Travel to Panama: Panama Explorer

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Panama Explorer

			DAYS: 10 GRADE: I define PRICE: From $2365 per person (Includes Local Air) HIGHLIGHTS: Panama City Miraflores Locks Soberania National Park Chiriqui Cloud Forest Baru Volcano La Amistad International Biosphere Reserve Dolphin Island San Blas Islands Partial Panama Canal transit ACCOMMODATIONS: Hotels/Lodges MEALS: As noted  [B-Breakfast, L-Lunch,   D-Dinner] SEASON: Year-round Prices, Departure Dates and Included Services Send to a Friend Print this Itinerary

Experience the astonishing ecological and cultural diversity of Panama on this small group adventure. Accompanied by master naturalist guides you discover plentiful wildlife in the lowland rainforests of Gatun Lake, and the Panama Canal. We search for the Resplendent Quetzal on hikes in the highland cloud forests of the Amistad Biosphere Reserve and explore the local industries of orchids, coffee, and rum. A short flight to the San Blas archipelago in the Caribbean delivers us to our thatch-roof cabanas on a tropical island where we snorkel, swim and visit with native Kuna Indians. Our adventure concludes with a partial transit through the famous Panama Canal.

DAY 1 :  ARRIVAL
Arrive at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City and transfer about thirty minutes to the Country Inn Amador on the shores of the Panama Canal. Enjoy a welcome cocktail and orientation with our Naturalist Guide. Overnight at the Country Inn Amador [Meals on own]

DAY 2 :  PANAMA CANAL JUNGLE BOAT EXPEDITION - CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS
We board the Endemic, a specially equipped 14-passenger boat, to voyage across Gatun Lake, part of the Panama Canal, watching for gigantic cargo ships as we keep a lookout for Green iguanas resting on tree branches, ospreys in the hunt for Peacock Bass, and Snail Kites. Keep you gaze turned upward as you look for White-faced capuchins, Red-naped tamarins, Howler monkeys and two sub-species of Spider monkeys. After a picnic lunch we return to Gamboa and catch a scheduled flight to David, capital of the Chiriqui Province. Chiriqui is known as Panamas breadbasket and contains some of the most breathtaking highland scenery in Central America. Transfer by van to the western side of the Baru Volcano to the town of Volcan. Overnight at the Hotel Dos Rios [BLD]

Hike in the dense cloud forests filled with innumerable bromeliads and orchids.

DAY 3 :  LA AMISTAD INTERNATIONAL PARK AND WORLD BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Shared with neighboring Costa Rica and recognized in 1982 as a World Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Amistad 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, bio-diversity here is at its peak. We spend the morning hiking and exploring La Amistad in the area of El Retoo 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. After lunch at a local restaurant we will visit Finca Dracula home to over 1500 orchid species. We stop at the Jansons Coffee Estate where experts demonstrate coffee production from bush to cup. Shade grown and scrutinized, Jansons Coffee is world renown. Enjoy a fresh brewed cup of coffee while watching the spectacular sunset over the Baru Volcano, the highest peak of the country at 10,000 feet above sea level. Overnight at the Hotel Dos Rios [BLD]

DAY 4 :  BOQUETE
On the way to Boquete we visit Sitio Barriles, an archeological site of the former Barril culture where an expert on-site guide interprets petroglyphs that explain the history of the people who once lived on the slopes of the dormant Baru Volcano. We proceed to the Carta Vieja Rum Factory where rum is made from sugar cane molasses into different blends achieved by aging. Once our rum tasting is done, we proceed to the eastern side of Baru Volcano to the quaint town of Boquete. The countryside is covered with flower, fruit and vegetable farms, coffee plantations and lush tropical cloud forest. We stop atop a bluff for a picnic lunch with an extraordinary view of the town set in the mountain valley at 3100 elevation. Enjoy free time to walk around this quaint town. Overnight at the Hotel Panamonte [BLD]

DAY 5 :  FINCA LERIDA CLOUD FOREST
Finca Lerida is a privately owned preserve in Boquete, situated within the buffer zone of Baru Volcano National Park. At 7,500 elevation we have an opportunity 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. We hike through lush vegetation to the Collins shade-grown coffee farm where lunch is served. In the afternoon we visit a hydroponics farm. Overnight at the Hotel Panamonte [BLD]

DAY 6 :  PANAMA CITY
After a leisurely breakfast we drive 90 minutes to David for a mid-morning flight to Panama City. Upon arrival we visit the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Tupper Center where we have lunch and visit the bookstore, butterfly farm and temporary exhibits. At the Panama Canal Administration Building we admire the beautiful murals painted by William B. Van Ingen that depict the monumental labor involved in the building of the waterway. We observe the operation of the canal from the Miraflores Locks interpretive center, and then visit Casco Viejo, the colonial city. Overnight at the Hotel Executive [BLD]

DAY 7 :  SAN BLAS ISLANDS - DOLPHIN ISLAND
Located along the northeastern coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea, the San Blas Islands are the home to the Kuna Indians. Determined to protect their unique culture, the Kunas were granted regional autonomy forming the Comarca (autonomous territory) of Kuna Yala where to this day an indigenous congress rules. Kuna women spend countless hours stitching the very colorful reverse appliqud cotton molas which is part of their daily wear. Essentially, the Kuna are fishermen, but they also farm coconut, corn, rice, cocoa, yucca and other staples.

We depart by scheduled flight to San Blas at the crack of dawn. To enhance the interaction with the Kuna, travelers go without our Naturalist Guide. A representative of Dolphin Lodge will greet us upon landing at the airstrip and transfer to the lodge on a motorized dugout canoe to check in and have breakfast.

Dolphin Lodge is located on Uaguitupo (Dolphin) Island, about five minutes from the Achutupo airstrip via dugout canoe. Owned and operated by a Kuna family, the accommodations at Dolphin Lodge are rustic but comfortable in traditional Kuna-style huts with cozy beds, indoor bathrooms and a hammock on the front porch. Meals are served in the Bohio dining room overlooking the Caribbean Sea. We visit the Kuna village of Achutupo in the company of a local guide who introduces us to Kuna culture and traditional ceremonies. Visit the communal house of Sahilas (Kuna chiefs) where the chiefs are responsible for enforcing the law of the community as well as offering advice on other aspects of life - including marital problems! Learn about the building of the typical Kuna house, their economy, the traditional mola, and the processing of sugar cane into the alcoholic drink known as chicha. We return to the lodge to relax at one of the hammocks and to have lunch. Later this afternoon we will go snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea to look for stunning marine and coral life. Overnight at Dolphin Island Lodge [BLD]

DAY 8 :  PANAMA CITY THE TRANS-ISTHMIAN ROUTE
After breakfast we board our plane bound for Panama City. Upon arrival we meet our Naturalist Guide and board a van for our trip across the Isthmus of Panama at its narrowest point. We will walk a small portion of the Las Cruces Trail, a cobblestone walkway was used by the Spanish conquistadors to bring their cargo and riches to and from the city of Panama. From there we continue to the port town of Portobelo, famous for its trade fairs during the 17th century. Here we visit the old Customs building and the fortifications. Traveling west we cross the Panama Canal over the Gatun Locks and proceed to Fort San Lorenzo. Built at the mouth of the Chagres River to fortify and protect the river entrance to Las Cruces Trail, the fort was also used as the port of entry for the gold diggers on their way to California in the 1880s during the Gold Rush. We will be traveling along lush rainforest where we might have the opportunity to see more monkeys, sloth, toucans and other wildlife. We board the Panama Canal Railway train to return to the city and reminisce about those adventurous travelers in search of fortune and fame. This 1 hour ride will take us alongside the eastern shores of the Panama Canal with spectacular views. Transfer to the hotel from the Corozal train station. Overnight at Hotel Executive [BLD]

DAY 9 :  PARTIAL PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT
Early morning pick-up for the 15 minute drive to the port of Balboa where we board our boat to take us on the world famous journey through the Panama Canal. Cruise through Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, Gaillard Cut at the Continental Divide, the narrowest part of the Panama Canal, arriving at the town of Gamboa home to the canals dredging division, an important part in the functioning of the canal. At Gamboa we disembark and drive back to our hotel in Panama City with a stop on the way at the Balboa handicraft market. Farewell dinner at local restaurant. Overnight at Hotel Executive [BLD]

DAY 10 :  DEPARTURE
Depart for the airport approximately two and a half hours before your scheduled international flight. [B]

Questions? Ask Our Program Directors.

. C o n t a c t Grettel Calderon 1(800)345-4453