Itinerary

Today at the appropriate time an EcoCircuitos representative will meet you at the Tocumen International Airport to assist and transfer you to your hotel in Panama City. You will also receive an EcoCircuitos information kit. Check-in & overnight in the hotel of your choice.

Day 2 Full Day City & Canal Tour

During the half-day morning tour you will visit the ruins of Old Panama, climb up the Cathedral tower, visit the Old Panama Museum and continue to Casco Viejo (the old city compound), which dates from the late 1600's. A bilingual guide will describe the events in history leading up to the eventual movement of the capital city to its present location.

Casco Viejo is home to monuments of Ferdinand de Lesseps and other Frenchmen instrumental in the ill-fated attempt of the French to construct a canal through Panama. Your tour ends with a visit to the Panama Canal Museum. 


The full day tour continues with a visit to the Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal where large ships can be seen transiting the canal. Enjoy a presentation by the Panama Canal Authority on the history of the Panama Canal and marvel at the workings of this feat of human engineering. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant.

The tour continues to the Panama Canal area, including the town of Balboa, formerly part of the Panama Canal Zone. You will stop at the folk art market at the old YMCA building.

Late afternoon you will return to your hotel in Panama City. (B,L) Duration: 6 hours

Day 3 Indigenous Encounter at the Chagres Ntl Park

Early in the morning you are picked up at the lobby of your hotel by our guide and transferred to El Corotu on the shores of Madden Lake. You will board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua.

The boat journey takes you through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park, which is the largest of the National Parks protecting the Panama Canal Watershed. Along the Chagres River, you 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 you will be greeted with dancing and music. You will learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. There will be handcrafts available for sale and you will have a chance to be painted with the traditional jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a traditional Embera lunch you will be heading back to Panama City.

Optional: short hiking in a botanical trail at the community.

Duration: 8 hours, Includes: ground and river transportation, entrance fees to the Chagres National Park, traditional lunch at the community, donation and specialized guide. What to bring: Sunscreen and insect repellent, Light synthetic clothes (easy to dry), walking shoes or river sandals, swimming suit, rain jacket and an extra pair of clothes.

Overnight in a Hotel of your choice, Standard Room (B,L)

Day 4 San Blas Archipelago

Today very early in the morning you will be transferred from Gamboa Rainforest Resort to Albrook Domestic Airport to take your flight to San Blas.

**25 pounds per person, luggage weight limit for all domestic flights. This applies for the entire republic.

Once you arrive, you will be met by a representative from the lodge for your boat transfer to the lodge.

All meals included*** No drinks or water included

Day 5 San Blas Archipelago – Day Tours

Days to enjoy at your leisure on the island, taking it easy or visit with the local Kuna Community.

1 Day tour included to a nearby island for beach combing or snorkeling (gear available for rental).

All meals included***No drinks or water included

Day 6 Return to Panama City & Folkloric Dinner & Show at Tinajas

At the appropriate time, transfer to the local airstrip for your return flight to Panama City. Once you arrive, transfer to your hotel in Panama City.

Folkloric Show & Dinner: Las Tinajas Restaurant, an oasis of flavour and folklore, typical of the countryside, is located in the center of Panama City, and it offers a wide range of delicious Panamanian style dishes.

Include: transfer to and from hotel, Typical Panamanian Dinner, cover charge, service charge.

Check-in & overnight in the Hotel of your choice, Standard Room (B,D)

Day 7 Depart Panama / Arrive at Costa Rica

Transfer to the international airport approximately two hours before your flight’s scheduled departure time. International flight is not included Transfer from Costa Rican airport to a Hotel in Costa Rica.(B)

Day 8 San Jose / Arenal Volcano

At mid-morning, the journey starts to the northern lowlands of Costa Rica, where the mayor attraction is the Arenal Volcano. The tour begins with a climb up to central volcanic mountain range where you will pay a visit to the famous artisan town of Sarchí, which is the perfect place to find those souvenirs and gifts for your family and friends. Afterwards, you will continue with the trip. On the way, it is possible to admire diverse agricultural plantations, ornamental plants and cattle ranches until you arrive at La Fortuna where you will enjoy a typical lunch.

During the afternoon, you will visit the world famous Tabacón Hot Springs. These natural hot springs feature a hot river that flows through a series of pools. From cascading falls to tropical gardens, the hot springs are the result of rainwater heated by magma in the Earth’s interior. Once heated, the waters rise to the surface, taking with them minerals found in the earth’s rocky crust; this way, the waters become very benefical for your body and its temperature will help you to relax muscles, clean pores and rejuvenate the skin. Tabacón is a very unique location full of natural jewels that you definitely cannot miss staying at Arenal area.

At the end of the tour you will enjoy dinner at the resort and then you will be transferred to your selected hotel in Arenal Volcano where you will stay two nights. (B,L,D)

Day 9 Arenal Volcano

Today, you will have the opportunity to test your body physical condition; you will take a walk to the Rio Celeste’s waterfall. Undoubtedly as the name says, Celeste River is a natural wonder and unique in Costa Rica. Located near the Tenorio Volcano National Park, Rio Celeste gets its color from different volcanic minerals. Local legend says that when God finished painting the heaven, he washed the brush in the Rio Celeste saving the privilege of watching the enchanting river just for a few adventurers.

Surely this will be one of the most unforgettable moments of your trip to Costa Rica.(B,L)

Day 10 Arenal Volcano – Sarapiqui

The morning will be at your leisure to rest and admire the Arenal Volcano and its perfect cone. Also you have the option to enjoy half day activities such as the hanging bridges, where a guided naturalist will take you through the natural history and show you the fascinating and colorful Tropical Rain Forest world. The impressive outlooks of the Volcano from the hanging bridges over the rainforest will be the perfect combination for an unforgettable experience.

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to the Sarapiquí Rainforest, where you will be staying for the next two nights at the selected hotel. These plains are characterized by fertile lands, which are used to different standing crops of pineapple, yucca, papaya and bananas. It also highlights the biological reserves, that seem as havens for eco-tourism, as well as family tourism projects, which offers a different way of using natural resources with a large number of adventure activities.(B)

Day 11 Sarapiqui

Today, you will enjoy the visit to Pozo Azul, an adventure Park that offers a variety of activities in the middle of exuberant nature. First-class equipment and highly trained guides will help you to have an unforgettable experience. The first part of the tour starts with a horseback experience riding well-mannered and expert-trained horses. Experts and beginners alike will enjoy the trails that go through secondary forest, rivers and pastures. After a delicious lunch, you will experience the heights and admire the rainforest from 9 cables and 11 platforms on the Canopy Tour, where you will fly freely. This section finishes with a 300-meter trip over a canyon that holds the Sarapiquí River. For the afternoon return to the selected hotel for overnight. (B,L)

Day 12 Sarapiqui – Pacaure River – San Jose

Early in the morning, be ready for a day filled with adventure and adrenaline, as you will enjoy a rafting expedition to the Pacuare River, one of the most scenic rivers in Costa Rica. Upon arrival at the river, our professional guides will provide you with all the safety instructions that you have to learn before starting the exciting rafting adventure. Once you get into the raft, it starts the descent down the exciting waves and eddies that form along the mighty river. The first part of the expedition includes class III rapids and some class IV rapids, all provided in a natural setting full of tropical forest landscapes and through the dense vegetation that rises above the mountains.

Halfway through the tour you will enjoy a delicious picnic lunch and you will come back to the rafts again for the last part of the trip. Rafting becomes even more exciting, as you will use the skills and experience gained during the morning in order to paddling steadily to the Caribbean plains where the river expedition ends with the triumph of having conquered one of the wildest and most scenic rivers in the world. At the Siquirres area, you can change your clothes before you continue to San José area, where you will stay the last night in Costa Rica at the selected hotel.(B,L)

Day 13 Departure Costa Rica

At the appropriate time you will be transferred to the International Airport for your flight back home. You will arrive to the airport approximately 2 hours before your departure time.(B)

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