Panama and Costa Rica

Arrive in Panama City and transfer to our hotel. Gather with fellow travelers for a welcome cocktail reception and dinner this evening.

After breakfast, embark on a tour starting with Panama Viejo, site of the original European settlement and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Continue with a walking tour of the city’s Casco Antigua district, where churches, colonial palaces, and military buildings display French, Spanish, and Italian architectural influences. After free time for lunch on our own, embark Le Bellot later this afternoon.

In the Colón Province, Fort San Lorenzo faces the sea, its cannons pointing towards the horizon as they used to protect transatlantic trade under the Spanish Crown. The fort is an excellent example of 17th- and 18th-century military architecture. Wander along the fort’s alleyways accompanied by the melodious singing of the birds that have made the surrounding forest their home.

Today we visit the San Blas archipelago, a string of coral islands in the Caribbean Sea. Walk the white sand beaches and enjoy the clear waters before meeting with members of the local Guna community who still subsist on hunting and fishing. Marvel at their traditional molas, the intricately embroidered shirts of vibrant colors.

The 48-mile-long Panama Canal cuts through the Isthmus of Panama to connect the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Built between 1881 and 1914, the canal has been named one of the seven wonders of the modern world by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Relax on deck and take in the passing scenery as we listen to historical commentaries from our local guides. Our transit takes us through three levels of locks, rising to the level of Gatún Lake.

Pacheca Island lies in the far north of the maze of more than two hundred islands composing the Pearl Islands. This small piece of uninhabited land is a special place for the numerous bird species that have taken up residence there, including the blue-footed booby. Go ashore by Zodiac to swim from the beach and observe schools of multi-colored fish.

The remote province of Darién is an unspoiled land with a rich variety of flora and fauna. A UNESCO World Heritage site, Darién National Park offers a stunning landscape of rocky coastlines, mountain ranges, mangroves, and rivers. Discover Playa Muerto, a tiny village home to the Emberá Amerindian community. Visit the village, attend a traditional ceremony, and admire their beautiful crafts.

Off the Pacific Coast of Panama, Cébaco Island conjures visions of paradise lost. Covered in tropical rainforest and edged by white sandy beaches, the island is crisscrossed with hiking routes. Its magnificent coral reefs, part of the outlying region of Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, are refuge to many marine species and underwater landscapes.

Today, board Zodiacs to discover the incredibly dense ecosystem of Río Esquinas. Brush past the tangled arms of the mangroves in search of common squirrel monkeys, white ibis, ospreys, toucans, snowy egrets, and other wildlife.

Spend a full day on the biologically rich and diverse Osa Peninsula in the vicinity of Corcovado National Park, considered the crown jewel in Costa Rica’s extensive system of national parks and biological reserves. One of the few remaining large areas of lowland tropical rain forests in the world, three species of monkeys, scarlet macaws, toucans, and peccaries may be spotted here.

The Curú Wildlife Refuge is the oldest protected park in Costa Rica. After a Zodiac ride, walk through the tropical forest, watching for the most emblematic species of Costa Rica, including monkeys, iguanas, sloths, and over 200 bird species. Since their recent reintroduction, the scarlet macaw and spider monkey have thrived in this environment.

After breakfast, disembark in Puntarenas and transfer to San José for flights returning home.