Nature & Beaches in Panama City & Bocas del Toro - 10 Days

Highlights

• View the Panama Canal and its surrounding jungle shores by boat 
• Experience the best of Panamanian bird-watching at Pipeline Road and Isla Pájaros
• Meet members of remote Naso tribes and learn about their traditions
• Dine on Panamanian cuisine while dancers perform in native dresses

Brief Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Panama City, Casco Antiguo Walking Tour

Welcome to Panama, home to one of the greatest engineering feats, the Panama Canal. After arriving at Tocumen International Airport and meeting your group representative, you'll be transferred 40 minutes away to Panama City. The iconic capital city and commercial center is unlike any other Central American locale, serving as the bridge between Central and South America. Your first adventure will help you acclimate to Panama City's bustling mix of skyscrapers and cobbled colonial streets. 

Strike out on a 1.5-hour guided walking tour of Casco Antiguo (Old Town), the birthplace of modern-day Panama City, to stroll among Spanish colonial buildings renovated into upscale restaurants, bars, and living spaces. Meet locals tending market booths and taste geisha coffee, an award-winning coffee grown in Panama, and chocolate produced with Panamanian cacao. Visit Plaza Francia (French Plaza), an area dedicated to French workers who helped build the canal, and enjoy a local frozen raspao treat made with shaved ice and condensed milk. You'll be dropped off at your hotel following the tour.

Day 2: Explore the Panama Canal, Discover Rainforest Wildlife by Boat

Get picked up from your hotel to head out on a boating experience to witness Panama and its canal from a wider perspective. Once you arrive in Gamboa, 45 minutes from Panama City, you'll board a passenger boat at the point where the Río Chagres meets the Panama Canal. Cruise across Lago Gatún, passing colossal cargo ships coming to and from the canal and gliding along the jungle shores. Green iguanas, three-toed sloths, crocodiles, ospreys, and toucans live in this area, and by sailing close to the lake's islands, you can spot different species of monkeys. You'll be transferred back to Panama City afterward.

Day 3: Bird-Watching in Soberania National Park, Free Afternoon in Panama City 

This morning you'll be picked up and transferred to Soberania National Park, located in the Panama Canal Watershed, for a bird-watching adventure in an area well-known for its flocks of colorful and diverse avian species. You'll cross the Río Chagres to reach Pipeline Road—a gravel path where a pipeline was built during World War II and an ideal place to observe birds in the tree canopies. Visit the rainforest discovery center, where you'll have a spectacular view of the vast territory of the national park, and keep an eye out for keel-billed toucans, red-lored amazons, and mantled howler monkeys.

Continue farther into the heart of the rainforest, stopping to explore more of the Pipeline Road, which is walkable for up to 10.5 miles (17.5 km). You'll have plenty of time to take in your wild surroundings and spot some more of the 525 species of birds who live here before enjoying a picnic lunch and returning to your hotel in the early afternoon. Next, decide what more you'd like to explore in Panama City on your own time for the remainder of the afternoon. You may opt to visit Panama Viejo (Old Panama), the UNESCO-protected remains of the city's original pre-Colombian settlement.

Day 4: Transfer to Bocas del Toro, Optional Island Fishing Tour

Today you'll escape the bustle of the city and be transported to an idyllic Caribbean destination, Bocas del Toro, a group of islands near the Costa Rican border. After being picked up from your hotel, you'll be transferred to the domestic airport, where you'll fly a little over an hour to Bocas del Toro. Six islands make up the archipelago, some of which are completely uninhabited, and the locals enjoy a peaceful lifestyle surrounded by dense forests and turquoise seas, inviting adventurers to swim and snorkel.

With excellent accommodations and plenty to do if you're feeling active, you'll wish you never had to leave this island paradise. This afternoon is yours to soak in the warm Caribbean atmosphere along the beach, stroll through markets, and visit with the locals. You may opt to embark on an optional guided fishing tour with an experienced local captain to learn how to fish island-style. They'll take you to the best saltwater fishing holes in the Bocas del Toro archipelago and explain the different techniques locals employ to catch various fish. At the end of the day, return to your hotel.

Day 5: Remote Naso Culture Experience in La Amistad International Park

Today you'll take an extraordinary trip to the jungles of La Amistad International Park to visit remote Naso communities known for their cacao and banana cultivation. To get to the communities, you'll take a water taxi and later take a wood boat up the Río Teribe. The Naso Kingdom comprises 11 small villages, ruled by Latin America's last monarchy, and is located along the Río Teribe within the abundant jungles of the park. The Indigenous tribes there have a distinct language and culture and coexist with the diverse wildlife living in La Amistad.

The locals will greet you and teach you about their local craft-making, cocoa production and its sacred meaning, their ancient legends, and their native way of life. You'll also hike through the banana plantations, where trees are heavy with ripening fruit, and enjoy a tribal meal prepared by tribe members. The Naso grow many foods that make up their traditional cuisine, including vegetables, yucca, rice, chicken, and other subsistent ingredients. Afterward, you'll be transferred back to your Bocas del Toro accommodation.

Day 6: Cacao Production Workshop, Dolphin Bay Snorkeling Adventure

Today you'll dive deeper into the world of cacao, a pinnacle of Boca del Toro's gastronomical culture, as you witness cacao's lifecycle from bean to chocolate by visiting a local chocolate farm and taking a guided tour. Get a closer look at the cacao harvesting process in Bocas del Toro, from fermentation to drying and grinding. Lastly, indulge in tasting the delicious final product straight from the source.

Following your cacao tour, you'll hop aboard a boat and cruise to Dolphin Bay for underwater marine adventures. As the name implies, bottlenose dolphins live and play in this lagoon that's found on the east side of Isla Cristobal. With a little luck, you may encounter one of these smart, sociable animals. The rest of the afternoon is yours to explore life among the waves as you snorkel and swim. Come face-to-face with colorful schools of fish, crustaceans, and squid while carefully giving jellyfish their space.

Day 7: Isla Bastimentos Snorkeling & Marine National Park Exploration

Encounter more of Bocas del Toro's tropical splendor as you travel to Isla Bastimentos, a secluded home to the Indigenous Ngöbe-Buglé tribe found on the northern shore of Panama in the archipelago. There you'll visit a mangrove forest to watch sloths in their natural habitat. Next, continue south of Isla Bastimentos to Cayo Coral, perhaps spotting more dolphins on your way. This small island teems with marine wildlife and colorful coral reefs, which you'll get the chance to see up close with some snorkeling.

After exploring Isla Bastimentos and its neighboring island, you'll be transferred farther east to the Zapatilla Cays, two uninhabited islands that are part of the Isla Bastimentos Marine National Park. This national park is one of 13 parks in Panama, established in 1988 to preserve over 250 species of animals. For the remainder of the day, discover the solitude these islands provide by walking around the beaches that attract sea turtles wanting to lay their eggs and soak your feet in the crystal-clear waters. You'll be transported back to your Bocas del Toro hotel at the end of the day.

Day 8: Isla Pájaros Bird-Watching & Boca del Drago Remote Beach Hike

Today you'll discover the allure of the most populated island in Bocas del Toro, Isla Colón, by exploring the many natural highlights of its surroundings. Begin by touring Isla Pájaros (Bird Island), a majestic rock formation standing alone in the ocean and named for the abundance of seabirds like red-billed tropicbirds, brown boobies, and pelicans that nestle in the vegetation.

Continue to Boca del Drago, located on Isla Colón's northwestern shore, for a short hike to find remote beaches. At the end of the tour, you have time at leisure at Starfish Beach to snorkel near subaquatic flora and fauna and enjoy your final afternoon in the archipelago.

Day 9: Transfer to Panama City, Dinner & Traditional Dancing Performance

The tropical getaway portion of your trip ends today, as a driver takes you to the nearby Bocas del Toro airport for your one-hour flight back to Panama City. Upon your arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel to freshen up before heading to a cultural dinner experience. While feasting on Panamanian dishes and drinks, watch as dancers enrobed in flowing national dresses, called la pollera, perform intricate routines accompanied by traditional music. After you finish dinner, you'll be transferred back to your hotel for the evening.

Day 10: Depart Panama City

The time has come to say goodbye to Panama and its rich history, culture, and natural beauty. When the time comes, your driver will take you to the Tocumen airport, a 40-minute drive, to catch your departing flight back home. Safe travels!

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