Panama Tours - Adventure Life Testimonials and Reviews

Discover Panama - Bocas Town

Veronika Jedlovszky (Discover Panama - Bocas Town, Jan 2013)
Great organization, great guides, punctual pick ups. All great!

Richard Rugel (Discover Panama + Encounter Panama, Mar 2009)
The entire trip was even better than we expected, every body was on time, and very experienced on the particular subject or area. This is our 2nd trip with adventure life and again it was perfect.

Mary Jo Catlett (Discover Panama, Nov 2007)
Adventure Life makes trip planning easy and enjoyable. Tips are provided about how to pack and how much extra cash you might need.

Our guides were excellent! A particular shout-out to Rolondo who managed to get all our bags into the little SUV and spent his birthday hiking with us.

Don't miss Paradise Garden in Boquete! The British couple that runs it are very interesting and where else would you be able to play with macaws, howler monkeys, a wild cat etc.

We thoroughly enjoyed Panama and the trip we selected gave us a very good overview of the country.

Chris White (Discover Panama, Mar 2006)
Our guides were always friendly and enthusiastic. We enjoyed meeting them all and enjoyed the time we spent with them.

Discover Panama

Craig Reitz (Discover Panama, Oct 2011)
This trip was a great way to get introduced to Panama. We learned about Panama City and the Canal. We then got to experience the high country and the Gulf Coast Islands. All very interesting. Lot of birds and views and learning about the people of Panama. Next trip will be to the West coast to see the Pacific Coast. Service was great and it was a good value for what we experienced. Thank you.

Heather Hamilton (Discover Panama, Apr 2009)
Isle Verde in Boquete and Tranquilo Bay were both exceptional. Tranquilo Bay we can't say enough good things about - truly superb experience. He was a good birder though and more time on Pipe Line Road would have been great.

The meals at Tranquilo Bay were wonderful and we had a lot of great seafood at various restaurants on the trip - the Inn in Boquete was lovely with great food and we enjoyed the lunches in Panama City.

David Fogt (Discover Panama, Mar 2009)
Each day, the accommodations, meals, people and activities exceeded our expectations. This was our third trip, and another outstanding one, with Adventure Life. A.L. provides a structured trip with all necessary transportation and personnel support, while at the same time providing ample opportunities for individual elective experiences.

William Digioia (Discover Panama, Mar 2009)
Panama was great!! I liked it the best out of all trips I have taken to Central America. This was my fourth trip with Adventure Life and will sign-up again. Most other outfitters are totally pricing themselves out of business. Adventure Life makes Adventure Travel affordable and at the same times provides quality service.

Allison Bradford (Discover Panama, Sep 2008)
The trip was perfect, had a blast. I love that each company was doing something to reduce its carbon footprint. Panama is totally under-rated. I loved it, so beautiful and the tour was so convenient.

Spirit of Panama

Norva Bounds (Custom Spirit of Panama, Jan 2012)
Overall, we loved our adventures in Panama, esp. the Canal transit which, though hot and crowed, was highly informative--guide spoke good English and Spanish and had a great sense of humor. Having read David McCulloch's Path Between the Seas really helped prepare us to appreciate all that we were witnessing as we made the transit. The canoe trip the the Ember Drua community was fascinating and the Chagres River, gorgeous. Trip to Barro Colorado of less interest: being the dry season, we did not see very many animals on our almost 3-hour hot hike. A long, long day for what it was. Our guide was so cute, funny but professional and reliable. We had a ball with him!

Country Inn and Suites (Amador Causeway) is a really nice facility, though one is forced to eat a lot of meals at its only restaurant, TGI Friday's. That said, the menu is extensive and good there. Taxis to town (to dine elsewhere) ran $12-$15 each way from there. While the show at Tinajas restaurant was very good, the food and service was not. Very touristy and probably the worst food this "foodie and cook" has ever eaten anywhere.

We would definitely return--in the 12 days we were there we feel we got a good "overview. The fact that I am fluent in Spanish opened a lot of doors, of course. We are still impressed with your group after 2 trips and have given your name to both friends and ... Read All

Encounter Panama

Meryl Rivett (Encounter Panama, Dec 2012)
We loved Panama - will go back to see more in the future - we saw more animals than when we traveled in Costa Rica.

Rosemary Laycock (Encounter Panama, Feb 2010)
It was a great tour. Everything went very smoothly and all aspects - transport, food, accommodations, met or exceeded requirements. We were fortunate to encounter an exceptional tour guide on our Embera trip in Claudio Carrasco - a biologist and a historian with exactly the focus that we had. Perhaps the greatest surprise was how much we enjoyed the trip to the Embera Indian village. We have been on similar excursions before (in Peru and Venezuela). We visited a village up the Chagres on Lake Alajuela and canoed - just the two of us with Claudio and our Embera helmsman- through the shallows photographing wildlife before returning to the village for lunch and ceremonial dancing. Our memories will certainly last a great deal longer than the Embrera tattoos we have come home sporting. I think we may have some photos for you!

Tranquilo Bay Escape

Pat Southard (Tranquilo Bay Escape, Mar 2012)
Tranquillo Bay was absolutely perfect and exceeded all expectations. (Thank you Mary, for suggesting it) The quides at Tranquillo Bay were outstanding...and totally catered to our needs and interests. (Didn't expect this level of service nor are we accustomed to it) Very knowledgeable in a variety of areas. Country Inn and Suites in Panama City was fine although would have preferred something with in walking distance of restaurants...if such a place exists. Had a pretty view, though. Again, exceeded all expectations. Nice combination of adventure, activity, exposure to cultures.

Panama Pathways

Carl Herzog (Panama Pathways, Mar 2011)
Local guides were excellent, especially Armando, our guide in the Panama City/Gamboa area. All were very friendly and helpful. Good itinerary; I think we saw the highlights of Panama as promised.

Caribbean Adventure - Bocas Town

Catherine Cuccia (Caribbean Adventure, Feb 2008)
Met fascinating individuals from all over the globe. Great combination of city, jungle, beach, and nature all in one trip. Enjoyed whitewater rafting down the Pacuare River in Costa Rica. Thoroughly enjoyed the eco-friendly Selva Bananito Lodge and its hospitable staff and adventure-filled tours of the jungle. I have never rappelled before and I was amazed that I could hike for 7 hours and rappel down an 80 ft. waterfall! Very cool! The accommodations at Tranquilo Bay in Panama were superb and the extraordinary personal customer service by the staff was exceptional. Very much enjoyed meeting the indigenous Indian tribe, the Gnobe-Bugles.

Deborah Hicks (Customized Caribbean Adventure, Apr 2007)
Selva Bananito was so unique! Villa Marita was very charming with a nice staff. Our favorite guide was in Panama City. He was soooo intent in taking us everywhere in one day, which was much appreciated given our short travel schedule.

James Roberts (Caribbean Adventure, Feb 2006)
We had a great time on our trip. It truly was an adventure. The scenic beauty of Costa Rica was amazing. From the whitewater of the Pacuare River to the rainforest at Selva Bananito Lodge, the natural beauty of the landscape was a wonderful experience.

The quaint little town of Bocas del Toro in Panama was a great winding down spot. It was neat the way the buildings are built out over the water. The history of Panama City was interesting to learn about. I had no idea that so much history was involved with that part of the world.

Peter Papamichael and Alkestis Zapantis (Caribbean Adventure, Feb 2005)
We enjoyed every minute!! Our vacation was unbelievably amazing! I did things in Selva Banantio (zip lining, rappelling) that I never ever thought I would do! Our guide exuded such confidence and calm that I tried everything - and it ended up being life altering and incredible!

Caribbean Adventure - Tranquilo Bay

Jeremy Striffler (Caribbean Adventure, Mar 2012)
Adventure Life organized a truly unique, fun and dynamic adventure that I will remember for a lifetime. I was pushed beyond my boundaries in terms of the activities that I tried (whitewater rafting, zip lining, horseback riding), the food that I tasted and the people that I met. Not only did I learn a great deal about Costa Rica and Panama but I learned a lot about myself. I can't wait for my next trip with Adventure Life.

David Bennett (Caribbean Adventure, Mar 2009)
Hotel LeBergerac, Lomas del Volcan Tranquilo Bay all excellent. Panama City very very good. Selva Bananito was so unique for us it was difficult to evaluate due to first eco lodge..so I guess good.

Justo in Selva Bananito, Ramon and Natalia at Tranquilo Bay just so informative and very very friendly. Rene in Panama City was well versed. The courteousness of all staff at every location was really 5 stars. Some of these people were very young and they really did "get it" as to what was necessary to get repeat business through a personal extension of themselves.

The Arenal zip line at Paraiso..significantly better than I expected and enhanced by their staff (for someone fearful of heights) Wanted to go for a second round of zips. Tranquilo Bay was at least a 10 including food, activities, staff, owners, guests etc. Panama City was fine as to the time spent there touring the city and the locks.