Panama Land of Contrasts
7n/8d
DAY 1 – ARRIVAL TO PANAMA
Upon arrival, you will be greeted by a Panama Great Adventures representative and transferred to your hotel in Panama City.
Meal (-)
Night at: Hotel in Panama City
DAY 2 – CANAL LOCKS, CANAL AREA, CASCO ANTIGUO
8:30am pick up and 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. We will continue to see the Canal area.
On the way to the Colonial city, we will stop at the Canal Administration building and surroundings.
Let´s continue to the “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
Meals (B)
Night at: Hotel in Panama City
DAY 3 – EMBERA INDIGENOUS VILLAGE, DINNER SHOW
Early pick up and transfer to the Chagres National Park.
Here, you will board a motorized dugout canoe and travel to the Embera indigenous village. Once at the 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.
Optional: You can continue up the river and walk approximately 600 mts. to swim at the waterfall.
Transfer back to hotel at aprox. 2:00 pm
At 7:30 p. m. you will be taken to a Panamanian Restaurant to experience the tastes and traditions of Panama’s countryside with traditional home style dishes and after dinner during the folkloric show, admire our famous National Costume of Panama “La Pollera”.
Meals (B-L-D)
Night at: Hotel in Panama City
DAY 4 – SAN LORENZO & GATUN NEW CANAL LOCKS
Early pick up at your hotel and transfer across the Isthmus to the Caribbean side, reaching San Lorenzo. San Lorenzo National Park, a 9,653 acre Protected Area rich in colonial history, crystalline beaches, lush vegetation and fauna is an important part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Inside this Protected Area is located Fort San Lorenzo, declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 1980. It was built to overlook the mouth of the Rio Chagres, which was heavily used by commerce and slaves ships. It is a perfect example of the military architecture of the XVII and XVIII centuries.
On the way back, let´s stop at Gatun´s new visitors center which overlooks one of the largest construction projects in the world right now, a multibillion-dollar effort that will add a third channel to the waterway, the Canal Expansion.
The new locks will be bigger than the existing ones, allowing massive cargo ships access. Work on the expansion began in 2007, and the new channel is scheduled to open in 2014
Meals (B)
Night at: Hotel in Panama City.
DAY 5 – SAN BLAS
Pick up at your hotel in Panama city at 4:30am and transfer to Albrook airport to board the 6:00am flight to San Blas. You should be at the airport at 5:00am
Beach Day!
Each day you can go on a tour to nearby islands.
Baggage weight limit per person: 25lbs
Meals (B-L-D)
Night at: Yandup.
DAY 6 – SAN BLAS
A day to Relax!
Each day you can go on a tour to nearby islands.
Meals (B-L-D)
Night at: Yandup.
DAY 7 – BIOMUSEO & HANDCRAFT MARKET
Morning flight to Panama city. Once in Panama, we will go for breakfast and continue to visit The Biodiversity Museum: Panama Bridge of Life (also known as Biomuseo), contain 8 exhibitions that will mainly revolve around the origin of the Panamanian isthmus and its gigantic impact on the planet’s biodiversity. These exhibitions will be mainly led by the Smithsonian and the University of Panama.
The building silhouette is the usual unusual Frank Gehry design, however unlike most of his designs, each panel is painted a different bright color. The reason for the bright colors were said to express its tropical location.
We will continue to the hand craft market where you will find crafts made by natives Gunas, Emberas and other indigenous living cultures in Panama.
You will be back at your hotel at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Meals (B)
Night at: Hotel in Panama City.
DAY 8 – DEPARTURE
You will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Tocumen International Airport.
Meals (B)