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8 Day itinerary in Panama, Central America & Caribbean

Panama Highlights

This 8 day highlights tour combines history, culture, nature and adventure into a fun and exciting itinerary. There is no better way to explore Panama! Besides being drawn deeper into the culture, you will visit the famous Panama Canal, learn about its history and take part at a partial canal transi... Read More

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AnaGretaPhilippe

By Ana, Greta and Philippe

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Average
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Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Panama City

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Meet local people

Indigenous culture

Outdoors & Nature

Start/End

Night

Highlights

1

Discover the importance and the impressive engineering of the Gatun Locks

2

Learn the history behind the small town of Portobelo

3

Kayak though the tranquil water of Gatun Lake

4

Walk around the Panama city

Itinerary

Mid-Range Accommodation expand_more

Day 1

place Welcome to Panama

Upon arrival at Tocumen International Airport, you will be met by our Spanish speaking driver who will take you to your hotel in Panama City. Welcome to Panama! duration 01:00 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* hotel
Day 2

place Partial Canal Transit Tour

This excursion is without any doubt a world-class highlight, and a must for anyone interested in experiencing this engineering marvel first hand! Group transfer to the marina of Flamenco Island, where you will embark on your journey. A specialized guide on board will give you detailed information on every step of the lockage process. After passing under the beautiful "Bridge of the Americas" your ship will go through the Miraflores Locks and soon after, arrive to Pedro Miguel Locks. Then, you will enter what is known as Culebra Cut or Gaillard Cut. This is a spectacular part of your journey as the Culebra Cut goes through the hills of Panama's central mountain ridge! This section of the canal is full of history, it was the most difficult part of the construction and thousands of lives were lost there... The vessel serves a typical lunch buffet, soft drinks and water during the transit. You shall see "Contractor's Hill" (so called because of the amount of small sub-contractors who worked there during the French period) and "Gold Hill" (where there was a brief and unsuccessful gold rush during the same period). It is quite common to see large crocodiles lying in the sun on sandbanks! After Culebra Cut, your ship will meet with the mighty Gatun lake, which was until 1936 the largest manmade lake of the world. Your final destination will be the town of Gamboa, Panama Canal's maintenance and dredging port, where you will disembark. A shuttle will provide a 30 min transfer back to Panama City and then back to your hotel. **Pick up time will be communicated to us by the boat company one day before the tour, we will contact you at your hotel. duration 05:30 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* hotel
Day 3

place Panama City - Agua Clara Locks

Pick up at your hotel after breakfast and drive to the province of Colon on the Caribbean side. Once in Colon we will drive to the impressive Agua Clara Locks, and cross the Canal to reach the small road that will take us to San Lorenzo. This picturesque road to the ruins leads, at first, through secondary vegetation, then through dense rainforest. Howler monkeys are most commonly heard and seen, together with agoutis and coatimundis. It is only at the end of the road that you'll meet the majestic fort of San Lorenzo, proudly facing the Chagres River and the Caribbean Sea. A gorgeous scenery indeed that hasn't changed much since Bradley and his pirates took the fort more than 300 years ago! We will take our time to enjoy the breathtaking sight of the thick rainforest reaching the Caribbean Sea and to visit the ruins before coming back to Gatun. Just before our arrival to the locks we will pass over a bridge that crosses what remains of the old French canal project. duration 08:00 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: Meliá Panamá Canal
Day 4

place Portobelo - Gatun Locks

After breakfast our vehicle will take us to the town of Portobelo. The name ''Portobelo'' was given to the beautiful bay by Christopher Columbus, who sailed to this area during his fourth trip. Portobelo grew to become a strongly fortified town. As a point of transshipment and exchange for the colonial merchandise Portobelo was famous for its annual fairs. Portobelo’s Spanish fortification ruins are of great historical interest and were designated a UNESCO world heritage site. A boat offers us then a very interesting tour around the bay and we finish at a secluded beach for a relaxing time before heading back to your hotel. duration 07:00 hrs Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: Meliá Panamá Canal
Day 5

place Chagres National Park- Panama City

After a road transfer of about an hour heading north from Panama City you will reach the shores of Lake Alajuela. The rest of the trip to the Embera village will be done in local dugout canoes on the lake then on the Chagres or Pequeñi River. Navigation time will depend on the lake water level, which is much lower during the dry season (January to May), making the boat trip longer at that period of the year. The Emberas, proudly adorned with their best body paintings will show us some of the elements of their graceful culture, the beauty of their dances and their remarkable handicrafts. They will also invite you to share their traditional dish of fish with plantain in a banana leaf. One of your hosts will take you around the village to show you some of the plants they still use for their traditional medicine. In the afternoon return by boat and by road to Panama City. duration 07:30 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* hotel
Day 6

place Day tour to Gatun Lake

The Panama Canal is a unique ecosystem. This excursion takes you on Gatun Lake to observe the local flora and fauna from a boat that will come as close as possible of the forested sides of the Canal. Your day of adventure will start with a road transfer from your hotel to the town of Gamboa, the maintenance and dredging port of the canal. In Gamboa you will embark in fast launch and start navigating on Gatun Lake admiring the fascinating flora, fauna, and the ships transiting the Canal. Monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, iguanas and conspicuous birds such as anhingas, jacanas or snail kites are very frequently seen. Eventually our journey will take us off the beaten path to a secluded part of the Panama Canal, in the heart of Gatun Lake's rainforest where a Jungle boathouse is anchored. There, you will enjoy a delicious Panamanian style lunch with refreshments. After lunch, you may take part in a variety of other activities like swimming, fishing, hiking or kayaking. In the afternoon group transfer back to your hotel in Panama City. duration 07:30 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* hotel
Day 7

place Full day City & Canal Tour

The visit starts with a drive to the colonial quarter, also known as "Casco Antiguo" lying at the foot of Ancon Hill. This is where Panama City was rebuilt after the destruction of Panama Viejo. This beautiful little area has several attractions that you shouldn’t miss: the famed flat arch or Santo Domingo Church, the beautiful gold- plated altar of San Jose Church, the Cathedral Square, the Presidential Palace and other numerous colonial churches and monuments. After a stop for lunch, short transfer through the modern part of the city will take us to Miraflores Locks. Ships must pass these imposing water elevators to navigate in and out the Panama Canal and it is a fascinating and unforgettable show to watch the steel giants going through the locks, where the biggest of them, called "Panamax", only have 2 feet between their hull and the side of the chambers! Return to the hotel after the visit. duration 07:30 hrs. Overnight at your accommodation

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Mid-Range Accommodation: 3* hotel
Day 8

place Panama City and Airport Transfer

Private transfer with Spanish speaking driver to Tocumen International Airport. duration 01:00 hrs.

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • 3* hotel
  • Meliá Panamá Canal

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (7)
  • Lunch (3)

Transport expand_less

  • Round private transfer to Panama City Airport
  • Private transportation on day 7, 5, 4, 3
  • Shared transfers on day 6 & 2
  • Boat tour on day 6, 5, 4, 2
  • Kayaking on day 6

Activities expand_less

  • Activities as listed on the itinerary

Extras expand_less

  • Entrance Fees
  • One bottle of water on day 5

Not Included expand_less

  • Personal expenses
  • International flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Other meals not mentioned on inclusions
  • Alcoholic drinks

About Ana

TEAM LEAD

+2 Local experts

verified Baboo Certified

Expertise: 

Cycling

Hiking

Rafting

Snorkeling/Diving

Visit markets

Meet local people

Indigenous culture

Yoga

Detox

Travel with Purpose

Outdoors & Nature

My biggest passion is traveling so I decided to turn my passion into my career at a very young age. My life motto is: "Love what you do and do what you love" I believe in the positive impact of travel.

Travel that Makes a Difference

By choosing to travel with us, you support local communities, wildlife, and the environment. We are dedicated to positively impacting the world through every journey we offer.

Let’s regenerate the planet together

We overcompensate your entire journey’s carbon footprint including flights - for free.

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FROM PRICE PER TRAVELER

$1,618.00 USD