Kalu Yala

Kalu Yala is an eco-sustainable town in the Tres Brazos Valley of Panama. The main town is along the shore of the Pacora River. It was the subject of the 2017 reality television series, "Jungletown" that aired on Vice TV.


Location

The town is located 50 minutes from Panama City and about 35 minutes from Panama's International Airport by car. The "base camp" in San Miguel is accessible by car, where visitors then hike 8 kilometers or take a special 4x4 vehicle to the town.[1]

Planning

"A real estate developer bought 500 acres of Panamanian rainforest in 2008 hoping to flip it, but the market collapsed and he instead started the sustainable town. College students pay $5,000 for a semester..."[2]

The building site is a midterm project, and an "incubator" for the creation of "environmentally and socially responsible communities".[3] Jimmy Stice is the creator and CEO of Kalu Yala.[4] Though not yet under construction, much of the town has been designed by Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists based in Pasadena, CA.[5] These architects are part of the New Urbanism project.

In 2017, despite Kalu Yala's stated altruistic, sustainability and educational goals, the venture is profit seeking and solicited a $12 million Series A venture capital round with the intent to achieve a $100 million valuation in five years.[6]

Stice had originally planned to flip the site for traditional development before the Great Recession.[7]

Internships

Since Summer 2010, The Kalu Yala Institute has offered students from around the world the opportunity to conduct research projects on "best practices in sustainable living". Kalu Yala Institute classes include agriculture, biology, business, education and community development, design thinking, farm-to-table culinary arts, health and wellness, and outdoor recreation.[3] As of Fall 2015, The Institute has had people from 48 states, 25 countries and 150 colleges.[8][9] Tailored programs allow participants to set their own class project and research agendas for their contributions to the sustainable community.[10]

When the Covid-19 virus outbreak occurred, it became a safe haven for visitors to Panama. [11]

Jungletown

"VICELAND show happened because the owner of Kalu Yala connected with HATCH,[12][13] ... and through HATCH we connected with Ondi Timoner, .... She sold it to the VICE"[14]

In Fall 2017, Kalu Yala was the subject of a Viceland reality television series broadcast by Vice, entitled "Jungletown."[15] The show depicts a nascent settlement in the jungle where students study, live, and assist in the project development of Kalu Yala. Throughout the show, a number of the interns leave Kalu Yala prematurely citing a range of reasons, including the difficult jungle environment, mental illness and concerns that the organizers were disorganized and possibly mislead prospective interns (students).[16][17][18]

See also

References
  1. "Jaguar Falls Hike at Kalu Yala in Panama". 11 October 2018.
  2. Krohn, Tim. "Mankato student featured in 'Jungletown' series". Mankato Free Press. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  3. Harney, Margaret. "Changing the world with Kalu Yala". UGAzine. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  4. Halbreich, Bethany (6 August 2012). "Town 2.0, Leader 2.0: Lessons in Entrepreneurship from Jimmy Stice". Under 30 CEO. Retrieved 23 December 2012.
  5. "Kalu Yala, Republic of Panama". Moule and Polyzoides. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
  6. Rivero, Tanya. "The 'Jungletown' Start-Up in the Panama Rainforest". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2017. VIDEO
  7. "Call of the Jungle | Kodak". www.kodak.com. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
  8. Scheller, Clayt (February 2013). "BC student interns in Panama". The 'Burnian. p. 3.
  9. Weyrauch, Megan. "A Few Months in Panama: An Overview of the Kalu Yala Entrepreneurial Internship Program". ULoop. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
  10. Backer, Ariel. "Student works to sustain agriculture in Panama". FSView. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. "The Quarantined Hippies Trapped in a Jungle Paradise". 18 June 2020.
  12. O'Falt, Chris; Nordine, Michael (7 March 2017). "Ondi Timoner Debuts Director's Trailer For 'Jungletown,' A Viceland Series About Trying To Build A Sustainable Utopia — Exclusive". IndieWire.
  13. Kraner, Yarrow. "What is HATCH?". HATCH. hatchexperience.org. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  14. "Meet Esteban Gast". LA City Guide. Voyage LA Magazine. March 16, 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  15. "Viceland". Viceland. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  16. Chaney, Jen (28 March 2017). "On Viceland's Jungletown, It's the Messes That Make for Compelling TV". Vulture. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  17. Joyce, Brittany (6 April 2017). "Anna Bonadies of 'Jungletown' Talks about Loving and Leaving Kalu Yala". Vice. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  18. Joyce, Brittany (14 April 2017). "Jake Fee of 'Jungletown' Breaks Down the Good and the Bad at Kalu Yala". Vice. Vice Media. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
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