DAY 1.  Arrival to Panama

Upon arrival to Tocumen International Airport, you will be greeted by a PanamaGreat Adventures representative and transferred to your hotel in Panama City.

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Meals (D)

Lodging (Hotel Radisson Summit or similar)

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DAY 2.  Miraflores Locks & Colonial City

Morning (8:30 a.m.) transfer to visit Miraflores Locks, where interactive exhibits explain the history and workings of the Canal, its nature rich rain forest and waterways, and for the “grand finale”  you will see–very closely, ships on their voyage through  the famous Panama Canal Locks. 

After lunch, continue on to “Casco Antiguo”,  home of the 17th century Church of the Golden Altar, ruins and restorations of colonial churches, convents and residences, Spanish dungeons, the Panama Canal museum and a French monument to the 22,000 who died attempting to build the Panama Canal, and complete the course, crossing into the modern city.

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Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Hotel Radisson Summit or similar)

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DAY 3.   Panama Rianforest Discovery Center

Soberania National Park is perhaps the most accessible lowland neotropical rainforest in the world. Howler Monkeys, White-nosed Coatis, Trogons and Toucans! The park host a bounty of life awaiting for visitors to find it on the dense lush jungle.

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Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Hotel Radisson Summit or similar)

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DAY 4.   Chiriquí Highlands

Morning pick up at your hotel and transfer to Albrook Airport.

We will arrive in David an will take the road to Cerro Punta.
Tucked deep in the forest the Los Quetzales Cabins are almost on the continental divide and on primary mountain forest. The expected birds are Black-and Yellow Silky –flycatcher, Black Billed Nightingale-Thrush, Flame Tthroated Warblear, Violet Sabrewing, Large-footed Finch, Yellow-thighed Finch and more.

Also we will experience the nocturnal wildlife on your cabins backyard!

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Meals (B-L-D).

Lodging (Hotel Los Quetzales Lodge or similar).

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​DAY 5. Los Quetzales Cabins area +  Cielito Sur

The gardens give us great chances for Gray-breasted Wood-Wren, Maroon-chested Ground-Dove, Silver-throated Tanager, Slaty Flowerpiercer and other common garden dwellers. Further down the hill is the small family run Cielito Sur hotel. Chesnut-capped Brush-finch, White-tailed and Striped-tailed Emeralds, Scintillant Hummingbird, Flame-colored and White-winged Tanagers,

 

Meals (B-L-D).

Lodging (Hotel Los Quetzales Lodge or similar).

 

 

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DAY 6.  Cuesta de Piedra 

This morning on route to Boquete, we will stop at Cuesta de Piedra looking for birds: Rufous Tailed Jacamar, Crested Guan, Ruddy Foliage gleaner, Spot-crowned Euphonia and the White-throated Thrush. Brown Violetear, White-collared Swift, White-crested Coquette and Orange-collared Manakin are among other possibilities in this area.  

Will continue our journey to a very clasy and famous hotel in the town of Boquete: Finca Lerida: an active coffee plantation that privately protects some great tracks of native mountain forests. 

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Meals (B-L-D).

Lodging (Finca Lerida or similar).

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DAY 7. Finca Lerida

During this day we will immerse ourselves in the greatness of this forest. The giant oaks and cedars will be our playground. From Resplendent Quetzal to Three-wattled Bellbirds, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Blue-throated Toucan and Ruddy Treerunner: will have a great day polishing our final list.

 

Meals (B-L-D).

Lodging (Finca Lerida or similar).

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DAY 8.   Butterfly Garden + Fly Back To Panama City

After breakfast we will visit a bee & butterlies farm.

At this Honey house you can taste and purchase over 15 different varieties of honey products. During this visit you will learn not only about honey and bees but also about, plants and flowers, bees and even about petroglyphs found on the property. This farm host over 35 native butterflies species, being a great scenary for outstanding butterflies shots!

After lunch we will take the flight back to Panama City.

 

Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Hotel Wyndham Albook or similar)

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DAY 9.   Train Ride + Canal Expansion + Fort Portobelo

Early morning pick up to board the trans isthmian train to the Caribbean site. The one our train ride along the exuberant rainforest of Soberania National Park, parallel to the Panama Canal, follows a similar route as the original one built in the mid 1800s. The principal incentive for the building of the rail line was the vast increase in traffic to California owing to the 1849 California Gold Rush.

Once on the Caribbean site we will stop at Agua Clara  new visitors center which overlooks one of the largest construction projects in the world lately, a multibillion-dollar effort that  added a third channel to the waterway, the Canal Expansion.

The new locks are bigger, allowing massive cargo ships access. Work on the expansion began in 2007, and the new channel was officially inagurated in 2016.

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Lets continue a jurney full of history, reaching Portobelo.

Here the Spanish conquerors were compelled to build forts for protection and customs clearance as the gold from Peru was transported by mules through the Camino de Cruces, Panama, continuing along the Chagres River by small boats, up to Portobelo, where it was shipped to Spain. Because of this accumulation of wealth, Portobelo was attacked and plundered by pirates Sir Francis Drake, William Parker and Henry Morgan.

Lets visit their Forts, Church San Juan de Dios, Church San Felipe de Portobelo and the Customs House, for your appointment with Caribbean pirates and famous privateers in history.

 

At noon, we will stop for lunch  at a traditional caribbean cusine restaurant for a delightful meal.

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Today we will spend the night at a Private Reserve.

 

Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Private Reserve or similar)

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DAY 10.   Private Reserve 

Early morning will listen to the cacofony of calls that awake the owner of Sierra Llorona Private Reserve: from the croacking call of the toucans to the sharp and hizzing call of the jacamar or the loud roar of the howler monkeys. The early morning is the best time to enjoy this daily show. Will walk the nearby trails searching for the ground duelers: frogs, insects and lizards. They are plentifull and even some of them are unique to this area, like the endemic Atelopus limosus frogs.  

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Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Private Reserve or similar)

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DAY 11.   Embera at Rio Gatun

After breakfast get ready for the last adventure of this trip...a colorful cultural experience at an Embera Indigenous community.

Today we will board a motorized dugout canoe at Rio Gatún and travel up to the Embera Indigenous Village. 

Once at the Embera village, you will be greeted with a brief explanation of their history and traditions, a performance of tribal dances, drums, and the Embera traditional lunch. You will learn about their relationship with nature, their handcrafts will be available for purchase, and you will also be able to experience having your body painted with the traditional “jagua”, a natural dye used by the village members to adorn their bodies.

In the afternoon we go to our hotel in Panama city.

Let´s keep going to Panama city.

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7:00p.m. Farewell dinner.

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Meals (B-L-D)

Lodging (Hotel Country Amador or similar)

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DAY 12. Departure

Transfer to Tocumen Int. Airport.

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Meals (B)