10 days / 9 nights
Explore the Panamá Canal with its natural and historic legacy, enjoy cloud forest environments filled with life, and learn about extinct and thriving indigenous cultures. This is the best of Panamá!
Day 1 ARRIVE PANAMÁ
On arrival to Tocumen International Airport in Panamá City, we will be met by a representative of Panamá Boutique™ and transferred to your hotel. Welcome cocktail and briefing with your Naturalist Guide.
Night at COUNTRY INN – PANAMÁ CANAL
Day 2 PANAMÁ CANAL JUNGLE BOAT ADVENTURE – CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS
Early in the morning you will meet your Naturalist Guide in the hotel lobby for a 45 minute drive to the town of Gamboa, where the Chagres River meets the Panamá Canal, where you'll board an expedition boat and depart on an adventure that includes a voyage across Gatun Lake in the Panamá Canal, passing gigantic cargo ships as they transit the waterway, making contrast with the natural surroundings. Along the way, you might 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 wildlife. Gatun Lake was formed to give way to the Panamá Canal in 1914. With a surface of 423 square-kilometers, at the time of its creation was the largest man-made lake in the world. The flow of all the rivers within the Panamá Canal Watershed is contained in Gatun Lake to provide water for the operation of the lock system. More than 52 million gallons of fresh water are used for every ship that transits through the Panamá Canal from one ocean to another. Your expedition boat will allow for close proximity to rainforest covered islands (former hill tops) in Gatun Lake to search for White-faced capuchin, Mantled howler monkey, Central American spider monkey, and Geoffrey’s tamarin. Lunch will be a picnic on one f the small islands, with extraordinary views of the Panamá Canal and the natural surroundings. You'll return to Gamboa and drive to Albrook domestic airport to catch our scheduled afternoon flight to David, capital of the Chiriqui province. Chiriqui is known as “Panamá’s breadbasket” and contains some of the richest soils in Central America as well as breathtaking highland scenery. Transfer by van to the western side of the Baru Volcano to the town of Volcan.
Night at HOTEL DOS RIOS (B, L, D)
Day 3 LA AMISTAD INTERNATIONAL PARK & 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 here their maximum species mix. With great ranges in altitude, precipitation, soil and temperature, bio-diversity here is at its best. You 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. Lunch at a local restaurant is followed by a visit to 'Finca Dracula', home to over 1500 orchid species. On the return ride to the hotel you will stop at the Janson’s Coffee Estate and learn all the processes that coffee beans go through. This is no ordinary coffee - shade grown and scrutinized; Janson’s 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 3,475 meters above sea level.
Night at HOTEL DOS RIOS (B, L, D)
Day 4 SITIO BARRILES – BOQUETE
On the way to Boquete you first visit Sitio Barriles, an archeological site of the extinct Barril culture who once lived on the slopes of the dormant Baru Volcano. Guides will interpret the writings on the stones (petroglyphs) and explain the history of this culture. The next stop is the eastern side of Baru Volcano and the quaint town of Boquete, dotted with flower, fruit and produce farms, coffee plantations and also lush tropical cloud forests. At the entrance to Boquete you'll stop atop a bluff for an extraordinary view of the town set in the mountain valley at 1,060 meters above sea level with the Caldera River running through it. This afternoon feel free to visit this quaint town.
Night at HOTEL PANAMONTE (B, L, D)
Day 5 FINCA LERIDA CLOUD FOREST
In the morning you'll have the special opportunity to visit Finca Lerida, a privately owned preserve in Boquete, in the buffer zone of Baru Volcano National Park. At an elevation of 2,286 meters there are some special birds such as 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 will hike through lush vegetation and arrive at the Collin’s shade-grown coffee farm where lunch will be served.
Night at HOTEL PANAMONTE (B, L, D)
Day 6 PANAMÁ CITY
After a leisurely breakfast you'll travel to the city of David to board the mid-morning flight to Panamá City. You'll then head to the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute Tupper Center and have lunch and a visit to the bookstore. Next stop is the Panamá Canal’s Administration Building with the beautiful murals painted by William B. Van Ingen, depicting the monumental task it was to build the canal. Then you'll get to see the canal in action at Miraflores Locks, the first set of locks on the Pacific Ocean side of the canal and Casco Viejo, the colonial city.
Night at HOTEL EXECUTIVE (B, L, D)
Days 7 SAN BLAS ISLANDS – DOLPHIN ISLAND
Early this morning you'll depart by small plane to San Blas. A representative of Dolphin Lodge will greet you at the landing strip and transfer to the lodge on a motorized dugout canoe to check in and have breakfast. He will be your guide today.
Located along the northeastern coast of Panamá in the Caribbean, the San Blas Islands are the home of the Kuna Indians. Determined to protect their unique culture, the Kuna 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 appliquéd 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.
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. You will visit the Kuna village of Achutupo in the company of a local guide that will provide an excellent opportunity to learn about the 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 is time for snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea to look for stunning marine life.
Night at DOLPHIN ISLAND LODGE (B, L, D)
Day 8 PANAMÁ CITY – CHAGRES RIVER & THE EMBERA
After breakfast you board your plane to return to Panamá City. Upon arrival we meet our Naturalist Guide and board a van for our trip to El Corotu on the shores of Madden Lake. The main reservoir of drinking water for the cities of Panamá and Colon, Madden Lake also supplies 40% of the water required for the operation of the Panamá Canal.
Here, you board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua. The boat journey goes through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park, which is the largest of the National Parks protecting the Panamá Canal Watershed. Along the Chagres River, you might spot Little Blue and Green Heron, Great Egret, Anhinga, Neotropical Cormorant, Amazon, Ringed, and Green Kingfishers, along with Keel-billed Toucans and Ospreys flying above. At the Embera village you'll be met by dancing and music and learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. There will be handcrafts available for sale and a chance to be painted with the traditional jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a simple picnic lunch prepared by the Embrea, you can visit the nearby waterfall for a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Chagres River before heading back to Panamá City.
Night at HOTEL EXECUTIVE (B, L, D)
Day 9 PARTIAL PANAMÁ CANAL TRANSIT
Early morning pick-up at the hotel for the 15 minute drive to the port of Balboa to board the boat which will take you on a journey through the world famous Panamá Canal, cruising through Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, Gaillard Cut at the Continental Divide, the narrowest part of the Panamá Canal, arriving at the town of Gamboa home to the canal’s dredging division, an important part in the functioning of the canal. At Gamboa you disembark and return to Panamá City, with a stop on the way at the Balboa handicraft market for some last minute shopping. Tonight is the farewell dinner at local restaurant.
Night at the HOTEL EXECUTIVE (B, L, D)
Day 10 DEPART PANAMÁ
Today you will be picked up in the hotel lobby abut 2.5 hours prior to scheduled departure flight and transferred to Tocumen International Airport. (B)
LOGISTICS:
TRIP CLASSIFICATION: Easy/moderate hiking 2-4 hours per day with rolling and slippery hills. Hotel or lodge accommodations are comfortable.
INCLUDED: Lodging, all land, air and water transportation within Panamá. All airport/hotel transfers on scheduled arrival and departure dates, meals as specified in the itinerary (B - breakfast, L - lunch, D - dinner), park, museum and related entrance fees, guides’ services and expenses and the services of an in-bound land operator for airline re-confirmations and tour operations.
NOT INCLUDED: International airfare, tourist card ($5 per person), meals not specified in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, personal equipment, extras in hotels (laundry, telephone calls, room service, etc.) or gratuities.
NOTE: The San Blas portion of this trip is led by a local bilingual guide. The Naturalist Guide will not be traveling to San Blas. Women travelers to the San Blas Islands should wear one-piece swimsuits in accordance to Kuna traditions.
Weight restrictions apply to luggage in both commercial and chartered flights within Panamá. A maximum of 25 lbs. of checked luggage and 10 lbs. of carry-on per person is allowed. Arrangements can be made with Ancon Expeditions of Panamá to store luggage that will not be needed while away from the city. Excess baggage charges assessed by commercial carriers are the responsibility of the passenger.
EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST: Binoculars (preferably 7x35 or larger), camera with extra batteries & film, flashlight with extra bulb & batteries, bathing suit, insect repellant, sunscreen, hat, day pack, water bottle, lightweight/quick dry cotton clothes, windbreaker, sandals, sneakers/hiking boots, rain gear, money in small denominations, toiletries & personal medications.
