DAY 1
D included
After meeting late afternoon in Panama international airport, we have an hour’s private road transfer to our 4 star hotel, ideally situated at the edge of the rainforest and the Soberania National Park - time for a swim before dinner.
DAY 2
B, L, D included
Accompanied by an expert naturalist guide, we begin our wildlife observations with a visit to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre in the heart of the National Park. Their 100 ft observation tower gives excellent views over the forest canopy (mantled howler monkeys, soaring turkey and king vultures) and a walk (2 km) may produce sloths, coatimundis, toucans and red-lored Amazon parrots. After lunch we visit the excellent Museum of the Canal at Miraflores Locks and watch ships undertaking the complex transit of the Canal.
DAY 3
B, L, D included
An early start to explore another ‘hotspot’ of the central Canal Zone, walking gently in search of Spectacled owls and Blue-crowned motmots and scanning the Summit Ponds for Amazon, Green and Ringed Kingfishers and nesting Boat-billed herons. After lunch we board a private boat to cross Gatun lake, part of the Canal, where huge cargo ships are a startling contrast with sightings of green iguanas, snail kites, ospreys, spider monkeys and Geoffroy’s tamarins on the small islands.
DAY 4
B, L, D included
Today is devoted to a specially arranged visit to the Barro Colorado Island, run by the Smithsonian Institute as a research centre into Neo-Tropical Biodiversity. We travel by boat and explore the island with our guide, seeing the Field Station and following trails in search of Northern Tamandua (anteater), Tayra, Central American agoutis and Brown-headed Spider monkeys.
DAY 5
B, L, D included
The morning is spent walking on the world-famous Pipeline track, with one the highest bird counts recorded anywhere - mammals and butterflies feature too! After a local lunch we drive (3.5 hours) to the dry Pacific coast, looking for shorebirds on mud and salt flats en route, and settle into our 4 star boutique hotel in Chitre, with a pool and a well-regarded restaurant.
DAY 6
B, L, D included
A short drive brings us to Las Macanas marsh, a superb wetland birding area with Black-bellied and Fulvous-bellied Whistling ducks, Glossy ibis, Jacanas, Aplomado falcon and Savanna hawk, plus dragonflies. After enjoying a local Panamanian lunch (chicken and coriander soup is a national dish) we explore the Chitre estuary in search of shorebirds, then return to our hotel in time for a refreshing swim before dinner.
DAY 7
B, L, D included
Heading north, we pause in Nata, once a strategic military base for Spanish conquistadors in search of gold, to visit the church of Santiago Apostol, begun in 1522 using indigenous slave labour and with a bell tower encrusted with mother of pearl. We catch an afternoon flight out to the Bocas del Toro archipelago, idyllic islands in a remote bay near Panama’s northwest border with Costa Rica, first discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502. Transferring to a private water taxi, we continue to Popa island where our 4 star hotel, built in elegant colonial style, is set above a white sand beach – amenities include a large pool, kayaks, all-inclusive drinks (!), a spa and an offshore reef with excellent snorkelling.
DAY 8
B, L, D included
An early start to travel by boat to a quiet bay frequented by dolphins and royal terns - after watching and photographing them we go ashore for an informative walking tour of an organic cocoa estate (and indulge in an informal chocolate tasting). We return by boat to our hotel for lunch and a free afternoon to enjoy the pool, gardens and beach.
DAY 9
B, L, D included
We spend the morning exploring the Bastimentos Marine National Park, mainly by boat, with opportunities to snorkel over coral reefs rich in marine species. We land on the Zapatillo islets for beach combing and swimming and can watch magnificent frigate birds and brown pelicans patrolling the shore. The afternoon is again left free for relaxing on our own island.
DAY 10
B, L, D included
Departing by boat, we disembark at Almirante and continue by road through banana and pineapple plantations and up into the highlands of western Panama, crossing the Talamanca Continental Divide en route. The 4 hour journey is punctuated by photo stops and lunch in a rustic restaurant, and our destination is an historic Finca set on a private coffee estate. Once settled into our very comfortable rooms we have a guided walk on the estate seeing an amazing variety of hummingbirds and mountain views.
DAY 11
B, L, D included
We explore the cloud forest on foot this morning, following graded trails in search of the Resplendent Quetzal, a stunningly beautiful bird whose diet consists mainly of wild avocados. Ferns, epiphytic orchids and mosses festoon the huge ancient trees of the Vulcan Baru National Park and we also hope to encounter the brightly coloured, tiny, poison dart frogs. In the afternoon we have a comprehensive coffee tour – walking amongst the coffee trees, learning about the harvesting, watching the processing and then tasting the award winning results in one of the oldest traditional mills in Panama.
DAY 12
B, L, D included
Leaving the highlands, we drive south to David to catch a morning flight to Panama City. Private transport takes us to the startlingly designed new Museum of Biodiversity (architect Frank Gehry) for a tour of the ‘Panama - Bridge of Life’ exhibition. After a seafood lunch on the causeway we transfer into the city and settle into our beautifully restored 5 star historic hotel in the centre of the old quarter ‘Casco Viejo’.
DAY 13
B, L included
Setting off on foot from our hotel, a guided walking tour of Casco Viejo introduces the highlights of the district, built in 1673 after the pirate Henry Morgan destroyed the first settlement – the palacio containing the Museum of the History of Panama; the Cathedral & several fine churches; the Teatro Nacional which opened in 1908 with a performance of Verdi’s Aida and where Dame Margot Fonteyn danced after the restoration in 1974; and the old sea wall with views across the bay. We have a leisurely lunch before transferring to the airport for flights home.
