Panama's National Parks (13 days)

Details:

  • 13 days/12 nights
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Minimum: 2 persons

Includes:

  • Bilingual guide
  • Private A/C Transportation
  • Daily Breakfast and lunch
  • Entrance fees to included attractions
  • Accommodations in selected hotel

What to Expect

Visit 6 of the most important National Parks of the Republic of Panama and enjoy the diversity of activities that each one has to offer.

In the company of our specialized guides you will hike in different types of rainforest across the country, snorkel both in the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, have a taste of Panamanian varied cuisine and experience a close encounter with two of the largest indigenous groups that live in Panama since pre-Columbian times.

Photos

Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival in Panama

On this day a Dynamo Travel agent will be waiting for you upon your arrival at the International airport of Tocumen to welcome you and organize your transfer to your hotel in Panama City, a 25 minute ride, approximately.

Night at your hotel in Panama City

Day 2. Soberanía National Park

Our guide will pick you up at your hotel and will drive you to the town of Gamboa, located right on the shore of the Panama Canal. Once there, you will be able to enjoy nature first hand as you go on a 3 hour hike through one of the most important natural reserves of the Panama Canal watershed. The almost 20,000 hectares of Soberanía National Park are home to a great variety of mammals, birds and reptiles, and our experienced guides know exactly where to look for them.

After the hike, we will take you to the local marina, where you will embark on a 1 hour boat ride on Gatun Lake and navigate next to the giant Panamax vessels that transit the Panama Canal. Our captain will take you to different areas of the lake in search of wildlife, as our guide points out and interprets the plants, birds and animals visible from this new perspective of our rainforest. 

Upon your return you will enjoy a delicious Panamanian lunch at the Marina, before heading back to your hotel.

Meals (B, L) – Breakfast and lunch

Night at your hotel in Panama city

Day 3. City and Canal Tour

This tour takes you on a journey through time, from the 16th century to our modern days.  Visit the ruins of Panama Viejo, the first and most important city that the Spaniards founded on the Pacific coast of America in 1519, then walk through our colorful and interesting Colonial City, founded by the Spaniards after the destruction of the first city during the attack of pirate henry Morgan in 1671.  Here we’ll make a stop for you to enjoy a delicious Panamanian lunch before heading to the Miraflores locks, to get a closer look at the Panamá Canal.

Learn about the cycle that, due to Panama’s geographical position, repeated itself throughout its history: “The movement of people and goods, from one corner of the world to another, through the narrowest path between the seas”. 

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Panama City

Day 4. Chagres National Park and the Emberas

On this morning, our guide will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to Lake Alajuela, located in Chagres National Park. Upon arrival at Corotu Port, you will be met by the Emberas, who will invite you to board their traditional dugout canoe. You will then navigate, through beautiful and lush rainforest, on the Chagres River and up to the small indigenous community, nestled in this protected area of over 135,000 hectares.

Discover the well preserved culture of this wise and friendly people, who will amaze you with their art, their music and dances, their food, but especially their warmth.

This is definitely the best and most complete tour you can do from Panama City. 

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Panama city

Day 5. La Pintada, El Caño and Santa Catalina

Today we are destined to spend the night in the famous town of Santa Catalina, but on our way there, and to learn a bit about Panamanian culture in general, we’ll make a stop in the picturesque town of La Pintada, in the Province of Cocle, to visit a small factory where the authentic Panamanian hat is made. 

After lunch, we will continue our Journey west and our next stop will be the recently rediscovered Archaeological site of El Caño, in which in the year 2010 and under supervision of Archaeologist Julia Mayo, an unimaginable treasure resurfaced, a burial site of an ancient culture dated to about A.D. 900.  We’ll make a brief visit to this amazing place to learn about importance of Panama during pre-Columbian times, as a meeting place for North and South American cultures, for commerce or religious ceremonies.

We should be arriving at Santa Catalina in the afternoon and will have some time to relax, stroll around town or walk to the “Estero” beach (10 mins). 

Meals (B, L)

Night at the Hotel in Santa Catalina

Day 6. Coiba National Park

Coiba Island is one of the most important of Central America, due to its great levels of endemism, and because it’s one of the last shelters for many endangered species, as well as part of the migratory route of the Eastern Pacific Marine Corridor.

Used as a high security prison in the dictatorship times of Panama in the second half of the 20th century, it was mostly left untouched and therefore presents and amazing biodiversity amidst its tropical moist forest. 

On this adventure you leave from the town of Santa Catalina early in the morning for a 2 hour boat ride through this amazing archipelago until you reach the marine park.  On your way there you might spot sea turtles, dolphins, frigate birds, whale sharks and humpback whales (these last two are seasonal visitors).

Upon arrival, you will go for a swim in one our favorite snorkeling spots to explore the rich underwater world that this marine park has to offer.  Afterwards we will take you to one of the beaches nearby to start an easy hike on one of the island’s trails to finish a bit further up the beach with a picnic lunch and a swim in its warm waters.

You will be back in Santa Catalina at around 5 pm.

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Santa Catalina

Day 7. Las Lajas Beach and Boquete

Today you will travel from Santa Catalina to Boquete, on a secondary road that goes through interesting areas of Panamanian country side, until you reach to Guabalá and the Pan-American Highway.  From here you will drive to the beach of Las Lajas to enjoy lunch by the sea.

Afterwards, you will continue your journey on the Pan-American Highway until you reach the town of Boquete.  Before you check into your hotel, our guide will take you on an easy 2-3 hour hike on one of the beautiful trails that the “Valley of Eternal Spring” has to offer. 

Meals included – Breakfast, lunch

Night at your hotel in Boquete

Day 8. Volcan Baru National Park

Right after breakfast, you will drive to the town of Volcán to start one of the most beautiful hikes on this trip, the famous “Quetzal Trail”.  A moderate 6 hour hike along the skirts of the volcano, that will take you through beautiful rainforest all the way back to Boquete.  Amazing views and possibilities of seeing some of the famous inhabitants of this forest, like the elusive Resplendent Quetzal, sloth, deer or peccaries, are only part of what this great excursion offers.

You will enjoy a delicious and healthy picnic lunch along the way.

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Boquete

Day 9. The Bocas Del Toro Archipelago and the organic chocolate of the Ngäbe

On today’s journey you will drive from the Pacific coast to the Caribbean side,  over the continental divide, enjoying beautiful sceneries and taking advantage of our favorite photo stops.  Along the way, you will make a stop for lunch at a Ngäbe community that started some years ago to produce organic cacao with such great success, that nowadays a great percentage of their production is exported to Europe.  Here you will have the opportunity to witness, step by step, how cacao goes from the tree to your chocolate bar.

After this delicious stop, you will continue on your journey to Almirante, from where you will go on a 25 minute boat ride to “Isla Colon”, the main island in the Bocas de Toro archipelago.  Upon arrival, our guide will take you to your hotel and you will have a free afternoon to start exploring this interesting Caribbean town.

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Bocas Del Toro

Day 10. Bastimentos National Marine Park

Start your day at the marina of Isla Colón, the capital city of the Province of Bocas del Toro, from where you will travel to our first stop, the beautiful bay of Bocatorito on San Cristobal Island, a mangrove surrounded nursery for bottle nose dolphins and their calves. 

From here we´ll drive on to the area of Crawl Cay to jump in the warm waters of the Caribbean ocean and snorkel among a great diversity of coral reefs filled with multicolored fish.  Here we’ll also have the opportunity to enjoy a delicious Caribbean style lunch.

Afterwards, we will get back on the boat to cruise through an array of small mangrove surrounded islands that are part of National Marine Park Bastimentos, on our way to the beginning of the trail that will take us, on a 20 minute walk, to Red frog Beach.  Our guide will search in the vegetation along this trail for the elusive Strawberry Poison Dart Frog, endemic to this island.

After a relaxing swim in these warm Caribbean waters and maybe a fresh Piña Colada, you will slowly start heading back to the boat for your ride back to “Isla Colon”.

Meals (B, L)

Night at your hotel in Bocas Del Toro

Day 11. Free day in Bocas Del Toro

Today you have a free day at your disposal in Bocas de Toro where you may take advantage of the many activities Bocas has to offer.  We assure you that you will have a blast whether by renting a bike, scooter or Squad for a ride around the island, going on a catamaran snorkeling tour or finding a nice beach to spend the day.

Meals included – Breakfast

Night at your hotel in Bocas Del Toro

Day 12. Panama City and the Metropolitan National Park

This morning a representative of Dynamo Travel will take you to the local domestic airport for your flight back to Panama City.

Upon arrival, you will visit the last National park on the list as you enjoy nature first hand while you go on a two hour hike through the Met.  Only ten minutes from downtown Panama, this park is home to a great variety of birds, plants and mammals. 

Afterwards, you will go for lunch at a local restaurant, to enjoy for the last time on this trip, the best of Panamanian cuisine.

Meals included – Breakfast, lunch

Night at your hotel in Panama City

Day 13. Transfer to international airport

At the appropriate time a Dynamo Travel representative will pick you up at your hotel to take you to the international airport of Tocumen, for your flight back home.

Map

Tour Highlights

  • Enjoy the rich cultures of Panama
  • Snorkeling and bathing in the Caribbean
  • The Panama Canal
  • Amazing rainforest and wildlife

What to bring:

  • Fresh clothes
  • Sun protection
  • Camera
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Backpack
  • Raingear
  • Water