Day 1: Panama City, Panama 
Welcome to Panama.  You are met at Tocumen International Airport, and transferred to your hotel in the city.  This lovingly restored landmark in the old quarter dates from 1917 and was the tallest building in the country at the time, and only the second one to have an elevator.   It became Panama’s first luxury high rise, and sits at the ecological and cultural crossroads of the Americas. Today, it remains deeply connected to both the historic Old Quarter and the nascent new Panama City.  After check-in, the remainder of the day is at leisure to relax or enjoy your historic hotel, which includes the well-known Danilo’s Jazz Club at the heart of the culture of Casco Viejo. Hotel American Trade – Super Cuarto or Waldorf Astoria, Ocean View

Day  2: Panama City & The Canal
This morning, you visit Old Panama, climb up the Cathedral tower, tour the Old Panama Museum and then continue to Casco Viejo (the old city compound), which dates from the late 1600s.  A bilingual guide will describe some of the historic events that lead to the relocating of the capital city to its present location.  Casco Viejo’s monuments include one of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French developer of the Suez Canal in 1869. He also attempted to build a Panama Canal during the 1880s, but malaria and yellow fever were overwhelming.  As a result, he gave up and the Panama Canal Company went bankrupt.  The morning winds up with a visit to the Panama Canal Museum.  Move on to the canal’s Miraflores Locks to see large ships transit the canal.  Enjoy a presentation by the Panama Canal Authority on the history of the canal, and marvel at the engineering it took to make it a reality.  Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before further exploration of the canal area, including the town of Balboa, formerly part of the Panama Canal Zone.  Hotel American Trade – Super Cuarto or Waldorf Astoria, Ocean View

Day 3: Chagres National Park
Early in the morning, you are picked up in the lobby by your guide and transferred to El Corotu on the shores of Madden Lake.  Here, you board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua. The boat journey takes you through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park, the largest of the national parks protecting the Panama Canal Watershed.  Along the river, you may glimpse little blue and green heron, great egret, anhingas, neotropical cormorant, Amazon, ringed, and green kingfishers as well as keel-billed toucans  and ospreys.  At the Embera village, you are welcomed with dancing and music. You learn about some of the Embera customs and their relationship with nature.  You will see locally created handicrafts, and can, if you like, be  painted  with  the  traditional  jagua,  a natural  dye  the  Embera  use  to adorn  their bodies.  After a traditional Embera lunch you will be heading back to Panama City.  You can also elect to do a short hike along a botanical trail.  Hotel American Trade – Super Cuarto or Waldorf Astoria, Ocean View (B,L)

Day 4: Panama City / Boquete Mountain
You are transferred from your hotel to Albrook Domestic Airport for your domestic flight to David.  Note: Each passenger is entitled to carry 12 kilos/25 pounds of luggage on internal flights.  Excess luggage is penalized one dollar for each additional pound approximately.  Any extra luggage can be stored at your hotel.  Upon arrival in David, you will be transferred to the town of Boquete Mountain and your hotel, where the remainder of the day is at leisure.  You can elect to take an optional afternoon hiking excursion in a private reserve.  Panamonte Inn & Spa – Garden Terrace Room (B)

Day 5: Boquete Coffee Region
In the highlands of Boquete, you explore life on a coffee plantation and learn about the growth and production of this most international of brews.  You hike the fields of coffee plants and learn about the types of beans and more. Depending on the season, you may see members of the Ngobe Bugle Indian community harvesting the beans.  You tour one of the local farms to see a modern environmental processing plant.  The tour concludes in the old mill, where you enjoy a classic cup of Panama’s rich coffee. Panamonte Inn & Spa – Garden Terrace Room (B)

Day 6: Boquete Mountain
Today is yours to use as you please.  Explore the highlands on a number of optional excursions that include hiking Boquete Mountain, rafting or kayaking on the Caldera River, bird watching, hot springs, cooking classes, zipline and canopy tours, and horseback riding.  You can also opt for a drive to the other side of Volcan Baru to Cerro Punta to visit pre-Columbian ruins at Sitio Barriles.  Panamonte Inn & Spa – Garden Terrace Room (B)

Day 7: Boquete Mountian / Boca Chica / Isla Palenque
Today you are transferred to Boca Chica, where you catch a boat to your resort on a private island in the Gulf of Chiriquí National Marine Park.  This resort surrounded by rich, green jungle, is immersed in an untouched paradise of rich marine life, featuring warm waters that serve as the migration home of humpback whales.  Isla Palenque – Superior Room (B,D)

Days 8/10: Isla Palenque
Enjoy your resort and its beautiful location on a private island.  These days are yours to do as much or as little as you choose. Explore the virgin shores of Isla Palenque’s island neighbors in the Gulf of Chiriqui  National  Marine  Park.  The most popular island‐hopping tour takes you to two small islands for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and relaxing on the beach.  You can also select from optional activities such as fishing and watching, or just relax at the spa and pool. Isla Palenque – Superior Room (B,L,D)

Day 11: Isla Palenque / Panama City
Today you will be transferred to the airport in David for your flight to Panama City.  Note: Each passenger is entitled to carry 12 kilos/25 pounds of luggage on internal flights.  Excess baggage is penalized one dollar for each additional pound approximately.  Excess luggage can be stored at your hotel.   On arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel in Panama City. Hotel American Trade – Super Cuarto or Waldorf Astoria, Ocean View (B) 

Day 12: Panama City / Departure
Today you are escorted to the Tocumen International  Airport for your onward flight. (B)

Land price, per person, double occupancy:  From $350 per person per day