A representative will meet you at the Tocumen International Airport to assist and transfer you to your hotel located in Panama City. 

During the half-day morning tour, you will visit the ruins of Old Panama, climb up the Cathedral tower, visit the Old Panama Museum and then continue to Casco Viejo (the old city compound), which dates back to the late 1600’s. A bilingual guide will describe the events in history leading up to the eventual movement of the capital city to its present location. Casco Viejo is home of monuments of Ferdinand de Lesseps and other Frenchmen instrumental in the ill-fated attempt of the French to construct a canal through Panama. 

The full-day tour continues to visit the Biodiversity Museum designed by Canadian-American Architect Frank Gehry, the Biomuseo is his only work in Latin America and the tropics. The building was designed to tell the story about how the Isthmus of Panama rose from the sea, uniting two continents, separating a vast ocean in two, and changing the planet’s biodiversity forever. The Biomuseo’s 4,000 square meters contain 8 permanent exhibition galleries designed by Bruce Mau Design.

An expert from the Museum will conduct the visit. In addition to the main spaces, the museum includes a public atrium, a space for temporary exhibitions, a shop, a cafe, and multiple outdoor exhibits displayed in the botanical park. The permanent exhibition is a combination of art and science that leads the visitor to experience a marvelous phenomenon. Return to the hotel in the afternoon for overnight. 

Early in the morning, your guide will meet you at your hotel for a drive across the Isthmus of Panama to the Caribbean province of Colon. You will visit the Gatun Locks and Fort San Lorenzo, which was sacked by the famous Pirate Captain Morgan during his legendary attack on Panama City. Also, you will hike the San Lorenzo National Park trails looking for wildlife with an expert naturalist guide. Along the way, you will stop at a site where remnants of Las Cruces Trail, the 400-year-old colonial trail used by the Spaniards to transport gold across the isthmus, are still found. Once in Colon Province, you will take a short ferry ride over the Panama Canal, you will have the opportunity to see both the Gatun and Agua Clara Locks on one end and Colon 2000 port at the other end. Once you reach the other side of the Canal you will make your way to Fort San Lorenzo a UNESCO World Heritage Site built at the mouth of the Chagres River.

The road will lead you deep into the rainforest until you get to the impressive ruins situated on cliffs overlooking endless rainforest and abandoned coastlines. The Spanish bastion formerly served to fortify and protect the river entrance of the Las Cruces Trail that led to Panama City on the Pacific Ocean. This entrance was later used as the port of entry for gold diggers on their way to California during the second half of the 19th century. Enjoy the rich history and extensive panorama of the fort and hike through the rainforest within San Lorenzo National Park, watching out for monkeys, Two and Three-toed sloths, coatimundis, toucans and other wildlife species. Lunch will be at a local restaurant.  The return if is a weekday will be on board of the transcontinental train to recreate the experience of the California Gold Rush age and enjoy the spectacular landscape of the heart of the Panama Canal watershed from the comfort of your train cabin.  Overnight at the Central hotel. 

Today you will be transferred to the middle of the Panama Canal for the Discovery embarkation. After embarkation, you will join the afternoon’s ship convoy for a southbound canal passage. Navigate the Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section of the Panama Canal, bisecting the Continental Divide. This section of the canal is full of history and geological value and you will be able to appreciate the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides. At Pedro Miguel Locks and Miraflores Locks, the Discovery will be lowered 85 feet back to sea level of the Pacific Ocean. You will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience up close the history and operation of this engineering marvel. 

Step aboard a time machine and travel back more than 600 years to a place that not many have had the privilege of experiencing. More than an excursion, this is a journey into the lives of the Embera Indians. A proud people who have been able to maintain their traditions and lifestyle as they were before the Spaniards colonized the region. These natives are also master crafters of cocobolo woodcarvings and basketry. After motoring upriver, you will see the village emerging from the jungle, as if by magic. Keep your eyes open along the way as the region offers abundant wildlife that is particularly active along the river’s edge

Snorkel and swim in the waters of the Pearl Islands. The archipelago owes its name to the abundance of pearl oysters, which supported a substantial fishery in the early 1900’s. On the outer portion of the archipelago, the islands are home to some pristine beaches and fertile fishing grounds.

Today you will arrive in Flamenco Marina and disembark the Discovery. Your guide will take you for a ride to the scenic Gamboa Road to Pipeline Road located in the Soberania National Park. You will experience a unique tour exploring the canopy of the Soberania National Park; you will be fascinated by the beautiful view of the forest, the lake and the national parks that protect the canal’s watershed. The upper rainforest canopy at the Rainforest Tower is 30 meters high with emergent trees reaching 40m. Your naturalist guide will explain you the wildlife that you will observe during this trip and you will learn about the sustainable use of water and the recycling materials of this great educational facility in the core of the forest.  Along the way, watch out for Green iguanas and three-toed sloths resting on tree branches, Ospreys in the hunt for Peacock basses, Snail Kites and Keel-billed toucans, amongst many other wildlife species.  Look for the White-faced Capuchin, Mantled Howler Monkey, Central American Spider Monkey, and Geoffrey’s Tamarin among other species.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home.