Upon arrival in Panama City, private transfer to your hotel.

Depart from Panama City early in the morning for Soberania National Park and world-famous Pipeline Road, the right place for birdwatchers and ecologists. It was site of the 1985 world record Panama Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count (385 species of birds were identified in 24 hours). During World War II, a pipeline was built to transport fuel from one ocean to the other. Fortunately, it was never used. Today, the road built to maintain the pipeline provides excellent access to primary forest within Soberania National Park with the comfort and safety of vehicle support. After this short hike, head to Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Travelers will get on an aerial tram, which takes one from the shadowy rainforest floor through the understory and into the sun-drenched canopy. Enjoy a bird’s-eye view of a thousand hues of green interspersed with the fluorescent exclamation points of flowering trees. The aerial tram is located in 100 hectares of rainforest licensed to Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Here, find exuberant flora and fauna typical of Panama’s neo-tropical forests. The resort has built five exhibits that showcase local flora and fauna, as well as a replica of an Embera Indian village. Afterwards, be transferred back to the hotel. The tour includes transportation and entrance fee to Soberania National Park. Overnight at Gamboa Resort. ...read less

The trip departs from the Flamenco Marina, traveling from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. Admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline then pass under the Bridge of the Americas. At Miraflores Locks, the vessel will ascend 54 feet in two distinct steps. Enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel from Miraflores Locks. Next, the Pacific Queen will enter Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel will be raised the last 27 feet to get into Gatun Lake. Once at Gatun Lake, sail through at the north end of the Gaillard Cut, where the Chagres River flows into the Canal. The Gaillard Cut is also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake. This is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide. In addition, the vessel will travel the Cut’s 13.7 kilometers on the way to the Panama Canal Dredging Division in Gamboa. There, passengers disembark and transfer to the hotel.


Note: Exact itinerary may vary, depending on where the transit starts.
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Early in the morning, be picked up at the lobby of the hotel and transferred for approximately 1.5 hours to El Corotu on the shores of Madden Lake. The main reservoir of drinking water for the cities of Panama and Colon, Madden Lake also supplies 40 percent of the water required for the operation of the Panama Canal. Here, board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) and travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua. The boat journey takes through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park, which is the largest of the National Parks protecting the Panama Canal Watershed. Along the Chagres River, one may be able to spot Little Blue and Green Heron, Great Egret, Anhingas, Neotropical Cormorant, Amazon, Ringed, and Green Kingfishers, along with Keel-billed Toucans and Ospreys flying above. At the Embera village, be greeted with dancing and music! Learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature. There will be handcrafts available for sale and there will be a chance to be painted with the traditional jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a traditional Embera lunch, head back to Panama City. ...read less

Transfer to the airport to take the flight to Cartagena. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Cartagena is the fifth largest city in Colombia and an important port city on the Caribbean coast. After numerous pirate attacks during the colonial era, a wall was built to surround the historic city center and protect its inhabitants. Cartagena is now a popular tourist destination that retains its colonial architecture and charm.


Afternoon guided walk along the walled old town, admiring the streets, churches, colonial houses with their balconies, and the Museum that was once the residence of the five times president of the Republic, Rafael Nunez. Also witness the Santa Catalina bastion as well as the craftsmanship place at Las Bovedas (The Dungeons) where one will find handmade souvenirs.
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Tuesday; Rosario Islands
Cruise to Rosario Islands, to the south of the Bay of Cartagena. These Islands are a National Natural Park with a group of coral islands surrounded by a crystal clear sea, the habitat of a great variety of marine fauna. Opportunity to swim and snorkel. The 23 coral islands were formed by volcano activity which raised the seabed to create ideal conditions for the development of coral reefs. Lunch Included. Return to Cartagena.

Tour the Totumo Volcano, known for its medicinal properties, only 50 minutes away from Cartagena. Travelers will be able to get into its crater to enjoy a healthy mud bath and then take a regular bath at El Totumo Lagoon.

Transfer to the airport to take a flight to Bogota. Upon arrival, transfer to the hotel. Bogota has a combination of influences: Spanish, Indian and African, which create a diverse and rich culture heritage. With an intense and vibrant intellectual and social life, this modern city provides travelers with a unique look in the heart of Colombian culture.

Today, enjoy a private visit to the Colombian capital. Start at the Plaza de Bolivar (the city's main square), which is surrounded by federal government buildings, and continues into the old colonial part of the city better known as "La Candelaria". Travelers will also visit the San Francisco Church, the Gold Museum (closed on Mondays) and the Emerald Museum. Seek higher grounds by taking a cable car to the top of the Monserrate Hill, which offers a spectacular view of the city. The tour finishes in the north of Bogota in a shopping center called Hacienda Santa Barbara in Usaquen, which is a small colonial village now surrounded by the city.


Note: Museums closed on Monday. ...read less

Take the Pan American highway north towards Zipaquira, traveling across the central region of the savanna, passing some typical villages villages to reach where the Salt Cathedral is located. The Salt Cathedral is an impressive work of engineering. The visit begins in a tunnel that exhibits the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross and leads to the dome where one can observe the great cross sculpted in low relief. After some time, arrive at the three naves of the cathedral joined by openings that represent the birth and death of Christ. The central nave houses the main altar, a 16 meter cross, and the Creation of Man, a marble statue by the sculptor Carlos Enrique Rodríguez. ...read less

Transfer to the airport to take the flight back home.