Highlights of Central America: Costa Rica & Panama

Welcome to Costa Rica! Settle in to your hotel and enjoy an included dinner.

Please note: Travelers arriving at the hotel late this evening will have an informal dinner.

Leave the city behind and head to the mountainous town of Monteverde, where you’ll sit down with your fellow travelers for a welcome lunch at a local, family-owned ranch.

Join your Tour Director for an afternoon hike through Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, a haven for birdwatchers.

• Learn about variety of flora and fauna, including orchids and ferns
• Walk through the misty forest as you explore this rare ecosystem, which gets its name from the constant cloud coverage
• Try to spot toucans, hummingbirds, resplendent quetzals, and more

Please note: Travelers should be able to hike around two miles over wet, and potentially slippery, pathways.

Learn about Costa Rica’s diverse ecology and vibrant culture today.

• Help with reforestation efforts by planting a native tree at Heliconia Ranch
• Enjoy an included lunch as you watch traditional Costa Rican dances performed by children from the community

Spend a free afternoon in Monteverde or add an excursion.

Make your way south to the country’s smallest national park, popular for its breathtaking beaches and scenic hiking trails. Uncover it’s incredible biodiversity and postcard-worthy beaches on a guided tour.

• Keep an eye out for some of the 109 mammal species and 270 bird species that call the park home
• Walk to the top of rocky Cathedral Point to view the park from across the Pacific
• See the blowhole at Escondido Beach
• Survey the saw cliff and sea caves at Serrucho Point
• Relax on the beach or take a dip in the Pacific Ocean

Sit down for an included dinner this evening.

Travel to the quiet town of Tárcoles and set out on a riverboat tour of the Tárcoles River led by a local guide.

• Soak in views of lush mangrove forests and jungle scenery
• Look out for wildlife such as crocodiles, iguanas, lizards, monkeys, and birds

Enjoy a free afternoon in Manuel Antonio or add an excursion.

Cross the border into Panama today and meet up with your Panamanian Tour Director as you make your way to the town of Boquete, which is located in the mountains and known for its year-round temperate weather.

Then, enjoy an included dinner at a local restaurant this evening.

Spend a free morning in Boquete or add an excursion.

This afternoon, take a guided tour of a local coffee farm and factory to learn about the region’s connection to the flavorful beverage.

• Explore the farm to learn about the process of growing and harvesting coffee beans
• Walk through the factory to see how the beans are roasted
• Sample award-winning Gesha coffee, a rare type of coffee made from beans that are only grown in a few countries across the globe

Travel south to the Chitré Region to discover why this area is considered the cultural cradle of Panama. You’ll take a guided tour after an included lunch to get to know four local craftspeople located in Chitré and the picturesque town of Parita.

• Meet a drum-maker and learn how the artisan creates this popular instrument as you enjoy a musical demonstration
• Step inside a pottery workshop to meet a potter who will demonstrate how to make ceramics in a handmade oven
• Visit a family of mask-makers to hear how they research and design the traditional Diablico Sucio masks
• Interact with a family of textile workers who specialize in creating polleras, colorful Latin American skirts, which can take years to complete
• See the colorful designs, as well as the threading and sewing techniques, as the artisans talk about the history and significance of the skirts

Enjoy an included dinner this evening.

Travel to Panama City and spend the day exploring the legendary Panama Canal —a feat of engineering.

• Board a covered boat in the town of Gamboa and float alongside commercial and private boats as you sail along Gatun Lake
• Learn about the manmade lake, which plays an essential role in helping ships pass through the Panama Canal
• Try to spot wildlife including Panamanian tamarins, green iguanas, crocodiles, and birds along the lake’s jungle-lined shoreline

After your boat ride, head to the Miraflores Locks and enjoy exclusive access to one of the most important areas of the Panama Canal.

• Step inside the Miraflores Visitor Center to discover how the canal was built
• Stand within a few feet of incoming ships and watch as they cross through the locks

Please note: On some departures the Miraflores Locks may be replaced with entrance to the Miraflores Museum due to closures.

Meet up with a local guide and spend some time exploring Panama’s capital city.

• Pass the Frank Gehry-designed Biomuseo and view the city’s modern architecture as you drive down Amador Causeway
• Take a walking tour of the UNESCO-listed Casco Viejo neighborhood
• Visit the Plaza de Francia, a memorial dedicated to the French laborers who lost their lives in the first failed attempt to dig the Panama Canal
• Visit Plaza de la Independencia to see where Panama declared independence from Colombia
• Step inside the Church of San Jose to marvel at the ornate Golden Altar and see the Metropolitan Cathedral
• Stop at shop to sample local chocolates and rum
• Walk through Parque De Santa Ana and past the historic La Avenida Central shopping street
• Learn about the culture in El Chorrillo neighborhood, which was bombed during the U.S. invasion of Panama in 1989
• Enjoy free time for lunch in the Casco Viejo neighborhood

Spend a free afternoon in Panama City or add an excursion.

Leave Panama City behind and head into the lush rainforests of Chagres National Park.

• Board a traditional dugout canoe for a ride up the Chagres River, soaking in the jungle scenery as you go
• Head to a village where the indigenous Emberá people, known as the keepers of the rainforest, have lived for thousands of years
• Learn about the Emberá community and way of life, including lessons in traditional medicine and cultural dance
• See how their culture exists in harmony with the surrounding rainforest
• Enjoy an included lunch in the village before returning to Panama City

Head to a local restaurant and celebrate your trip during a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home or continue on to Cartagena, Colombia.