THE PANAMA CANAL & COSTA RICA WESTBOUND
ITINERARY:
2009 Westbound Itinerary
Inquire for eastbound itinerary
Day 1: Bienvenidos a Panama - let the Panama Canal cruise
begin
Tauck's Panama Canal cruise begins at InterContinental
Miramar Panama. Welcome to Panama! A transfer awaits to take you
from Tocmen International Airport to the InterContinental
Miramar Panama hotel on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and
Panama Bay. Meet your Tauck Director and your fellow travelers
at our welcome reception and dinner this evening to share your
excitement about your upcoming Panama Canal cruise.
Meals: Dinner
Lodging: InterContinental Miramar Panama, Panama City
• Day 2: Man-made marvels and natural wonders
Begin the day touring bustling Panama City before heading
off for a land-based view of the Miraflores Lock in the Panama
Canal, through which you’ll later sail aboard Le Levant during a
Panama Canal cruise. After lunch, explore some of Panama’s
natural treasures, on your choice of an aerial tram ride
(Panama's only gondola) with a naturalist or a boat cruise with
a naturalist prior to boarding Le Levant.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
• Day 3: San Blas society
Only a few of the 365 tiny San Blas Islands are inhabited;
go ashore in this tropical paradise to meet the Kuna who make
their home there, and are famous for their beautiful, brightly
colored mola embroideries; see how these works of art are made.
This evening, the Captain invites you to attend his welcome
dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
• Day 4: Sea to sea via yacht on your Panama Canal cruise
Experience for yourself one of the modern world’s
engineering marvels during your Panama Canal cruise as Le Levant
transits the Panama Canal from the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific
Ocean. The ship will rise an astonishing 85 feet as she travels
from the Miraflores locks at one end of the canal to the Gatun
Locks at other. Gatun Lake is one of the largest man-made lakes
in the world; what appear to be islands are actually the tops of
former jungle hills.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
• Day 5: Stepping back in time in the Darien
Today, you'll have an experience that you just wouldn't get
if you were traveling on your own. You'll feel like you've done
some time traveling when you step ashore in an astounding
beautiful spot in a remote area of the Darien Province of Panama
seldom visited by “outsiders.” Traveling by local boats called
cayucos, visit a remote village where the entire town comes to
greet you. They’ll take pride in showing you their traditional
Cocobolo wood or Tagua “vegetable ivory” carvings and sharing
their music and dance. Return to Le Levant, and set sail for
Coiba Island.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
• Day 6: A day at the beach
Le Levant anchors off lovely Granita del Oro near unspoiled
Coiba Island National Park to offer you a day of sun, sea and
sand. Swim, snorkel or kayak in the crystal-clear waters where
you may get a glimpse of underwater life not usually associated
with the Americas, and enjoy a special barbeque lunch on the
beach.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
• Day 7: Costa Rica’s wildlife beckons
The Marenco Biological Reserve on Costa Rica’s isolated Osa
Peninsula is a rainforest ecological treasure trove. Explore
this biologically interesting place with an expert naturalist,
keeping an eye out for the exotic birds such as toucans and
scarlet macaws, and three species of monkeys that make the
rainforest their home. You'll also have an opportunity to swim
in a natural freshwater stream that lies between the rainforest
and the ocean before returning to the ship where Tauck's Panama
Canal cruise sets sail once again in the Pacific.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Aboard Le Levant
Day 8: Panama Canal cruise ends – into the heart of Costa
Rica
As your Panama Canal cruise ends, bid farewell to Le Levant
and set off to discover Costa Rica’s fascinating interior. Visit
the village of Sarchi, famous for its painted ox carts, as well
as a coffee plantation for a tour and a demonstration of the
coffee roasting process. The Costa Rica Marriott Hotel in San
José will be your home for the next three nights.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Costa Rica Marriott Hotel, San José, Costa Rica
Day 9: Wings and waters
After strolling through a garden of cascading waterfalls set
within a lush rainforest at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, delight in
the kaleidoscope of colors flying all around you in a Butterfly
Observatory housing over 20 different species of airborne
jewels. More enchanting wings await in the Hummingbird Garden,
which attracts at least 24 brightly colored wild species of
these, the smallest birds in the world.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: Costa Rica Marriott Hotel, San José, Costa Rica
Day 10: Encounter a lunar landscape
Journey to Volcano Irazú, Costa Rica’s tallest volcano.
Although it hasn’t actively erupted since 1963, it still groans
and grumbles on occasion. Follow the trails across the desolate
lava landscape to view the lake at the bottom of the
100-meter-deep Diego de la Haya crater, which sometimes appears
emerald-green, and at other times seems rust-red. On a clear
day, it is possible to see both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans
from this stark summit. See San José's National Theater and the
National Museum (depending on the day of the week) on a brief
city tour prior to joining us for our farewell reception and
dinner this evening.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Costa Rica Marriott Hotel, San José, Costa Rica
Day 11: Say goodbye to your wonderful Panama Canal cruise
Your Panama Canal cruise ends in San José, Costa Rica.
Transfers from the Costa Rica Marriott Hotel to Juan Santamaría
International Airport are included. Allow 2 1/2 hours for
check-in formalities. Please Note that the Costa Rica departure
tax is not included.
Meals: Breakfast
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