Grand Tour of Panama: Canal, San Blas, Highlands & Bocas

Today you experience the mighty Panama Canal, one of the world's greatest engineering feats. You visit the Miraflores Locks visitor centre, standing on the viewing terrace as giant container ships and cruise liners are raised and lowered between the oceans, an astonishing spectacle of scale and precision. In the excellent museum you learn the epic, dramatic story of the canal's construction, the vision, the struggle against disease and jungle, and its transformation of world trade, and watch an inspiring film. You may also see the new expanded locks or cruise a stretch of Gatun Lake past rainforest islands alive with wildlife. The scale and history are awe-inspiring. As the day ends, you return to the city. This evening, savour Panamanian cuisine and the vibrant atmosphere. Rest well, for tomorrow you explore colonial Casco Viejo and Panama Viejo.

Today you explore the colonial heart of Panama City. In the morning you wander Casco Viejo, the atmospheric old quarter and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a maze of cobbled streets, leafy plazas and pastel colonial and French-era buildings, framed by the gleaming skyline across the bay. You admire baroque churches, the golden altar of San Jose, the plazas and rooftop views, and soak up the boutiques and cafes. Later you visit Panama Viejo, the evocative ruins of the original city, founded in 1519 and sacked by the pirate Henry Morgan, its stone cathedral tower still rising above the grass, and may see the striking Biomuseo. The contrast of colonial charm, ruins and skyscrapers is captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, savour the city. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to the idyllic San Blas islands.

Today you journey to the idyllic San Blas islands of Guna Yala. You leave the city early and transfer by 4x4 over the forested mountains of the continental divide, a scenic drive through lush rainforest, and down to the Caribbean coast, where a boat carries you out across turquoise seas to the archipelago. Scattered with hundreds of tiny palm-fringed islets ringed by white sand and coral, governed autonomously by the indigenous Guna, this is a remote, unspoiled vision of paradise. You settle into simple, characterful island accommodation, swim in the warm, clear sea, laze beneath the palms, and relax on a postcard-perfect beach as the sun sets over the water. As the day ends, you savour the barefoot, unplugged beauty of island life. This evening, enjoy fresh Caribbean seafood beneath a canopy of stars. Rest well amid the islands, lulled by the sea.

Today you savour a full day among the idyllic San Blas islands. You spend the day island-hopping by boat across the turquoise archipelago, sailing between deserted sandbank islets crowned with a few leaning palms, snorkelling over vivid coral reefs and a picturesque shipwreck now home to shoals of fish, and swimming in a natural sea pool of astonishing turquoise clarity where starfish dot the shallows. You visit a Guna community island, meeting this proud, self-governing indigenous people, admiring the women in their colourful traditional dress and discovering the intricate hand-stitched mola textiles for which the Guna are world-famous. The beauty and culture are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your island. This evening, enjoy fresh seafood and a spectacular sunset over the sea. Rest well amid the islands, for tomorrow you journey to the coffee highlands of Boquete.

Today you journey from the Caribbean islands to the cool coffee highlands. You board a boat back across the turquoise sea to the coast and transfer by 4x4 over the forested mountains to Panama City, then take a short, scenic domestic flight west to David and drive up into the Chiriqui highlands to Boquete, set amid misty peaks, coffee slopes, flower gardens and cloud forest beneath Volcan Baru, Panama's highest peak. The fresh mountain air and greenery are a wonderful contrast to the islands. You settle into your highland lodge and enjoy a relaxed evening, savouring the cool climate and mountain views. As the day ends, you savour the peace and beauty of the highlands. This evening, enjoy fine local cuisine and world-class Panamanian coffee. Rest well amid the misty mountains, for tomorrow you tour a coffee farm and walk in cloud forest.

Today you savour the coffee and cloud forest of Boquete. In the morning you tour a working coffee farm, walking among the glossy coffee bushes and learning how Panama's prized beans, including the celebrated Geisha variety, are grown, hand-picked, washed, dried and roasted with extraordinary care, and enjoy a tasting of world-class coffee at its source. In the afternoon you walk in emerald cloud forest with an expert guide, perhaps a stretch of the famous Quetzal Trail or a private reserve, watching for jewel-like hummingbirds, colourful tanagers and the magnificent resplendent quetzal amid the mossy, orchid-hung trees. The aroma, craft and birdlife are wonderful. As the day ends, you return to your lodge. This evening, savour highland cuisine and coffee. Rest well amid the mountains, for tomorrow you take on Volcan Baru, waterfalls and hot springs.

Today you take on the mountain and its beautiful trails and springs. Depending on your appetite for adventure, you might explore the beautiful Lost Waterfalls trail through misty cloud forest to a series of tumbling falls, walk the lower slopes and viewpoints of Volcan Baru, Panama's highest peak, or soar on a rainforest zipline canopy tour high above the treetops. You take in sweeping views over the coffee slopes and highlands, immersed in the fresh air, forest and birdsong. In the afternoon you soak in natural volcanic hot springs near Caldera, the warm, mineral-rich water easing your muscles amid the forest. The scenery, adventure and warmth are wonderful. As the day ends, you return to your lodge. This evening, savour a final highland dinner and coffee. Rest well amid the mountains, for tomorrow you journey to the Caribbean beaches of Bocas del Toro.

Today you journey to the laid-back Caribbean archipelago of Bocas del Toro. You leave the highlands and travel by a short scenic flight or drive northwest to Bocas del Toro, a dazzling scatter of rainforest-clad islands in a warm turquoise sea. You settle into your island accommodation and step into the relaxed island rhythm. In the afternoon you relax on a nearby beach, swim in the warm, gentle sea, and explore colourful Bocas Town, with its brightly painted wooden houses on stilts, buzzing water taxis and cheerful Afro-Caribbean vibe. As the day ends, you watch a spectacular sunset over the water. This evening, savour fresh Caribbean seafood and the easy island atmosphere. Rest well amid the islands, lulled by the sea, for tomorrow you snorkel the reefs, watch dolphins and laze on beautiful beaches.

Today you savour the wildlife and beaches of Bocas by boat. You cruise to Dolphin Bay, where bottlenose dolphins play in the calm water, often close to the boat, then snorkel over vivid coral reefs bright with tropical fish in warm, clear water, a joy for all abilities. You cruise to Isla Bastimentos and walk a short jungle trail alive with tiny red, green and yellow poison-dart frogs and perhaps a dozing sloth, to reach the famous Red Frog Beach, a crescent of golden sand backed by rainforest, where you laze on the beach, swim in the gentle sea, and enjoy a relaxed beach barbecue lunch. The dolphins, reefs and beach are wonderful. As the day ends, you cruise back as the sun sets. This evening, savour fresh seafood. Rest well amid the islands, for tomorrow you enjoy a final Caribbean day.

Today you enjoy a final, flexible day in laid-back Bocas del Toro. You might visit the beautiful Starfish Beach, a shallow, calm bay dotted with vivid orange starfish, laze on a favourite beach and swim in the warm sea, snorkel more reefs, kayak in the mangroves, take a surf lesson, or sail to the pristine Zapatillas Cays in the marine park. You might explore more of colourful Bocas Town, browsing its craft shops and savouring fresh seafood, and soak up the relaxed Afro-Caribbean rhythm. This flexible day lets you savour the islands at your own pace and reflect on the extraordinary grand journey you have made across Panama. As the day ends, you watch a final sunset over the water. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner of fresh seafood. Rest well amid the islands, for tomorrow you begin your journey home.

This morning you savour a final swim and breakfast in Bocas del Toro before taking a short scenic domestic flight back to Panama City, connecting with your onward international departure (or enjoying a final few hours in the capital). You leave having experienced Panama in full, the mighty canal and colonial Panama City, the idyllic San Blas islands of Guna Yala, the coffee highlands and cloud forest of Boquete, and the Caribbean beaches and wildlife of Bocas del Toro. The images stay vivid long after you land, the giant ships rising in the locks, the pastel plazas of the old town, the palm-fringed islands of San Blas, the misty coffee mountains and shimmering quetzals, and the turquoise beaches and dolphins of Bocas. Panama packs extraordinary variety into one welcoming isthmus, and having experienced it in full, you depart with the definitive experience of this remarkable country, already dreaming of a return.