13 Days – 12 Nights
This itinerary has been designed to showcase the very best of Panama with fantastic accommodation and excursions to get to know the heart of the country.
DAY 1 | PANAMA CITY
Arrive in Panama City, where you will be picked up at the airport by a guide who will help with the transfer to the hotel. The guide will also provide important information regarding the rest of the trip. Rest of the day at leisure.
Dinner at the Hotel and overnight stay.
MEALS: ‐ / ‐ / ‐
DAY 2 | PANAMA CITY TOUR & MIRAFLORES LOCKS W/LUNCH
The tour starts at the Panama Canal, a magnificent work of engineering, actually the greatest and most expensive human feat of the time. After 30/40 minutes on the route, you will reach the Visitor Center of Miraflores Locks, from which you will be able to see closely the ships moving along the canal, and the way it operates. You will visit the Amador Causeway on the way, which offers one of the city’s most spectacular panoramic views.
Lunch will be served in one of the unsophisticated and typical restaurants of the Amador Causeway.
The tour ends in the Old Quarter of Panama City, the historic centre of San Felipe declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, thanks to its eclectic fusion of colonial, neoclassical and French architecture. This stop includes a walk in the streets, squares and gravel roads and a visit to emblematic colonial buildings, churches, and palaces.
Overnight stay.
MEALS: B / L / ‐D
DAY 3 | HALF-DAY PARTIAL TRANSIT
The visit allows you to feel the excitement of going through part of the canal in order to observe the actual workings of the locks, which allow vessels to pass through the canal from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea. First, transfer to the Modern International Flamenco Marina where you will set sail to the entrance of the canal.
In the boat, you will enjoy a panoramic view of the city, the Bridge of the Americas and the spectacular gulf dotted by numerous ships waiting to pass through the canal. Every Vessel should be secured using mooring lines in order to be towed by electric locomotives called mules which move over parallel rails to keep vessels aligned. In a few minutes, water will reach the established level and the lock will open by the side of the stem allowing the ship to pass to the following basin. The tour continues at the Miraflores Lake up to reach Pedro Miguel’s locks where the level rises over 9 meters, then the canal shrinks, and the ship will continue under the Centennial Bridge until it reaches the famous Gaillard Cut or Culebra Cut, known for its meandering bends where the Chagres River converges on. The tour ends in Gamboa where you will return to the hotel. Lunch will be provided during the tour.
Overnight stay.
MEALS: B / L / ‐
DAY 4 | PANAMA CITY ‐ GAMBOA
Breakfast at the Hotel.
Transfer to Gamboa and stop at the Soberania National Park, 40 minutes away from the city in order to get into the Pipeline Trail. During the tour, it is possible to see in detail the great variety of flora in this secondary rain forest which serves as a bride to birds that travel to escape from winter and as a shelter for the most diverse fauna living among bushes, from monkeys, snakes, spiders, to anteaters and other species.
Next, go onboard a small vessel to discover the Gatún Lake. During this journey, visit the famous Monkey Island and enjoy nature.
In the afternoon, transfer to the Hotel Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Overnight stay.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
DAY 5 | HALF DAY EMBERÁ KATUMÁ
Transfer service of approximately one hour to the little pier of Gamboa where you will board a pirogue, a motor canoe, to arrive at the community of Emberá Katumá.
During the journey of approximately 15 minutes, you will be able to see the splendid jungle and if you are lucky, its monkeys, butterflies, herons and turtles. Upon your arrival, you will be received by the Indian Chief of the community who will tell you the history of the tribe and its cultural wealth.
The Emberá are native of the Darién, who in turn come from the Chocò, Colombia. They live at the edge of the river in little communities of thatch‐roofed palafittes named tambos, for counteracting humidity and avoiding floods.
Afterwards, a typical lunch will be served to you and you will enjoy a folkloric show with traditional music and dances.
Overnight stay.
MEALS: B / L / ‐
DAY 6 | GAMBOA – BOQUETE
After breakfast, transfer to the airport of Albrook in order to take a flight to David, where the guide will pick you up and help you with the transfer to the Hotel in Boquete.
Rest of the day at leisure.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
DAY 7 | HALF DAY COFFEE TOUR AT FINCA LÉRIDA
The coffee and Lérida Farm’s history dates back to the year 1911 when Sir Toleff Mönniche, one of the Norwegian Engineers who worked in the construction and design of the Panama Canal, in 1924 he built his first Coffee Farm. Later in time, in 1929, he began to export Panamanian coffee to Germany and he made this place a mandatory tourist reference point.
The route starts with a walk by the coffee plantations where their microclimate and variety are essential in order to reach excellence levels. Afterwards, you will visit the areas where the pulp is removed from coffee cherries; they are dried out and roasted. Towards the end, there will be a coffee tasting within which its scent, aroma and character are merged while creating a perfect balance of sweet and bitter tastes and blending. Rest of the day at leisure.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
DAY 8 | HALF-DAY CLOUD FOREST WATERFALL HIKE
The trail is located near Barú National Park, in Las Cataratas Nature Reserve, offering you the opportunity to go deep into the magic forest and see some of its 250‐bird species, including the famous Quetzal. Its plumage is simply fascinating: shaded green with blue and black and metallic highlights. The male has even more flashy colours, its breast is an intense red, its tail that may measure up to 70 centimetres long is white and green, its bill is yellow, and its crest is green with black shades. The Mayans and Aztecs venerated it as they believed it represented the god of heaven. The Quetzal feeds mainly on aguacatillo trees and nests in the holes of the trees. Visit through the clay pits and the mysterious swimming pools used by native tribes. At the end of the tour, you will enjoy a refreshing bath in the crystalline waters of the waterfall’s lakes.
Rest of the day at leisure.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
DAY 9 | BOQUETE – ALMIRANTE – BOCAS DEL TORO
Breakfast at the hotel. Private transfer to the Almirante, in order to take a short boat transfer to Isla Colon in Bocas del Toro Archipelago, where you will be picked up by a driver to transfer you to the Hotel.
Overnight stay. MEALS: B / ‐ / D
DAY 10 / 11| BOCAS DEL TORO
Breakfast at the hotel.
Day at leisure.
It is recommended to visit some of the several coral atolls and islets offering dream beaches surrounded by palm trees, a spectacular barrier reef, several sea species, emerald‐green waters, mangroves, tropical forests inhabited by an incredible fauna and lush flora. Each island has its own personality and natural beauty. It is a world that turns around water and nature where aquatic taxis are the sole means of transportation. Bocas del Toro is a place with ethnic and cultural wealth that is reflected in its traditions, dances, music and cuisine that in combination with the native culture get us back to the roots of the American Continent.
Overnight stay.
MEALS: B / ‐ / D
DAY 12| BOCAS DEL TORO ‐ PANAMA CITY
Breakfast at the hotel.
Private transfer to the airstrip of Bocas del Toro in order to take the flight to Panama City. Meeting with the guide for transfer to the hotel.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
DAY 13| PANAMA CITY ‐ DEPARTURE
Breakfast at the hotel.
Transfer in time to Tocumen Airport for the return flight.
MEALS: B / ‐ / ‐
END OF SERVICES
For more information on tours to Panama please contact Gabriela Pedrotti: marketing@panamajourneys.com
