Tour Panama: Canal, Coffee & Quetzals

Day 1: Panama Canal

Mid-morning, we’ll meet at our luxury resort about 30 minutes outside Panama City. The setting is sensational: right in the middle of Soberania National Park Rainforest on the banks of the Chagres River and the Panama Canal. Our week 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. 

Day 2: 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. 

Day 3: Portobelo

Every schoolchild learns about birds migrating south for the winter. What you probably never knew is that portions of four major North American flyways all converge in Panama. The predictable result is one of the great bird watching opportunities you’ll find anywhere. Sobernia National Park (where our hotel is) is the site of the Audubon Society’s annual Christmas count because so many species fly through. On our morning jungle walk, you’re likely to see species you’ve never imagined – not to mention other wildlife like howler monkeys, sloths and coatimundis, long-tailed relatives of the raccoon. 

Day 4: Los Quetzales Trail

Our day starts with about a one-hour flight to David City, the capital of Chiriqui Province. We’re headed for the highland village of Boquete, but before we reach it our minicoach intersects one of our favorite paths anywhere in the world. Those who are up for a beautiful downhill walk on the lower slopes of Baru Volcano will join our guide on Los Quetzales Trail. (If you prefer, you can motor on to our inn where we’ll meet you later.) 

Day 5: Boquete

By now, we’ve had good looks at the rainforest from rivers and footpaths. Today, we raise our sights to the treetops. Entire species spend most if not all of their lives above the ground, living in the interlaced branches of the rainforest. Today, we get that bird’s-eye view from zip lines. These cables stretch from platform to platform in the canopy and, safely strapped in, we zip one by one along those lines. It’s a great rush to glide like this above the ground, one of those experiences you’ll recount time and again. (Not to worry: if it’s not your cup of tea, we’ll substitute a walk that keeps both of your feet firmly planted on the ground.) 

Day 6: Chiriqui

Today’s theme is water. You’ll have your choice of riding it or taking a walk to some of the week’s most scenic vantage points. For exciting rafting, we love the Chiriqui Viejo River. We drive up to the put-in spot through dense rainforests with breathtaking views out over the volcano and the teak plantations in nearby Costa Rica. From here, the river makes a thrilling drop through class 2-4 rapids with some impressive wave trains. You don’t need to be a tested rafter; our local outfitters provide the expertise you need for a safe ride. 

Day 7: Departure

After an early breakfast we take a short flight back to Panama City. We will part company at the domestic airport in time for most flights back to the US. Meals: B