Panama Explorer - Panama - ITINERARY & DATES

Day 1: Panama City

Welcome at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City where you are met and transferred to overnight at Victoria Hotel and Suites.

Accomodations: Victoria Hotel and Suites

Day 2: Panama Canal Jungle Boat Expedition, Miraflores Locks & Casco Viejo

Early in the morning we proceed with our naturalist guide to the town of Gamboa and board a specially equipped expedition boat. The voyage in Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal passes by gigantic cargo ships which provide a stark contrast to the natural surroundings. Along the way we have the opportunity to spot green iguana and three-toed sloth resting on tree branches, crocodile, osprey in the hunt for peacock bass, snail kite and keel-billed toucan among other species. Passing close by rainforest covered islands in Gatun Lake we search for white-faced capuchin, howler monkey, spider monkey and the endemic red-napped tamarin. We enjoy a picnic lunch on an island with extraordinary views of the Panama Canal and the surrounding rainforest. Early afternoon return to Gamboa and drive to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center where you will learn about the canal’s history, operation and expansion work currently underway. You will also enjoy a close-up view of the locks and ships in motion. Return to your hotel to freshen up and relax before your guide takes you on a late afternoon walking tour through Casco Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage site with its colonial landmarks and charming cobblestone streets. Here you enjoy a welcome dinner with your guide at a local restaurant. Overnight at Victoria Hotel and Suites.

Accomodations: Victoria Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Chiriqui - Sugar Mill - Boquete

Today, a short ride takes us to Albrook domestic airport where we catch a midmorning flight to David, capital of the Chiriqui province, in western Panama. Chiriqui is the country’s “breadbasket” and contains some of the most breathtaking highland scenery in Central America. We have a unique opportunity to experience a century-old tradition at a local Trapiche, a horse-powered sugar mill, where the delicious ‘raspadura’ blocks are made. After lunch, we then proceed to the quaint town of Boquete with its countryside dotted with flower, fruit and produce farms, coffee plantations and also lush tropical cloud forests. Before arriving to the town of Boquete, stop at a lookout point where we enjoy the views over the valley. This afternoon is open to relax, stroll through town or enjoy spa services (optional). Dinner tonight will be with your guide at the hotel. Overnight at Panamonte Inn and Spa

Accomodations: Panamonte Inn and Spa

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Canopy Zip Line, Cloud Forest Nature Walk In Boquete

Start the day with a canopy tree trek on a zip line that that allows travelers to see the rainforest from fourteen different canopy platforms while smoothly soaring in the heights of the cloud forest from one treetop to another. We glide through the trees and encounter a world unknown. We might discover a fascinating perspective of wildlife that we had never appreciated. Native species of flora and fauna can be observed. Lunch is served at the mountain tree trek restaurant with amazing views over the valley and the surrounding cloud forest. In the afternoon you will go on a nature walk through the lush vegetation of the cloud forest of the Baru Volcano National Park on the Cascada trail. At an elevation of 2,286 meters (7,500 feet) you will have an opportunity to admire the beautiful waterfalls along the way, and to look for the elusive resplendent quetzal, three-wattled bellbird, black-faced solitaire, volcano hummingbird, long-tailed silky-flycatcher and prong-billed barbet in their cool habitat of orchids, bromeliads and wild avocados. After the nature walk, freshen up at the hotel. Dinner tonight will be at an exquisite restaurant in town, together with your guide. Overnight at Panamonte Inn and Spa.

Accomodations: Panamonte Inn and Spa

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Janson's Coffee Tour & Afternoon Horseback Riding or Hiking Options

An approximately 1.5 hour drive on a scenic new road takes us to the western side of the Baru Volcano. At the Janson Coffee Farm we learn about planting, harvesting, processing, roasting and packaging of the world class coffee Del Fino and Geisha. This coffee is grown at the perfect altitude in rich volcanic soil and processed by utilizing the best that tradition and technology have to offer. Janson Coffee has a unique aroma and brilliant flavors. Around noon, the farm owners invite us for lunch including a freshly brewed cup of Janson coffee overlooking the beautiful mountain range of Baru Volcano and surrounding valley. Later we join a nature hike with bird watching around the most beautiful areas of the highlands. The lakes on the family farm are the highest natural lakes and wetlands in Panama and the fifth highest aquatic ecosystem in Central America. Enjoy breathtaking vistas, the beautiful surrounding tropical forest, world-class birding, and amazing wildlife. After a long day we settle at our charming mountain resort and enjoy the indoor swimming pool and social area before a hearty dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Bambito [BLD]

Accomodations: Hotel Bambito

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: La Amistad International Park & Colon

Shared with neighboring Costa Rica and recognized in 1982 by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site, La Amistad International Park is located at a point on the Central American natural land bridge where flora and fauna from North and South America reach their maximum species mix. With great ranges in altitude, precipitation, soil and temperature, biodiversity here is at its best. After checking out from our hotel, we spend the morning hiking and exploring La Amistad in the area of El Retoño in search of the resplendent quetzal, silvery-fronted tapaculo, andean pygmy-owl, barred becard, black and yellow silky flycatcher among many other western highland birds and spectacular flora. After early lunch we descend back to the lowlands and drive through rice, corn and sugar cane fields to David domestic airport for the mid afternoon flight back to Panama City. From here a 1.5 hour transfer takes us to the Melía Panama Canal hotel in Colon, where the US armed forces School of the Americas was located. Overnight at Hotel Melia Panama Canal.

Accomodations: Melina Panama Canal

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Embera indigenous People

This morning we visit an Embera indigenous village on the shores of the Gatun River. We board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up through lush forest to the community. Along the river we may be able to spot little blue and green heron, great egret, anhingas, neotropical cormorant, Amazon, ringed, and green kingfishers, along with keel-billed toucans and ospreys flying above. At the Embera village we are greeted with dancing and music and we learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. There will be handcrafts available for sale and we have a chance to be painted with jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a traditional Embera lunch we head back to our hotel where the afternoon is at leisure. Overnight at Hotel Melia Panama Canal.

Accomodations: Melina Panama Canal

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Historical Forts & Trans-isthmian Route

We depart mid morning for a visit at the Panama Canal Expansion works on the Atlantic. We join a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience history in the making. Panama embarked on a major project to expand the Panama Canal a decade ago. The US$6.25 billion project, due to be completed in early 2015 will give the waterway the needed competitive advantage to operate successfully for at least another century. The Panama Canal will celebrate its 100th anniversary on August 15, 2014. At the Panama Canal visitors’ center in Gatun you will have the unique opportunity to see the construction area where they are pouring the concrete for the new sets of locks. We continue to the historic town of Portobelo where we have lunch. Famous for its trade fairs during the 17th century, Portobelo is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During colonial times it was one of the most important strongholds of the Spanish Main in the Americas. We visit Forts San Geronimo and Santiago de la Gloria as well as the Church of San Felipe. The return to Panama City will be on the Trans-Isthmian train. The railway follows a similar route as the original train built to transport 49ers coming from the east coast of the United States across the Isthmus to continue their journey by boat to California during the Gold Rush. The route was diverted when Gatun Lake was formed to give way to the Panama Canal. After an approximately one hour train ride we arrive at the Corozal Station in Panama City and we will then be transferred to our hotel in the city center, where dinner is served tonight. Overnight at Victoria Hotel and Suites.

Accomodations: Victoria Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9: Panama Canal Partial Transit

A short drive to Gamboa takes us to a ship that will be sailing at 26m (85 feet) above sea level. Shortly after departure, the ship will enter Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section of the Panama Canal. The 13.7Km (8.5 Miles) long portion of the Continental Divide was carved through rock and shale at beginning of last century when the canal began operating (1914). Panama is currently undertaking the monumental task of expanding the Panama Canal. The US$5.25 billion grand-scale project contemplates building of even larger locks and deepening the channel to accommodate post-Panamax ships, the largest of all cargo ships that now have to bypass this waterway. The project is estimated to be completed by 2014. We will have the opportunity to look at the progress on this extraordinary engineering venture. The ship reaches Pedro Miguel locks, where the vessel is lowered 9.4 meters (30.8 feet) into Miraflores Lake. After traveling nearly 2 kilometers we arrive to Miraflores locks, where the transition from fresh water to salt water takes place in the locks chambers. Due to the Pacific Ocean’s extreme tidal variations, the Miraflores locks miter gates are the tallest of the locks system. In two steps, the vessel will be lowered 16.6 meters (54.5 feet) onto the Pacific Ocean. You will then sail under the bridge of the Americas, which reunites the land divided by the Panama Canal as part of the Pan-American Highway. After disembarking at Flamenco Island, we enjoy a brief sightseeing tour on the Amador Causeway. Note: The route and duration of the Panama Canal Transit can vary and depend on the Panama Canal Authority ́s daily established transit schedules. Our farewell dinner will be at a local restaurant. Overnight at Victoria Hotel and Suites.

Accomodations: Victoria Hotel and Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner