On The Field With Sugar:
Guiding Through Heart and Humour
11th May 2025
This article is dedicated entirely to the essence of Sugar. Rarely in life do we encounter someone who can move through the world with a lightness that makes even the heaviest truths feel possible to carry. I cannot overstate how deeply I recommend him to anyone who may one day find themselves in Panamá in search for a guide. In his presence, you find yourself laughing more easily, noticing more deeply, and belonging joyously to the natural world.
Sugar’s gift is discovered in how he approaches his environment through presence and play. His humor is unfiltered, the kind that disarms controlled composure. He has a superpower in making everyone feel at ease. More than once I watched someone step into an unknown they may have otherwise been reluctant to or had past traumas with because Sugar’s energy made them feel safe enough to do so. His embodiment speaks louder than any assurance can, because he is already watching, already guarding, already guiding. I observed how those on tour with us began to believe in themselves, because he so clearly believed in them.
There was humility and respect in how he approached animals, setting an especially powerful example for the children who were on tour with us too. You witness how fear turns to wonder and hesitation to curiosity. The process is truly so beautiful in its sincerity. The kind of approachable and grounded teaching needed to bridge humanity closer to nature again.
To meet Sugar is to encounter someone who understands the weight of the world, the grief of ecocide, the sorrow and effect of human disconnection, and yet, he carries it with a lightness that allows despair to be safely processed. I remember when he was asked why he does what he does, he had his signature radiant smile plastered across his face and began speaking about his connection to nature. At some point, when feeling into the destruction of the natural world, his world, our world, Sugar’s voice broke and he began to cry. His grief was not private; he let it show, letting the pain of what is happening to the earth flow into his reason for doing this work. You can truly feel how deep his purpose goes. It is his nature to do what he does, not just his profession.
Sugar reminds us that the fight for life is also made of life. In his company, injustice becomes bearable because it is shared and faced together. He shows that activism does not only encompass suffering and struggle, but is also extremely playful and freeing. And how it is far more worth it to consciously belong to the living world, than to remain in denial and ignorance, and he certainly is not afraid to confront these qualities in others.
The way Sugar moves through the field feels effortless yet transformative. With a smile or a gentle invitation, he has a way of bringing everyone into the moment. It reminds me of what in Rastafari is called livity: living in harmony with the divine, where joy, presence, and the innate spirit of inclusivity reflects a sacred form of strength. In his presence, the field itself seems to breathe easier; reminding everyone that one of the most precious gifts of life is the beauty of sharing an experience, of simply being here, together, learning alongside nature.
To book a tour with Sugar, click here
To read how we met Sugar, click here
Sugar showing us the breadfruit leaf, its tree-like structure and broad leaves effective for camouflage in the jungle
The kind hearted and warming effect Sugar has on people, captured so perfectly here hehe