8 nights · train/bus travel · Departs land tour (Panama) · Visiting Colon, Portobelo, Panama Canal, Gatun Lake Panama Canal, Pearl Islands Panama · Aboard Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Quest
Image courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions ©
| Cruise line | Lindblad Expeditions |
|---|---|
| Ship | National Geographic Quest |
| Duration | 8 nights |
| Port calls | 6 |
| Departures | 4 sailings |
| From fare | $6,125 per person |
| Year built | 2017 |
| Guests | 100 |
| Cabins | 50 |
| Crew | 35 |
| Length | 73 m |
| Beam | 14 m |
| Cruising speed | 12.0 kn |
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
Scattered across the Gulf of Panama, the Pearl Islands offer a quieter counterpoint to the capital’s bustle. Ferries connect Panama City with Contadora, known for sandy coves, clear water and nearby beaches. The archipelago includes more than 200 islands and islets, many uninhabited; Isla del Rey is the largest. Come for swimming, boat trips and a glimpse of island life shaped by fishing. The name recalls pearl beds prized by Spanish colonists in the sixteenth century.
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.
Published September 9, 2026
Last updated October 3, 2026
Author: J. Richard
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