Costa Rica and Panama Exploration with SimonBiologyTravel

Upon arrival in Panama City, Panama, you will check-in for your flight to San Jose, Costa Rica. After clearing customs and immigration in San Jose, meet your driver and transfer to the Buena Vista Chick Hotel. The hotel is located in a coffee plantation on a lush hilltop offering beautiful views of San Jose. This evening, join your guide for a program orientation and welcome dinner at the hotel restaurant.

This morning, gather for breakfast, and then attend a lecture by a local naturalist about the rainforest structure and biodiversity of the region. This information is designed to provide a foundation for understanding the complexities of Costa Rica's ecosystems and enhance the experiences throughout the trip. Depart San José, heading north to the Sarapiquí region. En route, stop at La Paz Waterfall Gardens to explore its many trails and stunning waterfalls, as well as a hummingbird garden and lush botanicals. The gardens provide a wonderful introduction to Costa Rica's flora, fauna, and scenic landscapes. Enjoy lunch at La Paz before continuing to Selva Verde Lodge & Rainforest Reserve, located in the lush lowlands of north central Costa Rica on a private tract of primary and secondary tropical rainforest. After settling in, receive an orientation to the lodge's 500 acre private reserve and facilities. Enjoy time to relax in your room or stroll around the grounds before a buffet style dinner in the upstairs dining room. After dessert, take a short night hike in search of nocturnal amphibians, mammals, owls, and insects.

This morning after breakfast, set out on a hike in the reserve's primary rainforest to observe this unique ecosystem up close. A variety of wildlife can be seen along the reserve's forest trails, including sloths, monkeys, iguanas, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, and other tropical fauna. After the hike, walk through Selva Verde's gardens and learn about the beautiful tropical flowers and plants. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, embark on an exciting whitewater rafting adventure. The river has a gentle current with several minor Class I, II, and III rapids. A professional river guide escorts all rafting trips, and all of the necessary safety equipment (helmet, life jackets, etc.) is provided, along with a lesson on rafting safety instructions and procedures. For those not interested in rafting, a more relaxing boat trip along the river can be arranged as an alternative.

After an early morning breakfast, set out to explore the biodiversity of the lowland tropical rainforest during a hike in the Selva Verde Rainforest Reserve. A variety of wildlife can be seen along the reserve's forest trails, including sloths, monkeys, iguanas, parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, and other tropical fauna. Next, visit the Sarapiquí Conservation Learning Center (SCLC) , a non profit that works to connect local communities and visiting guests with educational resources and conservation projects. SCLC programs include environmental education, rural tourism activities, English classes, community outreach, women's groups, and scholarship funds for high school students. Join a local community member at the SCLC to experience cooking a traditional Costa Rican dish. Later in the afternoon, take a nature boat ride on the Sarapiquí River. The journey will introduce birds and animals that frequent the riverine vegetation, including caimans and a variety of water birds. A site lecture during the boat ride will draw attention to land use on the river banks and human impact on the ecology of the river system. Return to the lodge for time to relax.

Rise early for optional morning birding on the lodge grounds. After breakfast, check out and depart for Arenal. En route, visit the plantation and reserve at Best Chocolate to learn all about the cacao plant, how it's processed from fruit to final product, and the natural and cultural history of chocolate in Costa Rica. After witnessing all stages of the process, enjoy a taste of freshly made chocolate with a new appreciation for its origins. Later, stop at La Fortuna for lunch. This picturesque town is a great place to take photos and shop for souvenirs. Upon arrival at Arenal Paraíso, check in and have the rest of the afternoon at leisure to relax in the pools' thermo-mineral waters. When the weather allows, the hotel also affords excellent views of Arenal Volcano from every room. After dinner this evening, learn about bats from a local researcher.

After breakfast, visit Arenal Volcano National Park to learn about geological activity in Costa Rica. Hike along the base of the active but currently resting Arenal Volcano, through the forest, over lava flows, and to the damaged areas now in the process of regeneration. Have lunch at a local restaurant in La Fortuna, and then head to Místico Arenal Hanging Bridges Park, a reserve that abounds with wonderful trails, suspension bridges, and outstanding natural areas. Its trail system straddles different types of ecosystems, forming a transitional vegetation strip of high biodiversity where both highland and lowland species reside. Observe the rainforest canopy from up amid the treetops to spot epiphytic plants, butterflies, birds, arboreal mammals, and more.

Depart for San Jose with stops along the way. In La Fortuna, visit a local farm for a chance to learn about life in rural Costa Rica. We'll accompany a farm representative on a walking exploration of the property to learn about the farm's history and gain insights into agricultural practices in this fertile region. The small and painteresque town of Fortuna has changed quite a bit from the village that witnessed Arenal Volcano's destructive power in 1968. Although tourism has surpassed agriculture as the main source of revenue to this town, many plantations in the surrounding areas still produce important amounts of papaya, sugar cane, tapioca and ornamental plants. Next, travel towards San Jose and make a stop at the town of Zarcero; an agricultural community located on the edges of Costa Rica's Central Valley. We'll accompany our guide on a walking exploration of the topiary gardens at Francisco Alvarado Park and the local produce market. Have lunch at a local restaurant in Zarcero and then continue to San Jose.

Early this morning, transfer to the airport for a flight to Panama City. Lunch is on your own at the airport. Upon arrival at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, meet your guide and transfer approximately 45 minutes to the hotel, which is situated along the Amador Causeway. Check-in begins at 3 pm. Later in the afternoon, take a walk on the Amador Causeway, a narrow land bridge that extends 2 miles into the Pacific and connects four small islands. Walking on the Causeway is a great way to get photos of the Casco Viejo, the Bridge of the Americas and ships waiting to pass through the Panama Canal. This evening, enjoy dinner at the hotel restaurant.

This morning, take a walk in a tropical dry forest in the center of Panama City, the Metropolitan Natural Park. Perhaps the only forest reserve within a major capital city in Latin America, it boasts a rich variety of birds, mammals, amphibians, and reptiles; it also affords visitors the chance to see Geoffroy's Tamarin. Take an easy walk to an overlook for a sweeping perspective of Panama City. Next, visit the Biomuseo, Panama City's museum that showcases the country's natural history and impact on the world's biodiversity. The strikingly colorful building was designed by world renowned architect Frank Gehry. It represents the saga of the Isthmus of Panama, a land that united two continents, changed the world's biodiversity, and connected the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Inside, eight permanent exhibits tell the story in graphic detail. Have lunch at a local restaurant, and then visit Punta Culebra - Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute to explore a rocky intertidal zone and sandy beach at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Return to the hotel for some time at leisure. Listen to a lecture by a local expert before dinner at La Azotea Restaurant in Casco Antiguo.

After an early breakfast, travel to a local port to board a boat to visit the San Blas Islands. The archipelago of San Blas has more than 360 islands scattered throughout 100 square miles. Many of the islands have no inhabitants, but 60 of them are inhabited by the Guna Yala, commonly known as Kuna or Guna people. The Kuna are an Indigenous community that has remained resilient in preserving their centuries-old culture and avoiding colonization attempts and westernization, so they have their own laws and institutions. The community's economy revolves around agriculture, fishing, and tourism, but tourists are only allowed on a few of the islands, which helps keep the archipelago pristine and beautiful. During this visit, learn about the history, traditions, and customs of the Guna Yala. Then, spend some time swimming along the clear and calm waters surrounding the islands, which offer great coral reef snorkeling right off the beach. Enjoy a traditional lunch and some time to relax before returning to the hotel.

Today, board a ship in Gamboa to enjoy the unique experience of a partial, southbound transit through the Panama Canal, which takes about four hours to complete and includes lunch on board. Travel south through the Galliard Cut to the Pedro Miguel Locks, the first of two sets of locks on the Pacific side. Here, the ship is lowered 29.5 feet in one step. Then, pass through Miraflores Lake, an artificial body of freshwater that separates Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks. Passing through the Miraflores Locks, the ship is lowered 59 feet in two steps to the Pacific Ocean and provides beautiful views of the Panama City skyline. In the evening have a farewell dinner at the hotel.

Transfer to the airport for your flight home. Check out is at 12 pm.