Deep in the Panamanian jungle, Diaswon Villa reflected on the six-day journey he had just completed through the treacherous and lawless Darien Gap.
He was one of the lucky ones, he had not encountered the violent armed gangs that prey on the desperate migrants as they make their way into Central America through the deadly Darien Gap. But he knew many that had.
'There are people that couldn't make it through,' he told DailyMail.com — the first U.S. media to reach the tiny jungle village of Bajo Chiquito.
'There are people who can't walk,' he said in his broken English. He then lowered his eyes. 'And people dead.'
Villa is just one of the thousands of Haitians, young, old, many with babies or young children who have left Chile or Brazil for the perilous trek north in the hope that they can build a new life in the United States or Canada.
They know the risks — and they think they know the reward that could come at the end of their journey.
DailyMail.com joined Haitian migrants in the Panamanian jungle on their 2,000-mile journey to the U.S. in search of building a better life
Members of Senafront, Panama's militarized border police force, are on hand to maintain order and were seen armed and in boats with the migrants
Migrants young and old, some with small children, are attempting to make the dangerous voyage north
The Darien Gap is lawless and deadly, with armed and violent gangs robbing and raping the desperate travelers. This map shows the journey many of the migrants are making
DailyMail.com is the first U.S. median outlet to reach the tiny jungle village of Bajo Chiquito, where groups of migrants wee seen following their trek through the Darien Gap
The migrants disembark and are led by Senafront, the Panamanian border force, to their base where their documents are checked
Thousands of Haitians, young, old, many with babies or young children have left Chile or Brazil for the perilous trek north in the hope that they can build a new life in the United States or Canada
Until recently there was still another day's trudge from Charco Chiva to Bajo Chiquito, but three weeks ago the Emberá, the indigenous people of the area, started a boat service to their village
For those that can afford it there is the trip to Capurgana — what is known jokingly as the VIP Route leading to a shorter trek through the Gap. For the vast majority who can't the boat docks in Acandi
Nearly all the men DailyMail.com spoke to reported being held up and robbed. Rape inside the Gap is a matter of course, they said
Villa, 28, had been studying in Chile for five years, but told DailyMail.com he had to get out after he 'mislaid' the documents needed to continue living there.
Migrant Diaswon Villa, 28, reflected on the six-day journey he had just completed through the Darien Gap and told DailyMail.com that not everyone made it
He knew one thing for sure, he won't willingly go back to his homeland. The perils of the 2,000-mile trek he faced on his way to North America were preferable to the dangers of Haiti.
Like thousands of other Haitians — joined by others mainly from Cuba, Venezuela, and West Africa — he headed for the small town of Necocli in Colombia. From there, he took a boat across the Gulf of Uraba.
For those that can afford it there is the trip to Capurgana — what is known jokingly as the VIP Route leading to a shorter trek through the Gap. For the vast majority who can't the boat docks in Acandi.
They then must cross the border into Panama — and it is there that the migrants' real dangers begin.
They have to tackle the Darien Gap — the rainforest so named as it is the only 'missing link' in the 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway, which runs from far-northern Alaska to the southern tip of Chile.
The 66-mile Gap proved too inhospitable for the highway and the violence there is almost indescribable, Owen Breuil, Panama project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, told DailyMail.com.
At least 53 migrants have died in the Gap this year, according to Panamanian authorities. That figure is thought to be a massive undercount as most go unreported and no-one is hunting for bodies.
Nearly all the men DailyMail.com spoke to report being held up and robbed. Rape inside the Gap is a matter of course.
The migrants' first glimpse of civilization inside the Gap comes at Charco Chivo, an outpost for Senafront, the Panamanian National Border Service.
Until recently there was still another day's trudge from Charco Chiva to Bajo Chiquito, but three weeks ago the Emberá, the indigenous people of the area, started a boat service to their village.
'That is so much better,' Breuil said. 'By this stage many of their feet are completely destroyed.'
Along with the Panamanian Health Ministry, Doctors Without Borders have set up a special unit in Bajo Chiquito for victims of sexual violence. 'Many of the women have been raped, we have had more than 200 cases,' Breuil said. 'We have to provide medical treatment and also psychological treatment.'
At least 800 migrants, mostly from Haiti, are seen arriving on a flotilla of boats at the Lajas Blancas migrant camp in Panama
Bajo Chiquito is the first human settlement that migrants arrive at following their grueling 5-7 day trek through the Darien Gap, the most dangerous and lawless stretch of jungle in the world, which separates Colombia and Panama
The migrants have to tackle the Darien Gap — the rainforest so named as it is the only 'missing link' in the 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway, which runs from far-northern Alaska to the southern tip of Chile
A Panamanian Senafront soldier is seen patrolling the lawless jungle where violent and armed gangs target the desperate travelers on their journey to the U.S.
In Bajo Chiquito, hundreds of migrants lined up at a Senafront base, the size of a small house, to have their documents recorded
The 66-mile Gap Darien proved too inhospitable for the highway and the violence there is almost indescribable. Officers are seen helping migrants out of the boats after their journey through the Darien Gap
Once migrants' documents are checked, they are then free to set up camp wherever they find space, and buy food from the locals
