Fuerte Amador, Balboa Cruise from Balboa to Cartagena — 8 Days

Panama City, Panama

Balboa sits at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, where ocean-going ships begin their passage between continents. From the port, Panama City’s skyline rises beyond the canal’s working waters. Visit Casco Viejo for restored colonial streets, independent cafés and views across the bay. Or follow the Amador Causeway toward the Biomuseo and sweeping views of ships awaiting transit. Balboa rewards travelers who look beyond the canal to a capital shaped by trade, history and the sea.

Gatun Lake Panama Canal, Panama

Gatun Lake is the broad, green heart of the Panama Canal, created when the Chagres River was dammed in 1913. Here, freighters pass between forested shores and islands that were once hilltops. Boat excursions reveal the canal at close range as ships thread its working waterway. Look for monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and tropical birds along the shore.

Panama Canal, Panama

Few journeys change your sense of scale like a passage through the Panama Canal. This 50-mile waterway links the Atlantic and Pacific, lifting ships through locks and across Gatun Lake. Watch the gates close, water rise, and a vast vessel move within inches of concrete walls. On deck, the engineering is the spectacle; beyond it, rainforest edges the route. Bring binoculars, and stay outside for the crossing.

Portobelo, Panama

Portobelo’s sheltered Caribbean bay once served Spain’s silver trade, and its stone forts still watch the shoreline. Founded in 1597, this Panamanian town became one of the empire’s chief Atlantic ports. Walk its UNESCO-listed fortifications, visit the customs house, then enter San Felipe Church to see the Black Christ. Here, history sits close to the water, beside a harbor that shaped an empire.

San Blas Islands Panama, Panama

San Blas is no conventional cruise port. More than 300 islands and cays fringe Panama’s Caribbean coast. Here, clear water and white-sand beaches meet Guna Yala, an Indigenous territory with a distinct culture. Choose a boat outing for reef snorkeling, or visit a Guna community and discover mola textiles, sewn by Guna women. Access and transport require advance planning, typically through a local operator or community.

Capurgana Colombia (Ask Travel Agent)

Covenas Colombia, Colombia

Coveñas sits on Colombia’s Caribbean coast, beside the Gulf of Morrosquillo and long stretches of pale sand. Warm, shallow water makes the town a welcome pause for swimming. Fishing boats and seafood kitchens keep the shoreline distinctly local. Nearby, La Caimanera’s mangroves invite exploration by boat, while trips from Tolú reach the San Bernardo Islands. Come for an unhurried beach day, then linger over fresh fish as the sun sets across the gulf.

• Land Tour (Land Tour)
• Land Tour (Land Tour)
• Land Tour (Land Tour)

Land Tour (Land Tour)

Cartagena Colombia, Colombia

A short ride from Cartagena’s cruise port brings you to its UNESCO-listed historic centre and handsome colonial streets. Inside the old walls, flower-draped balconies, shaded plazas and broad stone lanes lead to cafés, churches and lively markets. Visit Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the great fortress built to defend the harbor, then explore colorful Getsemaní. Come early, before the midday heat settles over the plazas, and save time for a cool drink beside the Caribbean.