Costa Rica Walking & Nature Tour

Panama Extension

As you may have heard, there is a canal in Panama. Watching a football field’s worth of ship rise in a lock on a pillow of water is one of the world’s great manmade miracles. But what about the much tinier spectacle of a hummingbird barely larger than your thumbnail? Or the quiet whiiiiiish as your native dugout canoe slices through a rainforest river? Panama is one of the finest ecotourism destinations—easy to reach, friendly in the extreme, and not yet on everybody’s radar screen. From anteaters to mantled howler monkeys, the wildlife is extraordinary. The Audubon Society conducts its Christmas bird count here so you can just imagine the abundance. To explore the culture of this bridge between continents, we’ll take you to a native village and introduce you to our friends along the way. You’ll see things you’ve never seen, in a place you never thought to visit—which makes Panama a fantastic way to extend your time with us in Latin America.

Day 1: SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA TO PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
As we wind our time together on the Costa Rica tour, we’ll return you to San Jose, for a one hour evening flight to Panama City, Panama. Relax and replay your images of the last week as we transfer you to our luxury resort right in middle of the rainforest that surrounds the Panama Canal. You have a memorable couple of days ahead!

Day 2: PANAMA CANAL
Wake up to sunrise over the manicured grounds and surrounding jungle at our luxury resort about 30 minutes outside Panama City. The setting is sensational: right in the middle of Sobernia National Park Rainforest on the banks of the Chagres River and the Panama Canal. Our explorations will be full of natural marvels, but today we start with one of man’s greatest engineering feats. The Panama Canal is actually a series of lakes, locks and channels – and you may be surprised to learn that it actually runs north and south! We’ll sail across Gatun Lake, weaving among gigantic cargo and passenger ships. This artificial lake is the part of the passage that crosses the Continental Divide from Gatun on the Atlantic to the Miraflores Locks on the Pacific side. At the locks, our guide leads us on a visit to the canal museum where we can also see ships being raised or lowered in the locks. During this day, we’ll also catch a first glimpse of Panama’s wildlife such as green iguanas, crocodiles, white-faced capuchin monkeys and osprey on the hunt for peacock bass.

In the afternoon, you can relax at our hotel and take a dip in the pool. Or join our guide for a visit to Panama City. The nation’s capital, it’s a lively mix of historic and modern. We’ll take a walk in the oldest districts to the 16th century ruins of Panama Viejo as well as 17th century Casco Viejo, where we see the rich architectural influence of Colonial Spain. Back at the resort, we all join up for our welcome dinner.

Day 3: EMBERA VILLAGE
After breakfast, we board traditional piraguas (dugout canoes) for a paddle up the Chagres River. It’s a sensational perspective on the rainforest that crowds the river like a tall wall of green on each bank. We’re privileged today to meet members of the Embera tribe, one of country’s seven remaining indigenous tribes. Their village sits right on the river where they’ll greet us and welcome us into thatched huts that stand on stilts (equally important protection from rainy season floods and jaguars). Lunch is likely to be the typical fare of tilapia and fried plantains on banana leaves, and we’ll have a chance to interact with the villagers and learn about their folkways.

This whole day is a firsthand look at the cultural and environmental challenges that face Panama and so many other countries. The Embera and the wildlife with which they share their land are all threatened by deforestation and development. As you’ll see, Chagres National Park remains a rich habitat that contains jaguars, anteaters and mantled howler monkeys as well as bird sanctuary with more than 560 species. Conservation groups are fighting to protect the park and to extend it is as well to preserve the biodiversity. We leave the rainforest as we arrived—in piraguas—and return to our hotel for dinner and a chance to reflect on the beauty and fragility of this place.

Day 4: PANAMA CITY
After breakfast, we drive back to Panama City’s international airport for return flights home.

Extension Begins: San Jose, Costa Rica - With return to San Jose international airport at the end of main Costa Rica tour and flight from San Jose to Panama City, Panama. On arrival, we’ll meet your flight and transfer you to our luxury resort hotel.

Extension Ends: Panama City, Panama international airport - at approximately 10:00 am.

Extension Length: 4 days and 3 nights

Price Per Person: $1895 based on 2 people sharing a two bedded room, Single supplement: $495

Internal Airfare
This trip includes a flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Panama City, Panama which is priced separately from the land tour. The cost for the internal flight is approximately $385 per person.

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