But centuries after the huts and forts built by the doomed colonists withered back into the jungle, Scots are being offered the chance to retrace their steps, as a Highland company prepares to become the first commercial venture to return to the site en masse.
Ethical travel company Nomadic Skies, from Ullapool, has been working with indigenous people in the Isthmus of Panama to lead the first tour of its kind back to the historic site of the Darien Project.
The company, founded by Gavin Anderson, will take visitors back to Darien next April, offering tourists the chance to see the place where Scotland’s attempt to become a colonial power floundered and died.
‘A new map of ye Isthmus of Darien in America, the Bay of Panama…’ (Image: NQ)
The idea for a return trip, nearly 330 years after the failed expedition, stemmed from Mr Anderson’s colleague, film-maker James Appleton, who spent weeks as a guest of the Darien Guna community.
The locals’ desire to co-build a new future through sustainable and mindful tourism led him to vow to return one day – something which will now become a reality.
Nomadic Skies works with indigenous communities to create opportunities through tourism, hiring local guides to introduce paying visitors to native culture.
As well as generating employment, the company hopes future trips can help support new infrastructure there, reversing the economic devastation the province inflicted on 17th-century Scots.
“The jungle reclaims things quickly, but the place names are still there, and you get a feel for what it must have been like centuries ago,” James said.
“I think it is important that it is a Scottish company doing this for the first time, in this way.
“Aside from the rich history, this is a good fit for us as a company that works in tandem with local communities. It will be nice, this time, to go back and present Darien as a Scottish success story.”
Scotsman Gavin Anderson (centre) from Ullapool is leading the first commercial Scottish trip back to Darien, nearly 330 years on. (Image: James Appleton)
Five ships left Scotland to found the Darien colony in 1698, carrying 1,200 people to the New World.
The hope was that trade could be established with passing ships and that a land route could be created across the Panamanian isthmus, linking the Pacific and the Atlantic.
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But the 80km crossing was effectively impossible, given the thick jungle and the technology of the time, and the area was controlled by the Spanish, who were hostile to a new power trying to usurp their grip.
The colonists, who were joined by two more boatloads two years later, succumbed to tropical diseases and starvation, failed to establish trade, and were eventually besieged by the Spanish.
Only a few hundred survived, and all money invested in the scheme – said to have been around 30% of Scotland’s total wealth – was lost.
Today, place names such as Caledonia and Fort St Andrew remain as echoes of a short-lived scheme which crushed Scotland’s hopes of becoming an independent trading power.
April’s 11-day trip, finishing in Darien, will begin in Panama City to allow travellers time to acclimatise – a luxury not afforded to Scots hopeful of empire-building back in 1698.
Those taking part in the small group tour will fly into cosmopolitan Panama City before travelling and camping along the jungle-covered eastern coastline over several days.
The Caledonia Peninsula (Image: NQ)
The peninsula of Puerto Escocés (Scottish Port), the actual site of the doomed Darien Project, will be accessed by boat under the guidance of local experts.
The two Darien expeditions faced extreme temperatures and diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever.
Spain had claims in the region, and the dream of making Scotland an economic powerhouse died in Darien within eight months, at huge cost to both life and national wealth.
Devastated Scots investors later accepted English compensation, enabling the Act of Union and prompting Robert Burns to pen the lines, “bought and sold for English gold – such a parcel of rogues in a nation.”
“It’s remarkable to be doing this all these years later,” said founder Gavin Anderson.
“When learning about Darien in school, it was painted as an ill-judged disaster and total madness, but if you read the more nuanced accounts, that’s perhaps not the full picture.
“We actually discussed with one of the local guides why he felt the Scots failed. He said the Guna have lived there for thousands of years and had learned the skills needed to survive. The Scots simply didn’t have enough time to adapt.”
