Costa Rica & Panama - Variety Cruises

Day 1 | Saturday

COLON 2000 PORT - PANAMA CANAL CROSSING, PANAMA
Embarkation at 12:00 pm in Colon 2000. Welcome cold snack and salad bar. Safety drill and departure at 1:00 pm. The ship is positioned at the Canal entrance for the Canal transit starting at 5:00 pm. We cross the Gatun Locks and enter the Gatun Lake. Welcome dinner. Late evening we reach and cross the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks before reaching the Pacific side and Panama City in the early hours.

Day 2 | Sunday

FLAMENCO MARINA/PANAMA CITY, PANAMA
Early morning arrival at Flamenco Marina, Panama City. Morning Optional Panama City tour to discover the old Panama City, Casco Viejo, its architecture, cathedrals and historical buildings. Late afternoon sailing to Playa Muerto/Darien, Panama.

Day 3 | Monday

PLAYA MUERTO/DARIEN, PANAMA
Today, join our optional excursion to Darien National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre stretching across two continents: Panama in North America and Colombia in South America. We’ll meet the Panamanian Emberá, one of 7 indiginous groups native to the country.They are proud and very friendly and known for their beautiful handicrafts and well preserved traditions. We will be invited to dance with them. We return to the ship for lunch. Afternoon sailing to Granito De Oro. Overnight at sea.

Day 4 | Tuesday

GRANITO DE ORO - COIBA ISLANDS, PANAMA
Midday arrival at Granito de Oro Island for an amazing swimming and snorkeling experience in this little paradise island. Deck BBQ and sailing to nearby Coiba island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest island in Central America. Afternoon walking tour with our Ship Naturalist who will take you for a short walk to discover the local forest and animal life. Free time for swimming and snorkeling on Coiba. In the afternoon, we leave Coiba and sail to Golfito. Overnight at sea.

Day 5 | Wednesday

GOLFITO, COSTA RICA
We reach Golfito in the early morning for immigration procedures and our optional shore excursion to Casa Orchideas. Late afternoon departure towards Drake Bay. Late evening arrival in Drake Bay and overnight at anchor.

Day 6 | Thursday

DRAKE BAY, COSTA RICA
Welcome to Quepos, a small town and gateway to the Manuel Antonio Reserve known for its tropical plants and wildlife. Optional excursion in Corcovado National Park/Osa Peninsula, a nature preserve and tropical rainforest that occupies almost a third of the Osa Peninsula. Visitors are almost guaranteed to see some of the most incredible wildlife living in the jungles of the reserve including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws. Swimmers can have the amazing opportunity to share the warm waters with marlins, dolphins, and pilot whales. Evening arrival in Quepos, Costa Rica. Overnight at anchor.

Day 7 | Friday

QUEPOS - PLAYA BIESANZ, COSTA RICA
Like much of Costa Rica, Drake Bay is a haven for wildlife. You’ll understand what we mean after an excursion through the tropical rainforest. Here, you’re almost guaranteed to see incredible species including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws. A swim in the bay is sharing space with marlins, dolphins and pilot whales. See - we told you it’s impressive! After lunch on board, you can take the optional Forest Canopy excursion. Afternoon sailing to nearby Playa Biesanz for an afternoon swim. (Forest Canopy tour excursion participants rejoin the ship in Playa Biesanz). Tropical evening on board. Late night sailing to Puerto Caldera. Overnight at sea.

Day 8 | Saturday

PUERTO CALDERA, COSTA RICA
Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica (3PM - 4PM)
Disembarkation at 9:00 am after breakfast.

Day 1

PUERTO CALDERA, COSTA RICA
Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica (3PM - 4PM)
Join us on board and get to know your home for the week, its welcoming crew, and your fellow explorers. After a safety drill we begin the sail to Quepos, welcome drink in hand. Overnight at anchor.

Day 2

QUEPOS - PLAYA BIESANZ, COSTA RICA
Welcome to Quepos, a small town and gateway to the Manuel Antonio Reserve known for its tropical plants and wildlife. After lunch, join us on an optional Forest Canopy tour - this is a zip line across the jungle treetops! The ship will sail on to Playa Biesanz, a stunning beach located within the reserve where we’ll gather for a tropical-themed dinner on board, before a late night sail to Drake Bay. Overnight at sea.

Day 3

DRAKE BAY, COSTA RICA - GOLFITO, COSTA RICA
Like much of Costa Rica, Drake Bay is a haven for wildlife. You’ll understand what we mean after an excursion through the tropical rainforest. Here, you’re almost guaranteed to see incredible species including red-eyed tree frogs, quetzals, tapirs, harpy eagles, white-lipped peccaries, monkeys, and scarlet macaws. A swim in the bay is sharing space with marlins, dolphins and pilot whales. See - we told you it’s impressive! In the early afternoon, we’ll start our sail to Golfito.

Day 4

GRANITO DE ORO - COIBA, PANAMA
We hope you had a chance to take a dip in the ocean over the last few days, but if you were too busy wildlife spotting then today is your chance. Midday arrival at Granito de Oro - go on, dive off deck for swimming and snorkelling opportunities. After a barbecue back on deck we’ll sail to Coiba Island, Panama, the largest island in Central America and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is your next chance to swim and snorkel, but first, take a walk with our naturalist to discover local forest life. Overnight at sea, on route to Iguana Island. It’s as intriguing as it sounds.

Day 5

IGUANA ISLAND, PANAMA
We’ll start by saying, yes, there are iguanas at Iguana Island. But there is also so much more! This island was declared a wildlife sanctuary over 40 years ago and is a bird-watching paradise - including for frigate birds - and is also home to 17 different coral species, 350 species of tropical fish and 200 species of invertebrate. Hike the island paths to see plenty of crabs and iguanas. Snorkel the shallow reefs to gaze at moray eels, rays and turtles. One thing’s for sure, diving and snorkelling spots don’t come much better than this. **Overnight at sea**

Day 6

PLAYA MUERTO, DARIEN NATIONAL PARK, PANAMA
Today, join our optional excursion to Darien National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre stretching across two continents: Panama in North America and Colombia in South America. We’ll meet the Panamanian Emberá, one of 7 indiginous groups native to the country. We’re sure you’ll be enthralled by their colourful crafts and well-preserved traditions. Then, back to the ship via a quick dip in a natural waterfall. After lunch on board we sail to Panama City and dock at Flamenco Marina. Overnight at anchor.

Day 7

FLAMENCO MARINA PANAMA CITY - CANAL CROSSING, PANAMA
This morning’s optional excursion is a tour of Casco Viejo, the historic Panama City. Discover its French and Spanish colonial architecture via squares, cathedrals, and churches. Back on board we’ll enjoy lunch together before entering the Panama Canal where we cruise through the Pedro Miguel, Miraflores and Gatun Locks before heading towards Colon.

Day 8

COLON 2000, PANAMA
Our Central America cruise comes to an end today, but we invite you to one last breakfast from 9AM to wish a fond farewell to your cabin mates - many of whom we’re sure are now friends.