Arrive at Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica and board the Sea Cloud. In gaining its independence, San Jose very quickly transformed from a mountain village into the busy modern capital city of a young, optimistic country. In the Central Valley, Costa Rica's fertile central plateau surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, the natural riches have a particularly aromatic name - coffee. This barren volcanic landscape with deep crater lakes, steaming witches' cauldrons, and blue lagoons presents quite a different picture from the rest of the country's tropical colors. Around 100 kilometers (62 miles) to the west of San Jose lies the Pacific port of Puerto Caldera.

The beautiful colonial city of Granada lies at the foot of the Mombacho volcano and on the western bank of Lake Nicaragua, the largest lake in Central America with its own archipelago of around 300 islands. The country's oldest town, it was founded by the Spanish in 1524. It was often attacked by pirates in colonial times due to its growing wealth as one of the most important trading places. This important historic legacy has received special protection, and the place is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old city around the Parque Centrale is a magnificently restored treasure with its splendid Spanish facades, Cathedral, and monasteries.

On the weekends, the beaches of Playas del Coco are likely to be populated with young Ticos hoping to swim and catch some sun. Take a river trip through the jungle areas, rice fields, and sugar cane plantations and discover animals that are native to the shores of the Rio Corobici. Palo Verde National Park stretches along one bank of the Rio Tempisque. It features the densest population of waterfowl in the whole of Costa Rica and is one of the best areas for bird watching in Central America - almost 300 species of bird have been identified here. The best vantage point to see them is on a boat trip through the mangroves.

Coiba National Park covers the island of Coiba, the largest in the country, and 38 other smaller tiny islets. It is one of the world's largest marine national parks and is protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Because the island broke off from the mainland around 15,000 years ago, a unique range of flora and fauna and an extraordinary variety of species are preserved here. Beautiful deserted beaches nestle up to the delightful turquoise sea.

A monument on the sea front commemorates the man who gave the city its name. In 1513 Spanish conquistador Vasco Núñez de Balboa arrived here, becoming the first European to reach the Pacific Ocean over land. Nowadays, the Puente de las Américas, an enormous arched bridge carrying the Panamericana road, spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal in Balboa, connecting North and South America. East of the canal, the breathtaking skyscrapers tower above Panama City, whose glitzy boom town ambiance contrasts starkly with the lovingly restored Casco Viejo which dates back to the colonial era and the ruins of the old town of Panama Viejo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The idea of connecting the Atlantic and Pacific at the narrowest part of Central America has been around for many hundreds of years, but from a technical perspective this tremendous achievement only became possible much later. The French took on the project in 1881, after the successful opening of the Suez Canal in Egypt in 1869. But it would be more than 30 years before the canal was finally completed in 1914. This masterpiece of technology is just under 82 kilometers (50 miles) long, has 12 lock basins, and negotiates a difference in altitude of 26 meters (85 feet). The Panama Canal is one of the world's most important waterways and most spectacular ship canal.

The Bocas del Toro Archipelago in northwestern Panama comprises six large and numerous tiny islands. Bastimentos Island National Marine Park is the first marine reserve in Panama and was created in 1988. Whether you visit Isla Bastimentos or Cayos Zapatillas - between mangroves and snow white palm beaches - you can find a rich variety of species swimming around in the water. It is a paradise for marine turtles and even dolphins pay a visit from time to time in the crystal-clear waters. In the unspoiled coral reef you can see a unique underwater world with colorful shoals of fish, sponges, and starfish.

In gaining its independence, San Jose very quickly transformed from a mountain village into the busy modern capital city of a young, optimistic country. The Central Valley lies at a height of between 1,000 and 1,700 meters in a picturesque setting surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. The mild, unchanging climate and the fertile volcanic soil have brought wealth and prosperity, primarily through the cultivation of coffee. Around 165 kilometers (102 miles) to the east, on the Caribbean coast, lies the harbor town of Puerto Limón which was founded in 1870. Disembark and return home individually.