Central America Jewels & Panama Canal

Colón is Panama’s second-largest city and is located at the Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. It is an important port and home to the Colón Free Trade Zone, established in 1953. The city was founded in 1850 by American workers building the Panama Railroad, which connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts across the Isthmus of Panama. After the Panama Canal opened, Colón became a major commercial center and surpassed several older Caribbean ports in Panama.

Located on the northeastern coast of Panama, the San Blas Archipelago is a group of more than 300 islands and cays spread across approximately 300 square kilometers in the Caribbean Sea. Many of the islands are protected by a coral reef and provide sheltered anchorages. Visitors may have opportunities to explore the coastline, observe marine life, and visit local Guna communities. Many Guna villages consist of traditional homes located near the shore, and fishing remains an important part of daily life.

In the province of Colón, along the magnificent Caribbean coast of Panama, Portobelo is located not far from the famous canal. Given its name of “beautiful port” by Christopher Columbus, who discovered it in 1502, this charming and peaceful bay was one of the most important ports for the shipping of precious metals from the New World to Spain. Don’t miss a visit to its fortifications, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town has preserved the strong religious and cultural traditions of its colonial past, such as the veneration of the Black Christ and a strongly-rooted Afro-Caribbean culture. The Congo ceremonies retrace the story of Spanish domination over black slaves through traditional dances and music.

Included excursions:

New Locks of the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal Expansion has been the largest project undertaken on this waterway since its original construction.
From the pier, you board your coach for a 1-hour 1/2 drive to the Agua Clara Locks.
The expansion created a new lane of ship traffic along the Canal, with the construction of a new set of locks doubling the waterway’s capacity. Today, you visit the New Locks of the Panama Canal, which have a direct impact on the economies of scale associated with international maritime trade. The Observation Center is a park-style concept based on open platforms and roofed terraces, built over an area of 10 acres. During your visit, you may see new neo-Panamax vessels crossing. Look out across majestic Gatún Lake, where ships continue their transit through the waterway.
After visiting the locks you enjoy a drive through the new “Atlantic Bridge”, the longest in the country, also holds the world record as the longest four-lane concrete cable-stayed with the span-space between the central columns : 530 meters.
After passing the bridge you enjoy a short photo stop at the Gatun Dam, a crucial element of the Panama Canal, generating the electricity needed to operate the locks and other equipment in the canal.
Finally, you are back at your ship.
·        This tour involves few walking on mainly flat terrain. 
·        If you are participating in the pre- or post-cruise programme in Panama and a visit to the Miraflores Locks is already included, please note that this excursion may offer a similar experience. You may wish to opt for a different excursion, where possible, to diversify your discoveries.

Portobelo: Colonial Treasures and Pirate Legends
After a short Zodiac ride, your tour gives you an insight into the rich history of the area once known as the Paradise for Pirates.
Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502, you call into the town of Portobelo.
Visit Fort San Geronimo, Fort San Felipe, Customs House, two story colonial structure built in 1630, it was the headquarters of the Spanish customs offices and the Black Christ Church (the patron Saint of Portobelo).
You also go to the Congo House Gallery & Workshop, a venue for community artisans to produce and sell their work. You see local painting, sculptures, furniture, photographs and other Portobello handicrafts crafts, all quality items nicely displayed, is your last stop before returning to your ship.

Aboard your ship, experience something unique, that has inspired the imagination of numerous adventurers in the 20th century: sailing the Panama Canal. Its construction started in 1880 under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps. Abandoned then resumed, this marvel of engineering was completed by the United States and opened in 1914. The canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic to the Pacific. Including three levels of locks and by raising ships to the level of Lake Gatun, almost as if the water was a lift, it allows them to avoid having to round Cape Horn.

The most remote and least developed region of Panama, the province of Darien is an unspoilt land with an extremely rich variety of flora and fauna. Listed by UNESCO as World Heritage, Darien National Park offers its extraordinary scenery of rocky coastlines, mountain ranges, mangroves, rivers and creeks. Discover Playa Muerto, a tiny coastal village home to the Emberas Amerindian community. You visit the village, attend traditional songs and dances of the locals, and admire beautiful local craft.

Included excursion:

Embera Village Immersion
In the heart of the Panamanian tropical forest, a portal opens into a preserved world, where time seems to have stopped at the dawn of the Spanish colonisation. It is home to the proud Emberá tribe, unshakeable guardians of an age-old cultural heritage. The immersion in this ancestral microcosm is akin to an anthropological odyssey, a dive into the history of a civilisation that has managed to resist the advances of modernity.
During this excursion, the Emberá village reveals itself like a living painting, in which each gesture, each look, each smile tells a ancient story. You are invited to wander around this cultural sanctuary and discover the atmosphere imbued with serenity that reigns supreme there. The highlight of this encounter is a choreographic show of rare authenticity. The Emberá dances, like a veritable form of body poetry, transcend simple entertainment and become a window opening onto the very soul of this community.
Emberá art, which you can also admire, shows itself in its full splendor through local handicrafts. The men and women here are true virtuosos in hand-made creations and produce pieces of striking beauty.
This incursion into the Emberá universe is more like a journey of initiation, a rare opportunity to transcend the barriers of time and space so as to communicate, if only for a moment, with a civilisation that is the living embodiment of resiliency and ancestral wisdom.  
·        This excursion involves walking around 10 minutes on sand. You are advised to wear comfortable clothing and suitable shoes, as well as protection against the sun.

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call can be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they are able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.

The town of Golfito lies on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, in the province of Puntarenas, one of the most humid regions in the world. It was occupied by the indigenous Bruncas tribe during the Pre-Columbian era. Once specialised in the export of bananas, Golfito has today become the starting point for visitors who want to reach one of the largest primary tropical rainforests in Central America. Meanwhile, the beaches of Golfo Dulce are some of the most beautiful in Costa Rica, with the lush forest, home to many tropical birds and monkeys as well as a variety of rare species of plants, as their backdrop.

Included excursion:

Marine Escape in the Heart of Osa
Meet the dolphins of the Osa Peninsula, a true natural paradise, and discover the secrets of the Pacific ecosystem on a boat trip guided by an experienced naturalist.
Bathed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean, the Osa Peninsula is described by National Geographic as “one of the most biologically intense places on the planet”. It offers a unique spectacle, with large groups of dolphins performing a natural ballet alongside sea turtles, manta rays, large schools of tuna, and billfish, such as marlin and swordfish, all searching for their next meal.
On this tour, you have the opportunity to observe this extraordinary wildlife while listening to your guide's fascinating tales about the Pacific ecosystem. There are also several stops to allow you to photograph the different species encountered on the trip.
Finally, weather permitting, you have some free time to relax and swim in the calm waters of a local beach.
While sightings of the described wildlife are likely, they cannot be guaranteed. Swimming is subject to weather conditions.
·        You are advised to wear light clothing, shoes suitable for water, a hat and a swimsuit. This excursion involves very little walking (approximately 50 meters or 160 feet) on uneven, sandy terrain. It is not wheelchair accessible.

In the Heart of the Calathea Garden
Fall under the spell of the Calathea Botanical Garden, a natural setting sheltering an exceptional wealth of local tropical plants and a multitude of exotic birds. During a guided tour, you plunge into the heart of the region’s abundant biodiversity.
After a short bus journey through charming villages, you reach the Calathea Botanical Garden. Here you discover a captivating universe, populated with numerous tropical plant species. Connected to the Piedras Blancas National Park, home to over 300 bird species, the site is also the theater for a ballet of colorful birds: hummingbirds, toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, parrots and many other remarkable species.
On arrival, you receive a warm welcome and then have a presentation of the site. Your guide then led you along accessible paths in search of the different plants, flowers, trees and medicinal plants that make up this ecosystem. During the visit, you are able to observe and take photographs of the birds as well as taste edible plants and some of the fruit grown on site.
After this fine experience, you head back to the welcome center to enjoy some delicious tropical fruit.
·        This excursion involves walking approximately 650 meters (0.4 miles) on flat, gravelled terrain. You are advised to wear light clothing, long trousers and walking shoes.

Golfito's Wild Sanctuary
Discover the Golfito Wildlife Refuge, one of Costa Rica’s most iconic national reserves, during two guided discovery walks. With an experienced naturalist, you set off to encounter this exceptional natural sanctuary’s wonderful biodiversity.
Golfito Wildlife Refuge has fauna and flora that are characteristic of many species usually found in the south of the continent, including some endemic ones, which makes it a destination that lends itself well to scientific tourism.
Your adventure starts with a first one-hour nature walk, followed by a snack break before you set off again on a second one-hour discovery walk in the heart of this surprising refuge. During your walk, you discover around thirty orchid species and a dozen or so species of heliconia and ferns. You perhaps also have the chance to observe the abundant fauna to be found in the reserve: four species of monkeys, over 300 varieties of birds, 139 mammal species and more than 200 species of amphibians and reptiles!
After this immersion in wild nature, you enjoy some fresh fruit before heading back towards the port. On the way, you stop in a charming village where you can admire a vintage locomotive, a witness to the banana export era, as well as the famous Pre-Columbian stone spheres, whose mysterious origins still inspire the passionate tales shared by local guides.
·        This excursion requires good physical condition. It involves walks approximately 1.3 km (0.8 miles) on uneven and at times steep paths. It is not wheelchair accessible. You are advised to wear walking shoes and lightweight clothing, protection from the sun and mosquito repellent.

The capital of the eponymous province, Puntarenas is sometimes called “the pearl of the Pacific”, for its unique charm. It sits on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, along the Gulf of Nicoya, lined with long expanses of wild natural environments. Further inland, among the countless natural wonders to be found in the generous rainforest of the Costa Rica’s national parks, Poas and Arena volcanoes towers up in all their majestic glory. In this luxuriant natural setting, Costa Rica protects one of the planet’s richest biodiversity: monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, iguanas, crocodiles, waterfalls, canyons, and more than ten thousand species of tropical plants.