Pure Panama & Costa Rica

Be greeted at the airport upon your arrival and swooped off to the hospitality suite. After a stop at Agua Clara Lock, board the Safari Voyager in Cristobal with a warm welcome from your captain and crew. Toast to adventure over dinner as you sail along the Caribbean coast.

Home to one of the best-preserved native cultures in the Americas, the indigenous province of Guna Yala (formerly the San Blas Islands) encompasses over 360 islands of white sand beaches backed by palm trees and dotted with thatched-roofs. Discover the remarkable heritage of the Guna (or Kuna)—don’t pass on a chance to buy their colorful handcrafted “molas.” Enjoy the natural wonders of these islands with a snorkel in the crystalline Caribbean waters.

Another beautiful day awaits in Guna Yala. Slow the pace lazily lounging on a beach or taking an easy stroll in the sand with views of the brilliant sea. Snorkel, paddle board, or kayak among these picture-perfect islands.

Next up, a little history and a continued “walk on the wild side” among the battlements and canons of Fort San Lorenzo. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was built in the 1500s by the Spanish crown as a military stronghold and sacked multiple times by swashbuckling pirates. Take in the whole of it, as you prepare for one of the most memorable travel experiences—transiting between two seas along the 48-mile marvel, the Panama Canal. The lock authority gives the final go-ahead for your evening transit. Join your shipmates on deck for a toast as the canal lights up and the temperature subsides. A story of engineering and human tenacity, it took over 75,000 workers to build it and takes you about eight hours to transit.

The Darien Jungle is about as timeless today as it was 500 years ago. Traveling the Mogue River by motorized canoe, your expedition guide helps you spot wildlife—colorful roseate spoonbills, ibises, osprey, and raccoons fishing from the water’s edge. Delving deeper into this mysterious, almost mythical place, you get to meet the locals. Embera villagers offer a traditional welcome and share customs, stories, songs, and dance. The tip of the day, buy handicrafts from the villagers. Their highly prized and intricately woven rainforest baskets are keepers.

Golden sand meets topaz-colored water, and beaches make way for lush vegetation and rocky volcanic outcroppings on the 90 islands and nearly 130 islets of Las Perlas—the Pearl Islands. Almost entirely uninhabited, the islands are host to a plethora of tropical flora and fauna. Mid-summer through early-fall, the archipelago is frequented by dolphins and humpbacks—so keep your eyes peeled for acrobatic spinning and telltale blow spouts. Select your modus operandi—kayak, paddle board, skiff, or snorkel—and set out in a nature lovers’ dreamscape.

Cruise through the diverse isles and atolls in the Gulf of Panama hosting hundreds of avian and marine mammal species. Mid-summer through early-fall, the archipelago is frequented by dolphins and humpbacks—so keep your eyes peeled for acrobatic spinning and telltale blow spouts. Local guides give presentations and your captain determines the best locations and activities based on what nature delivers. And be on the lookout for a silvery glint streaking across the water—it could be mobula rays taking flight. This evening, as you sail farther from civilization, you can almost chart your course by the stars.

Sail through the islands of Coiba National Park, making a stop at the postcard-perfect Granito de Oro islet. Offering a little bit of everything despite its small size, volcanic outcroppings at either end of this tiny landmass and a dense, mini-jungle in the center are connected by the gorgeous white sand beach. Named one of the world’s top 10 diving sites, your day of play features snorkeling among abundant marine life, kayaking around rocky outcroppings, and lounging on the warm sand. It’s another perfect day in paradise.

Wake up in paradise. Start with fresh-brewed coffee and a little limbering up with guided stretches on deck. As always, the hardest part is picking the “what.” Your guides know the trails and help you spot monkeys, hummingbirds, and towering balsa trees. Slip into the drink for a kayak or snorkel. Or, just kick back in a hammock under swaying palms. Then it's cruising time. Settle into a comfy lounge chair and take in the views.

A birder’s haven, explore a botanical reserve exploding with vibrant color. From bromeliads, ginger plants, and heliconias, to toucans, hummingbirds, mischievous monkeys, and fluttering butterflies—there’s a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and tastes in every tree and bush you pass on your walking tour. In Golfo Dulce, the “sweet gulf” which separates Osa Peninsula from the mainland and one of only four tropical fjords on the planet, explore the rare flora and fauna of mangroves by kayak and skiff. Bottlenose spotted, and spinner dolphins also swim in the waters of this tucked away wilderness.

Adventure lies around every bend in the isolated, wild Osa Conservation Area, home to the country’s largest national park, Corcovado. Drake Bay, named after its discoverer Sir Francis Drake and fabled to house the explorer’s hidden treasures, is also known for hundreds of distinct species of plants and trees and its diverse plant and animal species. A whopping 2.5% of the entire planet’s biodiversity is found here—including all four of Costa Rica’s monkeys, tree frogs, caimans, anteaters, scarlet macaws, coatis, and 16 different species of hummingbird. Explore this vast area putting feet to trail on an invigorating hike through the jungle. At the end of the day, enjoy the sunset and retell stories of the day with your travel-mates.

t’s your last day, and it’s a big one. At the southeastern tip of Nicoya Peninsula—in the tangled mangroves of Curu—the cycle of life is everywhere. Local “residents” include everything from exotic birds and deer to leafcutter ants, snake-eating frogs, and hungry crocodiles. Step carefully as you cross the swinging bridge, you don’t want to land on the menu! Land crabs shift in and out of their burrows with such force it’s enough to make the earth move. Trails offer prime howler and spider monkey viewing, and a chance to glimpse the immense blue morpho butterfly. An afternoon beach party offers up your final chance to swim and stroll along the shore. Cap off your week with a celebratory Farewell Dinner, and then join your expedition team for a slideshow highlighting your adventures.

Enjoy an early breakfast aboard and say adios to your crew. Upon arrival at the port, you’ll be transferred to San Jose to connect with your flight home or begin your UnCruise hotel stay or land tour.