Tierra de Exploración

Day 1 Panama City: Arrive in Panama City, transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the ISE Welcome Dinner where you will be treated to traditional comida panameña. (D)

Day 2 Panama City: Your guide will introduce you to the many splendors of Panama City. Visit Panama Vieja, the Casco Antiguo and the Miraflores Visitors’ Center of the Panama Canal. (B,L)

Day 3 Panama City: Begin your day with an excursion to Fort San Lorenzo. Stop for lunch on the way to the charming town of Portobelo, the site of several pirate invasions. Visit the historic aduana, or the Royal Customs House where they used to count and store the king’s gold until it could be shipped to Spain. Be sure to see the Black Christ at the Iglesia de San Félipe. Then go by boat to Isla Grande to enjoy a nice afternoon of swimming. (B,L)

Day 4 Panama City: Take a two hour motorcoach ride to El Valle de Antón, a picturesque town nestled in the crater of a giant extinct volcano. Visit a traditional market and then hike in the nearby mountains to take in an ocean view. Watch for colorful frogs along the way! After lunch, spend time relaxing on the beach. (B,L)

Day 5 Panama City: Hop on a boat for a ride around Monkey Island where you will see capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, sloths and crocodiles! From there, travel up the Chagres River by canoe to visit a village of the Emberá people. Enjoy lunch with them and engage in a genuine cultural exchange. Join them for a soccer match in their charming courtyard! (B,L)

Day 6 Panama City:   Board a ship to pass through 3 of the locks of the Panama Canal, a true engineering marvel! (B,L)

Days 7-12 Family Stay: Meet your Panamanian family and begin a six-day stay with them (meals at home).

Day 13 Panama City: Bid farewell to your familia panameña and return to your hotel in Panama City.

Day 14 Return: Transfer to the airport and return home to the U.S.

Inclusions / Exclusions for Americas Programs