye the Embera it used to keep mosquitos off the body. We listen to music and watch the women dance traditional shamanic dances and then we danced with the children and the women such fun. Last, an Elder took us on a short walk thru the Jungle to teach us about medicine plants. Modern toilets. This whole day was so much fun, I will never forget it, we learned about the culture, lifestyle and crafts of the Indians, "PRICELESS".

After riding in a canoe which was leaking (we did have life jackets), we got to a remote village. We were greeted by a few musicians and then sat for lunch. Lunch was provided by the cruise line, but the Indians made us tilipia and plaintain which was delicious. The entertained us with a great dance and their musicians with locally made instruments. It was an amazing day to see people who live without electricity or the whole electronic world that we have become accustomed to.