Description
| Sambu Hause is open, spacious, a comfortable place to relax and converse after a long day in the jungle. Pressurized Water System, showers, sanitary facilities, septic system. The house has been completely reconstructed and expanded. The home is elevated, and well screened for security and mosquito controls. The outdoor decking (it's big) allows you a private window on the world of Sambu, Darien, Panama. The Sambu Hause offers basic need supplies and souvenirs for sale. Meals are included in the lodging price. |
Darien Bigfoot Account
“White Indians of Darien” Richard Oglesby Marsh, Putnam, 1934
In 1920 while I was in Panama an old and experienced American prospector, Shea by name, came to me with a
strange story. He had just returned from a trip to southeastern Darien. With another American he had ascended
the Sambu River which enters the sea on the southern shore of San Miguel Bay. The country here was, and still
is, wholly unknown. Even the mountain range back from the coast did not appear on the maps. Shea and his
companion worked their way with great difficulty to the headwaters of the Sambu and there they became
separated. The other American has not been heard from since.
When Shea lost his companion, he lost his canoe and most of his equipment. So instead of attempting to return
down the Sambu, he decided to force his way to the Pacific across the Andean Range to the west. He reached
the divide in a state of exhaustion and by a stroke of luck stumbled on an old Indian dugout abandoned on the
bank of a small river running into Pinas Bay. It was nearly dark, so he camped for the night at a considerable
altitude not far from the divide.
All that night he heard the footsteps of a large animal in the jungle above his camp. And when dawn came, he
heard a curious chattering sound. He looked up and saw standing on top of the bank an animal which appeared
to his unscientific mind to be a cross between a negro and a gigantic ape. It was six feet tall, walked erect,
weighed possibly three hundred pounds and was covered with long black hair. It was glaring down at him and
chattering its teeth in rage.
Shea whipped out his revolver and shot it through the head. It tumbled down the bank and lay still beside his
canoe. When Shea recovered from his fright he measured the animal crudely. It was heavily built like a gorilla, but
the big toes on the feet were parallel with the other toes, as in a human being, not opposed like thumbs, as in all
other monkeys and great apes.
Unfortunately Shea was too exhausted to bring any part of the animal back to civilization. He barely managed to
get down to Pinas Bay on the Pacific and attract the attention of a coaster which took him to Panama more dead
than alive.
I saw him many times after that in the hospital where he eventually died of chronic malaria. Almost his last words
were a solemn oath that the story of the 'man-beast' was true.
Of course, my first reaction to this story was extreme skepticism. But I found to my surprise that many trustworthy
men who had penetrated into the little-known parts of tropical America did not share my disbelief.
The 'man-beast' is reported to have been seen in many locations.
A Spanish gold-hunting expedition in the seventeenth century reported that it had shot fourteen of them not far
from this same Pinas Bay.
The Indians from Equador to Nicaragua assert that the creatures inhabit isolated jungle-covered mountains, as
do the gorillas in Africa. Nothing will persuade an Indian to spend the night on such a peak.
When I returned to Washington and mentioned the matter to Dr. Hough of the Smithsonian, I did not get the
pitying smile I was expecting.
On the contrary he said he had been getting reports of this sort for twenty years and was inclined to believe there
was something in them.
Dr. Anthony of the New York Museum of Natural History has a story to tell of encountering a large unknown
animal near the summit of Mt. Tacarcuna on the Columbian border.
A Frenchman claims to have shot one in Equador.
“White Indians of Darien” Richard Oglesby Marsh, Putnam, 1934
In 1920 while I was in Panama an old and experienced American prospector, Shea by name, came to me with a
strange story. He had just returned from a trip to southeastern Darien. With another American he had ascended
the Sambu River which enters the sea on the southern shore of San Miguel Bay. The country here was, and still
is, wholly unknown. Even the mountain range back from the coast did not appear on the maps. Shea and his
companion worked their way with great difficulty to the headwaters of the Sambu and there they became
separated. The other American has not been heard from since.
When Shea lost his companion, he lost his canoe and most of his equipment. So instead of attempting to return
down the Sambu, he decided to force his way to the Pacific across the Andean Range to the west. He reached
the divide in a state of exhaustion and by a stroke of luck stumbled on an old Indian dugout abandoned on the
bank of a small river running into Pinas Bay. It was nearly dark, so he camped for the night at a considerable
altitude not far from the divide.
All that night he heard the footsteps of a large animal in the jungle above his camp. And when dawn came, he
heard a curious chattering sound. He looked up and saw standing on top of the bank an animal which appeared
to his unscientific mind to be a cross between a negro and a gigantic ape. It was six feet tall, walked erect,
weighed possibly three hundred pounds and was covered with long black hair. It was glaring down at him and
chattering its teeth in rage.
Shea whipped out his revolver and shot it through the head. It tumbled down the bank and lay still beside his
canoe. When Shea recovered from his fright he measured the animal crudely. It was heavily built like a gorilla, but
the big toes on the feet were parallel with the other toes, as in a human being, not opposed like thumbs, as in all
other monkeys and great apes.
Unfortunately Shea was too exhausted to bring any part of the animal back to civilization. He barely managed to
get down to Pinas Bay on the Pacific and attract the attention of a coaster which took him to Panama more dead
than alive.
I saw him many times after that in the hospital where he eventually died of chronic malaria. Almost his last words
were a solemn oath that the story of the 'man-beast' was true.
Of course, my first reaction to this story was extreme skepticism. But I found to my surprise that many trustworthy
men who had penetrated into the little-known parts of tropical America did not share my disbelief.
The 'man-beast' is reported to have been seen in many locations.
A Spanish gold-hunting expedition in the seventeenth century reported that it had shot fourteen of them not far
from this same Pinas Bay.
The Indians from Equador to Nicaragua assert that the creatures inhabit isolated jungle-covered mountains, as
do the gorillas in Africa. Nothing will persuade an Indian to spend the night on such a peak.
When I returned to Washington and mentioned the matter to Dr. Hough of the Smithsonian, I did not get the
pitying smile I was expecting.
On the contrary he said he had been getting reports of this sort for twenty years and was inclined to believe there
was something in them.
Dr. Anthony of the New York Museum of Natural History has a story to tell of encountering a large unknown
animal near the summit of Mt. Tacarcuna on the Columbian border.
A Frenchman claims to have shot one in Equador.
Sambu Hause (Who We Are)
| My name is Michael, I am an American living in Panama. My Panama family is from the Darien. We have completely deconstructed and reconstructed the family residence there. The purpose of the Sambu Hause Bed & Breakfast is to allow travelers that desire a jungle experience to have just that, but with the creature comforts a quality Bed & Breakfast offers to come back to. |
Sambu Hause
| Two bedroom formats to select from: 1 Two Twin Beds 2 Two Twin Beds 3 Two Twin Beds 4. Queen bed, Large Bedroom (Air Conditioned) Side cot available Units 1 & 2, 3 have shared Bath Unit 4 has private Bath |
Bird Watching
Artesian Trips
Outdoor BBQ Feast
Jungle TreeHouse
Jungle Trips
| UNDER CONSTRUCTION |
Amazing Plants, Flowers,
Insects and Animals
Insects and Animals
River Sightseeing
trips up and down
Rio Sambu
trips up and down
Rio Sambu
Activities
Sambu Hause Bed & Breakfast Darien Jungle Panama
About Us SambuHause@yahoo.com
Satellite Image
Sambu Area Panama
Sambu Area Panama
Sambu Hause's neighbor
Nature Walks
Embera Village
Tours
Tours
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| Gourmet Kitchen, Spacious Dining Area Ample decking, covered balcony, open balcony Gourmet Outdoor BBQ |
| A note for interested adventurers SambuHause, I have built as a retreat for Darien travelers. I have enjoyed many travels there and decided that I would like to share that experience with the world. What was lacking was a safe haven to return to after a jungle adventure or a river trip. Consequently, the concept of SambuHause was born. Now, it is not luxurious, it is not the Ritz....what it is... is comfortable and accommodating to the weary traveler. I have not finished with all the detail that needs to be accomplished as that I too need to fly in when I have spare time and money to move the project forward. It is presently at a stage where guests can be welcomed. SambuHause can set up your special custom events. Day Trips Overnight Jungle Trips River Trips Jungle Trips Village Trips Artesian Trips We have contacts in the village that Maria (SambuHause Management) can negotiate with that can fulfill your adventure desires. Remember, the Darien area is a jungle SambuHause affords you the base camp from which to experience that adventure. Michael |
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Da Jungle up river viewed from my
RiverYacht "SambuHause"
RiverYacht "SambuHause"
A tree blocks our access up river after
a storm.
a storm.
Here we have the Clavidad of Sambu.
My guides refuse to go into this
swampy area. They insist that giant
Anacondas have a habitat there.
A Darien no man's land !
My guides refuse to go into this
swampy area. They insist that giant
Anacondas have a habitat there.
A Darien no man's land !
| Transparent, Poison Frogs Discovered in Colombian ‘Noah’s Ark’ By Alex Morales Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Three species of transparent “glass” frogs, a salamander and six other new amphibians were discovered in the jungles of northern Colombia. The frogs received that name because their skin is clear enough to reveal organs, Conservation International said in a statement. The animals were found during a three-week scientific expedition to Colombia’s Darien region, near Panama, the Arlington, Virginia-based environmental group said. The discoveries provide more hopeful news than that delivered by many scientific studies of global warming, which show rising temperatures threaten about one-third of known amphibian species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature in Gland, Switzerland. The group compiles an annual “Red List” of creatures facing possible extinction. “The high number of new amphibian species found is a sign of hope, even with the serious threat of extinction that this animal group faces in many other regions of the country and the world,” said Jose Vicente Rodriguez-Mahecha, Conservation International’s scientific director in Colombia. “Without a doubt this region is a true Noah’s Ark.” The other amphibians discovered include three species of poison frog, two varieties of rain frog and a harlequin frog, the U.S. not-for-profit organization said in the statement released yesterday. Amphibians are important indicators of the health of ecosystems. “With porous, absorbent skin, they often provide early warnings of environmental degradation caused by acid rain, or contamination from heavy metals and pesticides that can also harm people,” Conservation International said. The animals also control insect populations on which they feed and so help prevent the spread of diseases such as dengue fever and malaria, the group said. To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net. |