Panama Canal and the Rain Forest - 5 nights
This tour package features a daylong trip through the Panama Canal starting at the Pacific and ending in the Atlantic. You will be accompanied by an expert guide who will explain in detail the canal’s fascinating history – from the French’s attempts to build a sea level canal, through the final days of the U.S. project. A highlight of your tour is a stay at the luxurious Gamboa Rainforest Resort. The resort fronts the banks of the Chagres River located near Lake Gatun at the mid-point of the Panama Canal. Here you will be surrounded by lush tropical forest, yet only 45 minutes from Panama City.
Day 1 ARRIVE PANAMA
Upon arrival to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, you will be welcomed by a representative of Panama Boutique™ and escorted to your hotel.
Night at the COUNTRY INN & SUITES AMADOR or THE BRISTOL
Day 02 HALF DAY CITY TOUR
 This morning you will be picked up from your hotel lobby and taken on a tour of the city. On your list of attractions is Panama Viejo, the first city founded in the isthmus by Spanish conquerors at the beginning of colonization. The remaining ruins are the vestiges left by Pirate Henry Morgan, who sacked the town in 1671. You will also visit the second colonial city of Panama, Casco Viejo, built in 1673 and will walk around the French Plaza where pirates and conquistadors once fought for wealth and power on the Path Between the Oceans. The architecture of this area exquisitely blends French, Italian and Spanish styles. Your last stop will be at the Miraflores Locks to witness the workings of the Panama Canal from a viewing platform.
In the evening driven to dinner at Tinajas Typical Restaurant. You will have the opportunity to eat typical  Panamanian food. You have a wide choice of delectable dishes made from corn, plantains, yucca, fresh fish, pork and beef. Tamales are a local favorite as is sancocho (typical Panamanian chicken soup). After dinner you will be treated to a folkloric show featuring the diverse national dances performed by elegantly costumed dancers. The name of these dances are lyrical: Punta, Travesado, Diablos Sucios and are preformed to live music made by typical instruments of Panama. Night at the COUNTRY INN & SUITES or THE BRISTOL (B,D) |
Day 03 PANAMA CANAL PARTIAL TRANSIT
Today a driver will meet you in the hotel lobby for an early morning transfer to Flamenco Marina on the Pacific side of the canal. There you will board a Panamanian ferry for a Canal Transit. As you approach the canal, you will be able to observe the Bridge of the Americas. Breakfast and snacks are included while you are aboard the ship. An English-speaking guide is onboard the ferry and will narrate the dramatic history of the building of the Panama Canal, which was completed by the US between 1904 and 1914. Disembarkation is at Gamboa. You will be met and driven to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort.
Night at the COUNTRY INN & SUITES or THE BRISTOL (B) |
Days 04 & 05 GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT
Gamboa Rainforest Resort is a luxury destination resort located on the Panama Canal, in the heart of the lush Panamanian rainforest. The resort has been carefully designed to provide a variety of educational and adventure experiences. You have 2 full days in this special area to relax or take advantage of a wide variety of optional tours.
To help you better understand the complexity of this remarkable ecosystem, the resort has created several exhibits to showcase the vast diversity of the rainforest's flora and fauna. Strolling along the pathways and trails located throughout the resort, you'll discover a variety of educational exhibits, each one designed to explain a different element of the rainforest
You can visit a freshwater fish aquarium, orchid and botanical gardens, butterfly nursery, turtle and iguana nesting areas, a reptile exhibit, historical and cultural displays, or sign up for various nature and observation tours. For a bird's eye view of the Soberania National Park and Panama Canal, climb aboard the specially designed aerial tram and glide quietly through the rainforest canopy where you'll encounter plants and animals rarely seen by visitors on the ground. Your appreciation of this tropical environment doesn't have to stop at the forest floor. The first class marina provides tours of the Chagres River and Lake Gatun, sport fishing trips for peacock bass and other exotic freshwater species (catch and release only), kayaking trips, and tours to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island.
Nights at the GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT (B) |
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Day 06 DEPART PANAMA
You will be transferred to the international airport approximately three hours before your scheduled departure time. (B)
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DEPARTURE DATES:
2008
Any Thursday with a minimum of 2 participants.
PER PERSON RATES:
Hotels: Bristol and Gamboa Rainforest Resort
April 16- September 30
Double Occupancy $1232
Triple Occupancy $1109
Child $654
Single Supplement $724
Hotels: Bristol and Gamboa Rainforest Resort
Season October 1-December 15th
Double Occupancy $1257
Triple Occupancy $1127
Child $667
Single $707
Hotels: Country Inn & Suites Amador and Gamboa Rainforest Resort
April 16- September 30
Double Occupancy $988
Triple Occupancy $870
Child $606
Single Supplement $475
Hotels: Country Inn & Suites Amador and Gamboa Rainforest Resort
October 1-December 15th
Double Occupancy $1014
Triple Occupancy $889
Child $606
Single Supplement $499
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