Highlights of Panama

	Tour Itinerary
Day 1: USA or Canada / Panama City, Panama Arriving in Panama City, meet for a short briefing and welcome reception. Hotel Marriott Day 2: Panama City Enjoy a walking tour of Panama Viejo (Old Panama City), destroyed by pirate Henry Morgan in 1671, then explore the narrow streets and plazas of the Colonial area. Your tour culminates with a visit to the Panama Canal - a true engineering marvel. Tonight, gather for a welcome dinner. Hotel Marriott (B,L,D) Day 3: Panama City / Chiriqui Highlands Fly this morning to David, continuing to the cooler climates of the Chiriqui Highlands. Here, visit Finca Dracula, a private orchid farm with more than 1,200 species, including some that are extinct in the wild. Stroll through lovely landscaped grounds and greenhouses, and learn of the processes involved in this preservation project. Hotel Bambito (B,L,D) Day 4: Chiriqui Highlands Early this morning, head out to Finca Hartman, a small family farm producing some of the best shade-grown coffee beans in the world. The farm is also renown for its abundance of birds (including the elusive Quetzal), due to its location near La Amistad International Park, and often harbors Smithsonian-affiliated researchers living and working on its land. Returning to the hotel, there is time to rest before a special folkloric dinner. Hotel Bambito (B,L,D) Day 5: Chiriqui Highlands / Soberania National Park Late this morning, fly back to Panama City and travel overland to Soberania National Park, an area of dense rainforest that is home to more than 500 species of birds and 100 species of mammals. After lunch, board an Aerial Tram, ascending through the striking forest canopy in search of wildlife, and walk up a viewing tower for a breathtaking panorama of the canal and its surrounding forests and rivers. Tour the serpentarium and orchid exhibit before retiring to your hotel, on the banks of the Rio Chagres. Gamboa Rainforest Resort (B,L,D) Day 6: Soberania National Park After breakfast, board a dugout canoe and cruise up the Pequeni River in the Chagres National Park to a community of the Emberá Puru Indians. This spectacular adventure offers an opportunity to see a developing community existing within the watershed of the Panama Canal. Gamboa Rainforest Resort (B,D) Day 7: Soberania National Park Early this morning, travel with your guides through "Pipeline Road," one of the world's premier bird-spotting locations. The afternoon is at leisure to enjoy the hotel's amenities. Gamboa Rainforest Resort (B,L,D) Day 8: Soberania National Park / Lake Gatun Board a small speedboat for a ride on the Panama Canal to Lake Gatun. Approach jungle islands that resemble the Amazon basin and where, if you are lucky, the local monkeys approach your boat for close-up encounters. Landing at the Gatun end of the Canal near Telfers Island, visit the working locks and continue overland to your hotel. Tonight, enjoy an evening boat ride for a glimpse of Panama's nocturnal wildlife. Meliá Panama Canal (B,L,D) Day 9: Colón / Portobelo / Panama City After breakfast, visit Portobelo, site of a Spanish settlement founded in 1601, touring Fort Santiago and the Customs House Museum en route. There is time to browse among the local merchants' crafts before arriving at the Church of San Felipe, home of the Black Christ, where your guide provides an interpretation of this mysterious statue. Later, drive to Colón to board the elegant cars of the Panama Canal railroad, travelling across the isthmus to Panama City. Upon arrival, return to your hotel to prepare for a farewell dinner. Hotel Marriott (B,L,D) Day 10: Panama City / USA or Canada After breakfast, transfer to the airport for a flight home. (B)

	All This Included
Magnificent wildlife, a colorful pirate history, Spanish conquest, indigenous cultures and the Panama Canal. 24 Meals - 9 Breakfast, 7 Lunch, 8 Dinners Special folkloric dinner All hotel accommodations Meals as indicated in the itinerary All sightseeing as shown, including entrance fees Services of a naturalist-guide Round-trip airport transfers Porterage of 2 bags per person All gratuities except to your naturalist-guide VIP airport service, allowing you to bypass long immigration and customs lines Expert naturalist guide to accompany you throughout the tour Small-boat navigation on the Panama Canal, allowing you access to little inlets and isles teeming with wildlife

Not included in quoted program prices: travel insurance; airfares; selected airport departure taxes; excess baggage charges; cost of obtaining passport or visas; gratuities to A&K escort, naturalist-guides, drivers and ship crew members where specified; meals, beverages or sightseeing not included in the itinerary; personal expenses such as laundry, room service, communication charges and optional activities (which are subject to availability).

	Tour Highlights
Walking tour of Panama Viejo (Old Panama City) Visit the Panama Canal Visit Finca Dracula, a private orchid farm with more than 1,200 species Stroll through lovely landscaped grounds and greenhouses Finca Hartman small family farm producing best shade-grown coffee beans in the world Tour the serpentarium and orchid exhibit Board Aerial Tram Dugout canoe and cruise up the Pequeni River Tour "Pipeline Road", one of the world's premier bird-spotting location. Board a speedboat for a ride on the Panama Canal to Lake Gatun Visit the working locks Visit Portobelo, site of a Spanish settlement founded in 1601, touring Fort Santiago and the Customs House Museum Visit the Church of San Felipe, home of the Black Christ

Hotel: Marriott - Panama Hotel: Bambito - Chiriqui Highlands Resort: Gamboa Rainforest Resort - Soberania National Park Hotel: Melia Panama Canal - Lake Gatun Hotel: Marriott - Colon - Portobelo