The Cloud Garden

A True Story of Adventure, Survival, and Extreme Horticulture
by Tom Hart Dyke and Paul Winder

In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing in mind: orchids. To find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. At the same time, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area. Pure chance brought Paul and Tom together in northern Mexico; they formed an instant bond and their fate was sealed.

Ignoring a succinct warning from the Lonely Planet Guide—Don't even think about it!—Tom and Paul set off into the Darién Gap, the only break in the Pan-American Highway. In this almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle, and cloud forest between the land masses of North and South America, stories of abduction and murder are rife. But Tom was obsessed by his search for orchids, and Paul by his search for adventure. They would find plenty of each. For six days, they made good progress. Then, just hours away from Colombia, the dream ended and the horror began. Ambushed by FARC guerrillas, they were held hostage for the next nine months. From that day on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity—and not a little good luck.

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