by Louise "Wezzie" Craven, Survivor Maps

"This fall, sixteen new Survivors will journey off the coast of Panama, to a land steeped in a bloody history of piracy. A hidden chain of more than a hundred tropical islands located in the blue-green waters of Central America. These are the Pearl Islands. It is a place of ancient riches, with a turbulent history of looting and plundering. The ruins of Spanish forts and sunken ships are monuments to a violent and infamous past, where the deeds of pirates like Drake and Morgan are legendary. In these Panamanian waters lurk some of the most exotic and dangerous marine animals anywhere in the Pacific Ocean. Schools of sharks, stingrays, dolphins and sea turtles thrive in a spectacular world beneath the sea, and our Survivors will begin their adventure during the migration of the humpback whales. For the first time, each tribe will have its own island, and the marooning will be unlike anything experienced by previous survivors. Who will Outwit, Outplay and Outlast all the others to become the Sole Survivor? Find out this fall as the adventure continues in the Pearl Islands." from the Survivor: The Pearl Islands promo

Ahoy! We’re Dan and Wezzie of Survivor Maps. We document the Survivor filming locations, and the promo charts our course.

Jeff just jet skied past a cargo ship! …Get the name of the ship! There must be a registry for cargo ships…Maybe it can be tracked.

"Each tribe will have it’s own island"… Logistics, think logistics – they’ll need fresh water, food, shade, building materials, accessibility, security…

A treasure map!…"X" marks the spot? Get a vid cap. Research each name.

"Migration of the humpbacked whales"… Nah, don’t bother. Wildlife clues are usually dead ends.

Blimey! Look at that pirate ship!!! …Goggle ‘tall ships’, ‘pirates’, ‘galleons’, yacht clubs’…Find that ship!!!

Hours of research later, we’re starting to get a feel for Las Islas Perlas, and the businesses and government offices touched by Survivor. Our goal was to discover the location of the production camp, the Tribal Council, the tribal camp islands, and challenge areas. During our search so far, we’ve met some interesting people, and learned quite a bit about Panama and the Survivor production….but, we still haven’t found the pirate ship. Arrrrrr!

The breathtaking promo had two main themes...Panama's fascinating history as a crossroads for treasure, pirates and plunder, and Panama's extraordinary marine life. The Smithsonian Institution and the Instituto Panameño de Turismo (IPAT) have played a fundamental role in the logistics of the program, from granting permits to acquainting Survivor with Panama' s rich history and extraordinary flora and fauna.

Survivor: The Pearl Islands will be filmed in June, July and August, the "off-season" for tourism in Panama, and some of the rainiest months of the year. Contestants can expect daily afternoon rain showers and temperatures of 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Survivors should keep in mind the 10-22 foot tides when choosing their campsites and tying up their boats!

Survivor Maps learned that the 'production camp' (base of operations) is at the Contadora Hotel and Resort on beautiful Playa Larga on Isla Contadora.   Only a half a mile north-east of Isla Contadora lies the very small, privately owned, deserted island of Isla Bartolomé.  Even from a distance, and despite heavy security, the Survivor crew has been observed building facilities for the upcoming production on this small island.

The archipelago Las Perlas has 90 islands and 130 unnamed islets. The islands chosen for the tribes still remain a mystery, but Survivor Maps has been looking at Mogo Mogo  and Isla Chapera (as seen from Mogo Mogo), with interest. Mogo Mogo is known for excellent snorkeling. Sunken shipwrecks, including Spanish Galleons, are especially popular diving and snorkeling sites in Las Islas Perlas.

Islas Contadora, Mogo Mogo and Chapera were featured in the German version of Survivor "Gestrandet", filmed in 2001. In "Gestrandet", the tribal camps were located on Chapera Island and challenges were held on Mogo Mogo. IPAT worked with "Gestrandet", just as it is working with Survivor Productions. Many thanks to BlindFreddy for the use of his article.

To learn about Panama, visit Panama’s #1 travel guide.

Interested in owning your own treasure island? Visit Vladi Private Islands and Happy Whale Real Estate.

Want to learn more about pirates? The most famous pirate to plunder Panama was Henry Morgan, and the book "The Sack of Panama" by Peter Earle tells the whole story.

For the latest in Survivor news, visit Survivor Fever and Survivor News