Panama Discovery

On arrival to Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, you will be met by an Ancon Expeditions of Panama representative and transferred to your hotel. Stay overnight at a local hotel.

Early in the morning you will be picked up at the hotel by your naturalist guide and transferred to the town of Gamboa in the Panama Canal where you board a specially equipped expedition boat. Your voyage takes you across the Panama Canal passing by gigantic cargo ships that contrast with the natural surroundings. Along the way you will have the opportunity to spot sloths and green iguanas resting on tree branches, ospreys, snail kites, toucans, and other bird 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. After a picnic lunch return to Gamboa and drive to the Miraflores Locks Visitors Center, where you will visit multiple exhibits of the canal and have the opportunity to view the operations of the Panama Canal. This evening, enjoy a welcome dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Bay of Panama. Overnight at a local hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast board the van for your trip across the Isthmus of Panama, the narrowest part of the country. Transfer to the Corozal Train Station, where you will board the famous Panama Canal Railway train for a 1 hour ride across the isthmus to the Caribbean port city of Colon. From there you continue to the port town of Portobelo, famous for its trade fairs during the 17th century. A picnic lunch will be served at Fort San Lorenzo, built at the mouth of the Chagres River to fortify and protect the river entrance to Las Cruces Trail and also used as the port of entry for the gold diggers on their way to California during the Gold Rush period. You will be traveling along lush rainforest, where you might have the opportunity to see more monkeys, sloths, toucans, and other wildlife. On the way back to Panama City, we visit the remnants of Las Cruces Trail, a 400-year-old colonial trail used by the Spaniards to transport gold across the isthmus.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Early this morning, you will be transferred to the domestic airport of Albrook for your 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. From the airport in David you will travel by van 2 hours to Cerro Punta from where you will start the 4-hour hike along Los Quetzales Trail, around the foothills of Baru Volcano, the highest peak of the country at 3,475 meters (11,400 ft) above sea level. You will be hiking in the cloud forests of Baru Volcano National Park making several stops along the way to enjoy the views and to look for the elusive resplendent Quetzal. Picnic lunch will be on the trail. You end near the town of Boquete where you are picked up and taken to your hotel in town.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning explore Finca Lerida, a privately owned preserve just outside Baru Volcano National Park. At an elevation of 2,286 meters (7,500 ft) above sea level, you have an opportunity to see the elusive resplendent Quetzal, the three-wattled bellbird, the black-faced solitaire, the volcano hummingbird, the long-tailed silky-flycatcher, and the prong-billed barbet in their cool habitat of orchids, bromeliads, and wild avocados. You will hike through lush vegetation and arrive at the Collin’s shade-grown coffee farm where lunch will be served. Return to your hotel and prepare for your drive to Almirante in Bocas del Toro on the Caribbean side. En route, stop to view the impressive Fortuna Dam and spectacular waterfalls along the Continental Divide. You will be crossing the Palo Seco Protected Area that serves as buffer zone to La Amistad International Park. The transition from the cloud forests to the coral reefs of Bocas del Toro will be impressive. In Almirante you are met by your boat and transferred to Colon Island. This afternoon you have ample time to enjoy the hammocks on the upstairs deck of the your hotel or mingle with the locals in this small friendly town. Overnight at a local hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You depart by boat from the Bocas Inn traversing the expanse of Bastimentos National Park, Panama’s first marine national park. You will reach Salt Creek by navigating through clusters of red mangroves, which provide sea creatures with a protective area during their reproductive and development stages. Upon arrival you first enjoy a walk along Caiman trail. This trail takes us through several stages of lowland forest dynamics. Here, you will look for birds such as the red-throated ant tanager and the golden-collared manakin and mammals such as night monkeys, white-faced capuchins, and three-toed Ssloths. An older tract of rainforest has tall trees that provide life to birds such as the three-wattled bellbird and the green-breasted mango. A nearby lagoon is home to spectacled caimans and slider turtles. On the ground you will look for the tiny endemic poison dart frog, Dendrobates Pumilio. After the hike, enjoy a visit to the indigenous community and a chance to purchase handicrafts such as painted woodcarvings and Ngobe handbags. After this, enjoy lunch. In the afternoon, you will snorkel among mangroves and coral reefs, searching for numerous fish species, as well as dynamic and brightly colored sea fans, sponges, and brittle starfish.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Early in the morning take a boat ride to Boca del Drago around Colon Island. Weather permitting, you will visit Swan's Cay, a rock protruding from the depths of the Caribbean Sea, which serves as rookery for red-billed tropic birds (the only place they are found in Panama) and brown boobies. Along the coastline on your return to the lodge, make stops at coral reefs and mangrove isles for snorkeling. Back at the lodge have lunch and get ready for your return flight to Panama City. Upon arrival you will be transferred to your hotel with a stop on the way at the Balboa handicraft market for some last minute shopping. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You will be transferred to Tocumen International Airport for your departure flight.

Meals: Breakfast