The Best of Panama

Enjoy cultural and natural history highlights

Panama is the hidden jewel of Central America--full of different destinations, diverse ecosystems, and fascinating native culture all wrapped up into one small, easily traveled country. Our 10 day trips are fully escorted by expert bilingual guides, who will help make your trip to Panama a truly memorable experience! On this activity filled trip, you’ll visit excellent birdwatching areas in virgin rainforest, tour the famous Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, visit a coffee plantation, take a motorized canoe into the rainforest to an authentic Embera Indian Village, and take a boat ride for a partial transit of the canal.

Cloudforest of Chiriqui, Baru Volcano, and the abundant La Amistad National Park, are all included, along with hikes to view the flora and fauna. The trip ends with an overnight visit to the home of the Kuna Indians--the San Blas Islands, with time to explore their culture, and enjoy the beautiful beaches of the islands. A perfect way to end your exploration of this warm and charming country.

2008 Departure Dates: February 22-March 2, April 4-13, July 11-20, Sep 19-28, December 19-28 & on request.

2008 Prices:

• $2200 per person, based on double occupancy
• $500 single supplement
• Prices valid until Nov 30, 2008

Please add 5% mandated government service charge for these departure dates ($110 double occupancy, $20 for single supplement)

Note: This is a fully escorted tour with specific departure dates. Private tours and trip extensions can be arranged on request. Latin American Escapes also specializes in designing custom itineraries.

Itinerary:

Day 1 ARRIVE PANAMA On arrival to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, we will be met by an Ancon Expeditions of Panama representative and transferred to our hotel. Welcome cocktail and briefing with our Naturalist Guide. Night at COUNTRY INN – PANAMA CANAL

Day 2 PANAMA CANAL JUNGLE BOAT ADVENTURE – CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS Early in the morning we are picked up by our Naturalist Guide and transferred to the town of Gamboa, at the Panama Canal, where we board a specially equipped expedition boat.   The voyage takes us across Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal passing by gigantic cargo ships transiting the waterway and making contrast with the natural surroundings.  Along the way, we will have the opportunity to 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 species. The expedition boat will allow for close approximations to rainforest covered islands in Gatun Lake to search for White-faced capuchin, Howler monkey, Spider monkey and the endemic Red-napped tamarin. We will have a picnic lunch on an island with extraordinary views of the Panama Canal and the natural surroundings. We return to Gamboa and drive to Albrook domestic airport to catch our scheduled flight to David, capital of the Chiriqui province. Chiriqui is known as “Panama’s breadbasket” and contains some of the most breathtaking highland scenery in Central America. Transfer by van to the western side of the Baru Volcano to the town of Volcan. Night at HOTEL DOS RIOS (BLD)

Day 3 LA AMISTAD INTERNATIONAL PARK & WORLD BIOSPHERE RESERVEShared 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. We 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. After lunch at a local restaurant we will visit Finca Dracula home to over 1500 orchid species. On our return ride to the hotel we will stop at the Janson’s Coffee Estate and have an interactive experience with coffee. Here the experts will explain 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 (BLD)

Day 4 SITIO BARRILES - BOQUETE On the way to Boquete we will first visit Sitio Barriles an archeological site of the extinct Barril culture that once lived on the slopes of the dormant Baru Volcano. Here the site guide will interpret the writings on the stones (petroglyphs) and enlighten us on the history of this culture. Afterwards we proceed to the eastern side of Baru Volcano to the quaint town of Boquete with its countryside dotted with flower, fruit and vegetable farms, coffee plantations and also lush tropical cloud forests. At the entrance to Boquete we will stop atop a bluff where we will have 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 (BLD)

Day 5 FINCA LERIDA CLOUD FOREST This morning we explore Finca Lerida, a privately owned preserve in Boquete, in the buffer zone of Baru Volcano National Park. At an elevation of 2,286 meters we have an opportunity to look for 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. In the afternoon we visit a hydroponics farm. Night at HOTEL PANAMONTE (BLD)

Day 6 PANAMA CITY After a leisurely breakfast we will travel to the city of David to board our mid-morning flight to Panama City. Upon arrival we visit the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute Tupper Center where we have lunch and visit the bookstore. Afterwards visit the Panama Canal’s Administration Building to admire the beautiful murals painted by William B. Van Ingen that depict the monumental labor involved in the building of the waterway. We continue with a visit to 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 (BLD)

Day 7 SAN BLAS ISLANDS – DOLPHIN ISLAND Located along the northeastern coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea, the San Blas Islands are the home of the Kuna Indians. Determined to protect their unique culture, the Kunas 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. We depart by small plane to San Blas at the crack of dawn today. To enhance the interaction with the Kuna travelers will go without the Naturalist Guide. A representative of Dolphin Lodge will greet us upon landing at the airstrip and transfer to the lodge on a motorized dugout canoe to check in and have breakfast. 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. We visit the Kuna village of Achutupo in the company of a local guide that will provide us with 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 we will go snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea to look for stunning marine and coral life. Night at DOLPHIN ISLAND LODGE (BLD)

Day 8 PANAMA CITY - CHAGRES RIVER & THE EMBERA After breakfast we board our plane bound for Panama 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 Panama and Colon, Madden Lake also supplies 40% of the water required for the operation of the Panama Canal.  Here, we board a motorized "piragua" (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera Indigenous village of Embera Drua.  The boat journey takes us through the rainforest of the 194,000-acre Chagres National Park, which is the largest of the National Parks protecting the Panama Canal Watershed.   Along the Chagres River, we may be able to spot Little Blue and Green Heron, Great Egret, Anhingas, Neotropical Cormorant, Amazon, Ringed, and Green Kingfishers, along with Keel-billed Toucans and Ospreys flying above. At the Embera village we will be greeted with dancing and music. We will learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature.  There will be handcrafts available for sale and we will have a chance to be painted with the traditional 'jagua', a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies.  After lunch we visit the nearby waterfall where we can take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Chagres River before heading back to Panama City. Night at HOTEL EXECUTIVE (BLD)

Day 9 PARTIAL PANAMA CANAL TRANSIT Early morning pick-up at the hotel for the 15 minute drive to the port of Balboa where we board our boat which will take us on the world famous journey through the Panama Canal. Cruise through Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks, Gaillard Cut at the Continental Divide, the narrowest part of the Panama 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 we will disembark and drive back to our hotel in Panama City with a stop on the way at the Balboa handicraft market for some last minute shopping. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner at local restaurant. Night at the HOTEL EXECUTIVE (BLD)

Day 10 DEPART PANAMA Transfer to Tocumen International Airport 2.5 hours prior to flight departure (B)

B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner

Included: Lodging, all land, air, and water transportation within Panama, all airport/hotel transfers on scheduled arrival and departure dates, meals as specified in the itinerary, entrance fees, guides’ services and expenses, and services of an in-bound land operator for airline re-confirmations and tour operations.

Not Included: International airfare, airport departure taxes, tourist card, meals not specified in the itinerary, alcoholic beverages, personal equipment, items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone calls, room service, gratuities, and insurance of any kind