A HIGHLAND travel firm has launched a new scheme to bring Scots on an expedition of the site of the disastrous Darien Scheme, which bankrupted the country.
The Darien Scheme was a project launched by the Kingdom of Scotland in the late 17th century to establish a colony in the Darien Gap, in modern Panama.
The attempt ended in catastrophic failure, and more than 80 percent of the thousands of colonists died within a year, with the settlement being abandoned twice. It is widely recognised as the greatest commercial disaster to ever befall Scotland and contributed to the nation’s political union with England in 1707.
Now, Nomadic Skies, an ethical travel company based in Ullapool, has been working with indigenous communities in the Isthmus of Panama to launch an 11-day trip to the historic site next April.
The trip, departing Panama City before travelling and camping along the jungle-covered eastern coastline, will conclude at Puerto Escoces – Scottish Port – the actual site of the doomed colony, accessed by boat with local Guna guides.
Place names including Caledonia and Fort St Andrews still survive in the region as echoes of the failed venture.
The idea came from filmmaker James Appleton, a colleague of company founder Gavin Anderson, after Appleton spent time as a guest of the Guna community and was struck by their desire to build a new future through sustainable tourism.
Nomadic Skies was founded in 2018 by Anderson and development professional Jigme Lama, drawing on more than 50 years of combined experience in rural development across Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caucasus.
The company works with indigenous tribes to create employment and opportunity through tourism, hiring local guides to introduce visitors to native culture.
The firm hopes future trips can help support new infrastructure in the province – reversing, in a small way, the economic devastation the Darien scheme inflicted on 17th-century Scotland.
Travellers on the April 2027 trip will fly into Panama City before making their way along the coast over several days.
The majority of those who perished in the original expeditions fell from disease, starvation and the harsh climate and terrain, with others dying amid conflict with Spanish forces who considered the area their territory.
Ross Chalmers is a journalist focusing on local Edinburgh news, transport, the environment, the arts, and housing.
He graduated from Edinburgh Napier University with a degree in journalism in Summer 2025 and began working at Deadline News as a reporter in August.
