Tour Itinerary

Day 1
Arrive – Panama City, Panama
When you arrive in Panama City, you will be met upon arrival by a representative and transferred to your hotel—choose from a resort on the beach or in the rainforest:

The Inter-Continental Playa Bonita Resort & Spa is nestled on a private beach and surrounded by lush tropical vegetation. The Resort has been designed as an enchanted enclave of infinite pools, cascades and exotic gardens with architecture inspired by a fusion of Mediterranean, Colonial and Panamanian styles.

Or:

Gamboa Rainforest Resort is located on the Panama Canal, within the Soberania National Park, 30 minutes away from Panama City. It lies along the banks of the Chagres River and the Gatun Lake, offering spectacular views of the Chagres River and the surrounding Soberania National Park.

Inter-Continental Resort or Gamboa Rainforest Resort

Day 2
Soberania Nat'l Park, Chagres Nat'l Park or Metropolitan Park

Option 1: Hiking in Soberania National Park

Visit Soberania National Park in the Panama Canal watershed, starting your hike from the entrance of Pipeline Road. This area is the site of the Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count, where repeatedly, more species of birds are identified in a period of 24 hours than any place in the world. Soberania is also home to 105 species of mammals and 59 endemic plant species.

This afternoon, depart for your Panama Canal wildlife boating excursion. Board your private expedition boat and explore the waters of the Panama Canal through coves and inlets in search of countless species of birds and four species of monkeys. Your boat will allow for close-up viewing of rainforest-covered islands in Gatun Lake—White-faced capuchin, Howler monkey, Spider monkey and the endemic Red-napped tamarin. You will have the opportunity to spot iguana and sloth resting on tree branches, crocodile, Osprey, Snail kite and Keel-billed toucan among other species. Your adventure includes a voyage across Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal passing by gigantic cargo ships transiting the waterway.

Option 2: Indian Village Visit in Chagres Nat'l Park

Motor by dugout canoe up the Chagres River to the visit the indigenous Embera people and their village of Embera Drua. Along the Chagres River, you may be able to spot wildlife that frequents this watershed. Upon arrival at the village, you will be welcomed with dancing and music, and learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. You will have a chance to be painted with the natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a picnic lunch you visit the nearby waterfall where you can take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Chagres River before heading back to your hotel.

Option 3: Crane Tour in Metropolitan Nat'l Park

Just minutes from the bustle of downtown Panama City lies the Metropolitan Park. Here, you will ascend high in a gondola over the treetops in the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute's 140 ft. modified tower construction crane, used to study the forest canopy. View this tropical forest from bottom to top—more than 70% of the species living in tropical forests reside in the canopy, the uppermost layer of the forest.

Your guide will explain some of the research that is being done using the crane, and help spot native flora and fauna such as sloth, monkey and iguana. More than 280 species of trees, 45 species of mammals and 250 species of nesting birds have been recorded here. Views of the forest canopy, the City skyline, and the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, alone are quite spectacular.

Inter-Continental Resort or Gamboa Rainforest Resort

Day 3
Panama Canal

This morning depart on your partial Panama Canal tour. Have breakfast on the ship as it departs from port. Northbound on the Panama Canal, the first stop is at the Miraflores lock. A transition from salt water in the Pacific Ocean to fresh water in the locks chambers and lake take place here. Next, the ship reaches Gatun Lake where it will turn around and return back to the Port of Balboa.

Return mid-afternoon to Panama City and enjoy a tour of the City. Set on beautiful Panama Bay, the City has a prosperous business district, a lively nightlife, a fantastic restaurant scene and the only rainforest within city limits in the world. Countless beautiful residential neighborhoods add to the city’s charm. Founded in 1519, Panama City was the first European settlement on the Americas.

Visit the ruins of Old Panama and then Casco Viejo, where the city was relocated in 1673. The area's new renovation is evident in its architecture, monuments, new hotels and restaurants, along the cobblestone streets.

Dinner this evening will be at Manolo Caracol in Casco Viejo. A modern restaurant in a French-styled building dating to the 1800s, the restaurant features an open kitchen and local art on the walls. Here, food is served tapas-style, with dishes like jumbo prawns in garlic sauce and rice with plantains. Inter-Continental Resort or Gamboa Rainforest Resort

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