Fuerte Amador, Balboa Cruise from Balboa to Puntarenas — 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.

Colon, Panama

Colón puts you at Panama’s Caribbean gateway, where the Atlantic meets the Panama Canal. At Agua Clara Locks, watch ships pass through the expanded canal toward Gatun Lake. Nearby, Portobelo and San Lorenzo preserve Spanish colonial fortifications built to guard Caribbean trade routes. Colón is best approached as a gateway, with its strongest draws found in the canal, historic coast and surrounding rainforest.

• Land Tour (Land Tour)

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.

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.

At Sea (At Sea)

Coiba Island Panama, Panama

Coiba Island rewards travelers willing to leave the mainland behind. Once a remote penal colony, Coiba is now the heart of Coiba National Park. This UNESCO World Heritage site protects rainforest, beaches and rich Pacific waters. Boat access keeps visits intimate, but expect simple facilities, guided excursions and little shade. Choose a snorkeling or diving trip to explore waters known for reef fish, sea turtles and seasonal pelagic life.

Golfo Dulce

Golfo Dulce is one of the world’s few tropical fjords, formed by tectonic forces rather than glaciers. Between the Osa Peninsula and Costa Rica’s mainland, its deep, sheltered waters draw dolphins and seasonal humpback whales. Rainforest crowds the shore, with Corcovado and Piedras Blancas national parks protecting extraordinary wildlife. Come for quiet coves, rich birdlife and a rare encounter with Costa Rica’s wild Pacific coast.

Land Tour (Land Tour)

Puntarenas

Step ashore in Puntarenas, Costa Rica’s long, narrow port city on the Pacific coast. From here, rainforest reserves, coffee country and the Nicoya Peninsula lie within reach. Walk the waterfront promenade for seafood and views across the Gulf of Nicoya. Or head inland to Monteverde’s cloud forest. Plan one excursion and allow time for the road; Puntarenas is best enjoyed at an unhurried pace.

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