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To cross from Colombia to [[Panama]] you ve got to overcome the [[Darien Gap]]. You can do that by booking a five day trip with a private sailing charter from Cartagena, although it's often not cheaper than a flight. Moreover, you might get in trouble if one of your fellow travellers decided to smuggle some cocaine out of the country.
* It is possible to cross from Panama to Colombia without paying $200-$1000 for a private boat or plunging too deep into the Darien − the trek involves a few minor ferries and long walks down east-coast Panamanian beaches. Try yacht-clubs (out of storm-season). You might also find passage working on coconut-trading boats, but be prepared for a several-week ordeal. If you persevere, you can find a way and will get across; nevertheless, the Panama-Colombia border is one of the more dangerous places in the western hemisphere, and should not be taken lightly.
As mentioned, the security situation makes hitching difficult, but certainly not as bad as you would think. To know which areas are outright no-go zones, ask around (but don't ask old women, whom I've found to have an exaggeratedly paranoid perspective on "la inseguridad") and check the newspapers. Good ol' fashioned thumb in the air, wind in your hair, carefree smile on your face hitchhiking is quite difficult. My strategy in Colombia was to approach the young soldiers at highway checkpoints and begin a conversation. Start off with small talk about their guns, equipment, training, etc and later mention where you're headed. They may offer, or you might have to ask, to stop cars and help you get a lift. One soldier simply ordered a traveling salesman to "get this boy safely to Barranquilla". Nine out of ten times the young, bored soldiers were more than happy to help a crazy foreigner catch a lift. Viva Colombia!!!
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