Looking back on 2025: a year full of adventures.

In 2025, we were on the road for the entire year. There were no quick flights back to Europe and no visits to see family – although that’s not entirely true, we visited Michael’s sister living in Costa Rica and his other sister came to visit us.

We experienced a great deal, mostly good. Nevertheless, there are moments when homesickness creeps in.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe we had the time to live all these things. The year went by so quickly. Here is a brief look back to remind ourselves of all the wonderful things we saw and experienced.

Peru

Things got off to a great start in Colombia with the world’s smallest monkeys, the pygmy marmosets. Then the itinerary included a drive through guerrilla territory for Cora’s birthday, followed by a few weeks helping out on a cocoa farm and searching for anacondas in the Llanos. During the search, we were surprised by an Orinoco crocodile coming our way.

We also went on a hippo safari on the Magdalena River – we couldn’t stop marvelling at it all. Afterwards, Michi did his dive instructor training. For once, we stayed in one place for an entire month and were able to do some repairs on the car, such as fixing our window. Only the Airbnb host was peculiar; we definitely don’t want to go back there.

Venezuela

Venezuela – our favourite! Finally, a real adventure! Right at the start, we were met by the secret service and asked into a white container for a three-hour interview. That wasn’t exactly great. But once we were allowed in the country, everything went like clockwork.

Maracaibo was like a journey back to the 1970s. The food and service were good—a blessing after Colombia. And the people were exceptionally kind – everyone. They invited us into their homes for barbecues and rum. They organised diesel whenever things didn’t go smoothly.

Only the amount of driving was exhausting. Unfortunately, our container ship to Panama departed from Colombia, so we had to do a round trip through the vastness of Venezuela. We sat in the car for hours and had the occasional row. However, prospecting for gold in the Wild South of Venezuela put everything right again.

The food was mediocre. The last day was lovely, though: we visited local weavers, walked through a colonial town, and bought cowboy boots for Michael. Finally, we went to the thermal baths to relax. One week was enough.

From our perspective, the American continent is bordered by two oceans: the Atlantic and the Pacific. For most travellers, the sea accompanies them along the entire route from north to south, or vice versa. For us, however, it was slightly different. For long periods, we travelled almost exclusively inland through South America.

But now, in Central America, there is no escape. The sea is never far away and provides us with wonderful places to stay time and time again. The sea creatures are fascinating too, especially in the middle of whale season.

Visiting humpback whales

We hadn’t seen any for a long time because we hadn’t been near the coast. In Ecuador, we arrived either too early or too late for the season, as there was no sign of the whales.

But in Panama, we arrived at just the right time. This meant that we absolutely had to get out on the water to see them!

Whale watching has become big business in this region. Prices are often correspondingly high. In Panama, specifically in Santa Catalina, they wanted to charge between 80 and 100 US dollars. To be fair, this includes not only whale watching but also snorkelling and the park entrance fee.

However, we received a tip from other travellers about a cheaper option with fewer tourists. Since we had already been fortunate enough to see a humpback whale calf practising its jumps and observe other whales from a distance during our diving trip, we thought long and hard about it. But at 30 US$ per person for six hours on the water, we couldn’t complain.

We drove to Boca Brava. Despite it being the rainy season, our guide was waiting for us there on a beautiful sunny day. Five American expats joined us on the boat. The eight of us set off in the small boat for Chiriquí National Park. Right in the middle was a mother swimming with her calf. They kept coming very close to the boat! It took an hour for another tourist boat to arrive. So we were almost alone the entire time.

Seeing these little calves swimming, and then seeing the mothers appear right next to them, was deeply impressive. This is especially impressive given how much bigger they are than our little boat. These giants can grow up to 15 metres long, which is rather small for the rorqual family, and weigh between 25 and 30 tonnes. We saw whales repeatedly that day, both from the beach and from the boat.

Can you do whale watching from bed?

In Costa Rica, we tried again. This time, from our bed looking through the tent window, parking on a beach near Puerto Jiménez where whales are often seen. We didn’t see the whales, but we did see dolphins, rays and turtles.

The second time we went whale watching, it was in Uvita, with a colleague of Michi’s brother who organises whale-watching tours. He took us on a fishing trip with his friends. I still find fishing boring, but there were whales in the bay. We saw them jumping in the distance repeatedly, and then a mother and calf came very close.

It was different here, though. Despite it being the off-season, five other boats carrying up to 15 people surrounded the animals. So much for whale watching alone! It’s a completely different experience to have the animals almost exclusively to yourself. We are looking forward to new encounters on our way north. After all, we will continue to encounter the coast and its fascinating inhabitants all along the way.

The road ends at the impenetrable jungle. It is impossible to get through by vehicle. The Pan-American Highway, the longest road in the world, simply ends in Colombia.

This is a fact that surprisingly many people are unaware of. The road, which connects the American continent over a distance of 30 000 kilometres, is an interrupted project.

106 kilometres separate the north and south, between Panama and Colombia. In between lies an impenetrable jungle that repeatedly makes headlines on migration and drugs.

A chaotic shipment

We have been in contact with Ana, our logistics coordinator, for weeks. Everything is organised and agreed via WhatsApp. It’s just a bit tedious because, as everywhere in Latin America, you have to ask several times about every detail. A document with the most important information? No chance. A contract with a list of costs? Wishful thinking. In the group chat, we only occasionally get a useful answer to our questions.

Ana is considered chaotic, but also reliable. We have no other choice anyway, because organising things directly with the authorities is even more tedious.

So we wait for information that always comes at the last minute, and then it has to be done quickly. One example is the power of attorney they need to complete customs formalities. This has to be certified by a notary and could easily be prepared in advance. But it arrives one day before the weekend, and everything has to be cleared through customs by Monday. Great.

But that works too. We drive the Landcruiser to the port, everything is clean and tidy, the gas bottle emptied in the park the night before. The tank is not quite on reserve.

We simply ignore a few of the rules. Let’s see if they check.

The car stays in the port overnight. They assure us that it is safe and that someone will keep an eye on it. Nevertheless, we prefer to leave our surveillance camera running. Then we have to wait until the police announce the date for the inspection. In our case, it takes two days.

The Darien Gap is not transitable by car. The road was never built due to the difficult terrain, and now economic and political interests as well as nature conservation are preventing its construction. It is possible to walk through the jungle, but there is no real path for pedestrians either. In addition to the dangers of disease and accidents, armed groups are also a huge problem. It is very dangerous for everyone.

You can also get to Panama by boat, but then you either have to cover the last stretch by plane or still hike through the jungle. We opt for the comfortable option: a flight from Cartagena to Panama.

Container shipping is expensive, especially for such a short distance. The price is so high because the entire procedure incurs standard costs, i.e. port and container fees as well as the transport itself. Around 4600 US dollars for two parties. And that’s still the cheapest option.

The route would actually be very suitable for a ferry, as the crossing takes less than 24 hours, since it is only about 540 kilometres. There used to be one, but it was uneconomical and was therefore discontinued.

Everything takes longer with the container ship. Ten days after loading the container we can pick up the car at the port of Colón on Panama’s Caribbean coast. On the journey, we have only two backpacks and the cash to pay the agent.

Here, too, we only receive confirmation the day before. Boris, the agent, will be waiting for us at the port of Colón. We take the bus from Panama City and get off at a petrol station. We meet him in the café, hand him our passports and vehicle documents, and he disappears with them. For us, it means waiting again.

Five hours later, he picks us up and says everything is ready. The containers are on the trailer in a muddy field. A ramp? No such thing. Instead, there is a tow truck.

How does the unloading work? You drive onto the tow truck, which moves forward a little, puts the ramp at a steep angle and lets the car roll down. This isn’t a problem for us, as our car has high ground clearance. For cars with lower ground clearance, however, it’s very, very tight. But in the end, they all land safely in the mud.

The customs officer comes by, checks the chassis numbers and gives the OK. We are handed all the papers, hand over the money, wave briefly, thank you. Quickly fill up with water, do some shopping and refuel, then it’s time to set off on our Central American adventure!