Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival to Panama

Upon arrival to Panama the group will be met in the Tocumen International airport by your interpretive guide and escorted to your hotel.  This evening we will host a “Get Acquainted” event with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a tour briefing.

Day 2
Boquete Mountain Biking

First thing in the morning we’ll board a plane for the short flight to the Chiriqui highlands where we’ll embrace the mild climate of this beautiful mountainous region surrounded by cloud forest and coffee fincas.  This area is ideal for mountain biking and today we’ll enjoy a 25 kilometer downhill biking trip, coasting through lush vegetation and local farms experiencing the region's spectacular scenery.

This afternoon we’ll a walk along the trails at Finca Lerida’s natural reserve with its variety of trees producing the aguacatillo fruit and year-round quetzales. Among the many other highland species of birds found here, this private nature reserve is a unique place to study and experience the cloud forest environment and to discover the flora and fauna hidden within.

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 3
White Water Rafting

The Chiriqui province has the tallest mountains in Panama and some of the countries longest rivers including the Rio Chiriqui and the Chiriqui Viejo.  Whitewater rafting on these rivers is exhilarating and world renown for easily accessible, non-stop, Class III-IV rapids.  The steep canyons and thick jungle provide a breathtaking setting for the adrenalin packed trip.  Along the way we’ll stop and swim in the many swimming holes and at mid-day enjoy a riverside picnic lunch.

This evening we have the opportunity to explore the town of Boquete with its shops, cafes, and art galleries.  

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 4
Hiking Los Quetzales Trail

This morning we’ll depart early from Boquete to the trailhead of the Sendero de los Quetzales Located within the Volcan Baru National Park.  By beginning the hike from Cerro Punta we’ll walk the six mile trail that slopes downhill finishing in Boquete.  Along the way we’ll have the opportunity to appreciate our beautiful surroundings, look for the resplendent quetzal, and enjoy a picnic lunch under the canopy of this tropical cloud forest.

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 5
Boquete Tree Trek and Bocas Del Toro

This morning we’ll take the skies using the same technology that botanists and naturalists utilize to observe and study the behaviors of wildlife in their natural habitat.  Gliding through the treetops of century-old forests, this vantage allows one to view the natural landscape with its pristine rivers and waterfalls from a different perspective as we move through the canopy bordering La Amistad National Park and Volcan Baru.

After a lunch prepared with fresh, organic, local ingredients we'll make the scenic drive over the Talamanca mountain range from Chiriqui to the province of Bocas Del Toro where along the way we’ll visit the Ngobe indigenous village of Silico Creek.  Here we’ll see how the organic cocoa is grown and processed into chocolate.  Once we reach the town of Almirante on the shores of the Caribbean we’ll take a boat ride from mainland Panama to the archipelago of Bocas Del Toro.

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 6
Bastimentos National Park

This day is spent exploring both the terrestrial and under water wonders of Bastimentos National Park.  First we visit Salt Creek, another Ngobe village, where we’ll be greeted by our local guide Salino, who will lead us through his nature trail where we have the opportunity to see sloths, monkeys, including the western night monkey, birds, Caymans, and the famous red strawberry frog, a poison dart frog that lives on the island.  Lunch will be enjoyed at a restaurant by the sea, built on stilts out over the water.  With a full stomach we’ll head for a short on respite on Red Frog Beach where one can lie in sun or take a swim in the Caribbean.  The afternoon will be spent snorkeling Tino’s reef and sponge garden and Solarte Gardens which are teaming with tropical fish and multiple varieties of coral and sponges.

Meals Included: B, L, D.

Day 7
Kayaking Changuinola Canal

This morning we head to the opposite side of Isla Colon to explore Sea Star Beach and kayak.   At Sea Star Beach one can get up close and personal with the beautiful pin cushion sea star.  Next we’ll kayak the Changuinola Canal initially dug by the United Fruit Company where one can find many species birds in the now abandoned and peaceful canal used primarily by the local farmers that live on its banks.  At lunch time we’ll head to Yarisnori Restaurant which serves up some of the best food in the islands.  After lunch we’ll return to our hotel for a quick shower and to collect our belongings for the trip back to Panama.

Meals Included: B, L, D.

Day 8
Chagres River and Emberá Indians

Today we tone it down; however, this is a perfect opportunity to visit an indigenous village in the midst of a wonderful natural setting that supports the harmony of their lifestyle and traditions. Early in the morning guests are picked up at their hotel and transferred to Port El Corotu on the shores of Madden Lake, the main reservoir of drinking water for the cities of Panama and Colon. Madden Lake also supplies 40% of the water required for the operation of the Panama Canal. Here, we board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua or Tusipono.  The boat journey takes us through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park, which is the largest of the National Parks protecting the Panama Canal Watershed.

At the Embera village we will be greeted with dancing and music. We will learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. There will be handcrafts available for sale and we will have a chance to be painted with the traditional jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a lunch of fish , plantain, and fresh fruit served in traditional style by the Embera, we visit the nearby waterfall where we can take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Chagres River before heading back to Panama City.

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 9
Ancient and Modern Panama

Since one cannot visit Panama without seeing the city our last day of this itinerary will be spent exploring ancient and modern Panama.  But we promise this day will include a lot of walking, or as we like to call it “urban hiking.”

First we’ll explore the ruins of Old Panama founded in 1519 and the first Spanish settlement on the Pacific side of the Americas.  This ancient city of Panama was the gateway for Peru’s gold and silver and the silks of the Orient. Our guide will lead us on an exploration of what remains of the cities original convents and seminaries, which were looted and destroyed by pirates in 1671.

Our next stop will be the Seafood and Farmers market of Panama City. The waters off the coast of Panama on the Pacific side are rich in seafood. The fishermen come in daily and sell their catches to wholesalers who buy the entire load. The wholesalers then turn around and resell the fish to retailers who sell it to the general public. The stands in the seafood market are retailers who sell to the general public.  After viewing the local produce and seafood, we will head upstairs to the Restaurant de Mariscos for a lunch at one the best places to eat local cuisine with the locals.  After lunch we will head back to the Hotel for a much deserved rest.

In the afternoon we will visit Casco Antiguo, The historic center of Panama City. It is a quiet, charming district of narrow streets overlooked by the flower bedecked balconies of two and three-story houses. At its tip lies French Park, a monument to the French builders who began the Panama Canal, and the lovely French Embassy. As we meander through the area we will see the remaining ruins of the convents and seminaries, the famous Flat Arch, which reportedly helped convince engineers that Panama was earth-quake-proof and the beautiful Cathedral with its mother of pearl covered spires.  

Time permitting we’ll visit the former YMCA which now houses the local artisans market. The Artisan Market in Panama City is a warren of wonderful little stalls and stores where it is possible to find, under one roof, all of the local arts and crafts. The mola, made by the Kuna Indians, is an intricately stitched and overlaid piece of fabric that can be used for many purposes.  The tagua nut is a collectible item that is delicately carved and painted to resemble many of the local wildlife of Panama. Beadwork and Embera baskets abound.

Meals Included: B,L, D.

Day 10
Panama Departure

Today we’ll say “hasta luego” to this enchanting country and return home, where you’ll be eager to share your incredible Panama and the Panama Canal experiences.

Meals Included: B

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