Day 1: San Jose
Upon arrival at San José international airport, a complimentary airport transfer service is provided by DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cariari. As you exit the international terminal, a representative will guide you to the pick-up point for the transfer located in front of El Malinche restaurant. The free shuttle service departs every hour between 4.30 am until 10.30 pm.
Upon check-in, hotel reception will provide you with your expeditions cabin tags. Please fill out the luggage tags clearly, showing your name and cabin number to allow us to deliver your luggage to your cabin ahead of your arrival. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure.
Accommodation: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Cariari (or similar)
Day 2: Embark the Greg Mortimer in Puerto Caldera
After a leisurely buffet breakfast, check-out of your room and drive two-hours west to Puerto Caldera where your vessel Greg Mortimer awaits. After boarding, you’ll have time to settle into your cabin before our important briefings before sitting down to enjoy lunch as you sail to Isla Tortuga (Turtle Island). You can relax on the white sand beach or venture into the warm water to swim, snorkel or dive. The water is teeming with a dizzying array of fish and other creatures including manta rays, spinner dolphins and perhaps sharks. There are even some buried treasures there – literally. There are three shipwrecks off the shore of the island, offering plenty of opportunities to explore the remains of sunken vessels. At Isla Tortuga, we will do our kayak orientation and have our first introductory paddle.
This evening, get to know your fellow expeditioners and friendly expedition team and crew at a welcome dinner to celebrate the start of a thrilling adventure to Costa Rica and Panama.
Day 3: Curu National Wildlife Refuge
Curú National Wildlife Refuge is a privately owned and managed nature preserve offering visitors some of the best eco-tourism experiences in Costa Rica. The refuge is the first privately owned refuge in Costa Rica and is an example of a successful sustainable development program, offering over 3700 acres of tropical forests, mangrove swamps, and grassy fields sitting right along the coastline. 17 hiking trails wind through the varied terrain and you may see white-tail deer or catch a glimpse of armadillos or iguanas. Monkeys are prolific including the native capuchin, spider, and howler monkeys. Located on the southern Nicoya Peninsula of northwestern Costa Rica, the area is teeming with abundant wildlife and hosts one of the most beautiful beaches and protected bays on the Nicoya Peninsula, a great place to Zodiac cruise, kayak, dive or snorkel.
Day 4: Manuel Antonio National Park
Boasting over 100 species of mammals, 184 species of birds and a plethora of diverse flora, Manuel Antonio National Park is a paradise for wildlife lovers. Costa Rica’s star attractions - two and three toed sloths, white-faced monkeys and toucans can all be found on hikes that weave through the park. Hiking trails snake their way through the parkland offering access to its rainforest, waterfalls and remote white sand beaches whilst from the water we can snorkel, kayak and paddleboard to view the exquisite coral.
We anchor off the shores of Espadilla Beach and Zodiac to shore for a wet landing. Walk along this soft-sand beach or follow a trail through the rainforest parallel to the beach to get to Playa Manuel Antonio, which is the most popular beach inside the park. It’s a short, deep crescent of white sand backed by lush rainforest. There are numerous clearly-marked hiking trails to choose from - a circular loop trail (1.4km/0.9 mile) around a high promontory bluff, which includes a visit to the highest point on this hike – Punta Catedral, which offers spectacular views, takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes return. The hiking trails in Manuel Antonio National Park offer excellent opportunities to spot monkeys, sometimes sloths, agoutis, armadillos and coatis.
Day 5-6: Osa Peninsula and Gulfo Dulce
Over the next two days, we explore the untamed Osa Peninsula, considered by National Geographic to be ‘one of the most biologically intense places on earth’. Considered to be the crown jewel of Costa Rica's park system, Corcovado National park is the country's largest and one of the most remote parks in Costa Rica. It is home to the largest and only tropical primary lowland rainforest in the world, and provides habitats for a vast number of endangered plant and animal species including the scarlet macaw, various frogs, and the tapir - the largest terrestrial mammal in Central and South America.
The following day, we enter Gulfo Dulce, or Sweet Gulf. The large bay hugs pristine beaches, rivers and tall evergreen forests - a protected area known as the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve. As one of the wettest places on Earth with over 200 inches/5000 mm of rainfall a year, the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve features some of the world’s tallest trees.
We visit a private reserve called Casa Orquideas, a botanical garden located next to Piedras Blancas National Park. On a walk through the gardens, you can enjoy displays of colourful orchids, heliconias, palms, and a variety of birds including toucans, macaws, tanagers, and honey creepers that feed from the flowers. The warm tropical waters in the gulf are a popular playground for dolphins - great for snorkelling, paddle-boarding, kayaking, and Zodiac cruising.
Day 7: Coiba National Park, Panama
We continue to Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, located off the southwest coast of Panama. The national park includes the main Coiba Island, 38 smaller islands and the surrounding marine areas within the Gulf of Chiriqui. Protected from the cold winds and effects of El Niño, Coiba’s Pacific tropical forest features exceptionally high levels of endemic mammals, birds and plants. It’s the last refuge for a number of threatened animals including the crested eagle.
On Coiba Island, we plan to spend the morning at Granito de Oro islet, a unique place that allows snorkellers to encounter a diversity and volume of marine life that only scuba divers able to experience. This is one of the world’s most sought-after diving destinations. Enjoy the morning snorkelling among abundant marine life or paddling around rocky outcroppings. Along ‘Monkey Trail’, hikers can explore a forest that is home to wildlife including mantled howler monkeys and the threatened crested eagle.
Day 8: Coiba National Park
This morning we land at Punta Clara, which served as a penal colony from 1919 to 1996, where Panama’s most notorious criminals and political prisoners were incarcerated. At the peak of its operations, the prison housed up to approximately 3,000 inmates in about 30 camps spread around the islands. You can visit the dilapidated penitentiary buildings or walk along the beach looking for scarlet macaws, yellow caracara and various seabirds. Back on board, enjoy lunch as we set towards the Pearl Islands.
Day 9: Pearl Islands
The Pearl Islands of Panama is an archipelago located in the North Pacific Ocean in the Gulf of Panama, covering around 250 small islands. The Spanish Conquistadors discovered the islands in 1503 and gave the Islands its name due to the great amounts of pearls found on them. The Pearl Islands were originally named by the Spanish explorer Vasco Nuñez de Balboa due to the bountiful pearls that were harvested off the islands’ shores. The Pearl Islands are most famous for their spectacular and tranquil white sand beaches, untouched forests, and colourful coral reefs offshore – ideal for diving, snorkelling and kayaking.
The largest of the islands is Isla Del Rey but Isla Contadora is the only destination in the archipelago that is equipped with enough infrastructure to attract a large number of visitors. In addition to Isla Contadora, we plan to visit a few nearby islands including Bartolome to enjoy some aquatic activities before exploring Pachequilla, and Pacheca island, also known as Isla de Los Párajos (Bird Island) because it hosts several colonies of seabirds.
Day 10-11: Panama City
Three million years ago, the Isthmus of Panama emerged from the sea and changed the world forever. It divided an ocean and joined two continents together, triggering one of the most important natural evolution events in the history of the world. Today, this narrow land bridge in Central America is home to more species of birds and trees than the whole of North America. Panama is of course world-famous for its 77 km / 48 mi canal that connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean.
Panama’s history has been formed by a rich pre-Columbian era for more than 12,000 years. Early cultures in Panama were the Monagrillo, the Cueva and the Conte, particularly famous for their pottery, which was the first in the Americas. The first European claiming the territory of today’s Panama was Rodrigo de Bastidas, coming from Colombia’s Atlantic coast in 1501. In 1513 Vasco Nuñez de Balboa became the first Spaniard to see the Pacific Ocean from the top of a hill. Four days later he and his men stood at the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
In 1519 Panama City was founded, and became an important hub for seized goods making its way from Peru to Spain. In 1671, English buccaneer Henry Morgan looted and completely destroyed Panama City. These ruins of Old Panama (Panama la Vieja) are open to visitors. In the same decade, a new city and what’s today known as Casco Viejo was constructed 10 km / 6.2 mi away from Panama la Vieja.
Shore Excursions (please choose one of the following)
Miraflores Visitor Centre and Colonial City Tour at “Casco Viejo” At the Miraflores Visitor Centre, you will find different activities to learn and fully enjoy the Panama Canal. In the cinema, watch a short 10-minute film on the history of the Panama Canal from its beginnings to the present. Four exhibition halls portray the Canal's history and biodiversity, while three terraces and observation decks are ideal
places for observing the Canal's operation, the passage of ships through the locks and how they move.
Inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites in 1997, Panama City’s Casco Viejo (Old Quarter) is a compact treasure trove of 16th and 17th century colonial architecture. The oldest continuously occupied European city in the Americas on the Pacific coast, Panama Viejo as it is now known was founded in 1519. The excursion includes visits to two exceptional sites as well as a guided walk around the historic quarter and the cobblestone streets for a leisurely look at many historic landmarks including: Plaza Herrera, San José Church, Plaza Francia, Plaza Bolívar with the San Francisco de Asis Church, Plaza Mayor (where the Metropolitan Cathedral is located). After the tour, you have the option of exploring Casco Viejo at your own pace or return to the ship. A shuttle service will be available to transfer you back to the ship if you even if you extend your time in the old town.
Gatun Lake Expedition & Walking Tour at “Casco Viejo”
Gatun Lake is a large artificial lake with a unique ecosystem that forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships for 33 km (20 miles) on their transit across the Isthmus of Panama. At the time it was created, Gatun Lake was the largest man-made lake in the world. The vegetation at Gatun Lake offers ideal habitats for a large number of bird species.
The excursion starts with boat trip heading north on the Canal for 25 minutes where we may get close to some of the larger ships that transit the canal daily. Enjoy a slow cruise along the forested banks of Gatun Lake, a protected area, looking for wildlife such as Capuchin Monkeys, three-toed sloth, howler monkeys, various kinds of toucans and other bird life. This is a place to observe the raw regenerative power of the forest as it struggles to claim what was once wild. Enjoy lunch at a resort located in the shores of the Gatun Lake. Afterwards, head to Casco Viejo, Panama’s historic colonial centre listed as a UNESCO world heritage site filled with delightful colonial houses, narrow cobblestone streets and impressive churches. In the “Casco Antiguo” lies French Park, a monument to the French builders who started the Panama Canal. Some superb museums are found in the Old Quarter, including the Canal
Museum, which traces Panama's history. Transfer back to the ship or explore Casco Viejo at your own pace. A scheduled shuttle service will transfer you back to the ship.
Day 12: Panama Canal Crossing
Crossing the Panama Canal will surely be a highlight for many travellers. Each year, over a million people visit the canal to witness this engineering marvel at work. Starting in the Pacific Ocean, you will be able to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline before passing under the ‘Bridge of the Americas’. The vessel will then transit through the first set of locks, the Miraflores Locks, where it will be lifted 16 metres in two distinct steps.
Next, your ship will enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel Locks from Miraflores Locks. The vessel will transit through Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel is lifted 9 metres in one step. After exiting Pedro Miguel locks, your boat will travel through the Gaillard Cut, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the canal is full of history and geological value.
As you transit the cut you will see dredging occurring to control the sediments entering the canal because of the terrain’s susceptibility to landslides. Sail through Gatun Lake, which was formed by erecting the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River, and during your transit through the lake, you will pass the Smithsonian Research Station at Barro Colorado. The last of the three locks in the Gatun Locks, the only set of locks in the Atlantic sector. At Gatun Locks, the vessel will be lowered a total of 26 metres in three distinct chambers. The complete crossing from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean takes approximately 10 hours, a journey that once took almost two weeks to complete, where vessels were forced to sail around the notoriously rough seas around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America to reach the Pacific coast.
Day 13: At sea
Sail to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia. While at sea, enjoy a few final presentations from our team of experts. Edit photos, finish the book you’ve been enjoying, or simply relax on your private balcony or in one of the many public spaces on board the ship.
Day 14: Cartagena de Indias
Disembark in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, inscribed by UNESCO as a site of Outstanding Universal Heritage. The city’s rich history, diverse culture and energy captivates visitors with its vibrancy, Afro-Caribbean character, indigenous influences and some of the best-preserved colonial architecture in all of South America.
Founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredia, Cartagena was formerly one of the gateways to the Caribbean for the Spanish. It was here they would store the riches plundered from South America before they were transported back to the old world. It is not surprising therefore that the city drew the attention of buccaneers and pirates who attempted, on many occasions, to seize the city, most notably by Sir Francis Drake who in 1586, "mercifully" agreed not to destroy the city in return for 10 million pesos. It was after the attack by Drake that plans were made to fortify the city and work on the defensive fort walls began. These walls, still stand today, and mark the boundary between the old and new parts of the city. The walls and fort, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, took a total of 200 years to build and
complete, and the Spanish finished them just 25 years before Colombia gained Independence.
Today’s introductory tour will take you through Cartagena’s old town under the Puerta Del Reloj (Clock tower entrance) into the Plaza de los Coches. Your expert local guide will tell stories of the myths and legends, histories and stories of Cartagena from ancient times right up to the present. From the Plaza San Pedro Claver with its stunning Church, to the Plaza Bolivar with its shady areas, where you can watch the world go by. During the walk you will visit the Inquisition Palace, built in the 17th century, and considered one of the most elegant and characteristic colonial constructions in its time.
A short walk away and your final stop is a visit to San Pedro Claver Cloister, monastery and museum built in homage to San Pedro - the protector of slaves. The cloister where Pedro Claver lived and died has become a special place of silence, and reflection – a shrine to his life's work. Here, visitors will find examples of pre-Colombian ceramics and a museum filled with religious art. Adjoining the monastery is a baroque church designed by German and Dutch architects, where the remains of Saint Pedro Claver is enshrined.
The tour ends with a transfer to our group hotel. After check-in, enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure. (Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner at own expense)
Accommodation: Hyatt Regency (or similar)
Day 15: Depart Cartagena de Indias
After breakfast, farewell your fellow travellers and check-out of your room before making your own way to the airport for your onward journey.
