Ideal for Summer Season
Adventure along the 48-mile-long Panama Canal and island-hop among tropical archipelagos on this 13-day cruise from Panama City to the Caribbean port of Colón. Tick the world-famous landmark off your bucket list as you head to some of the region’s finest dive sites, and discover exotic rainforest-covered islands rich in wildlife and wonderful white sand beaches.
- Day 1
Panama City
Meet the crew and get acquainted with your yacht
Arrive at Panama City and step aboard your waiting luxury charter yacht. The crew will be waiting with refreshments after your long journey, and then help you unpack.
After a light lunch on board, head out and take the opportunity to explore this vibrant city. If you have time, take a tender across to the secluded island of Pacheca, home to a medley of wildlife. You may even spot a migrating whale or two as you navigate around the island.
Once you return, the captain will up-anchor and set sail for the Coibas Islands, which was once a penal colony, now its part of the Coiba National Park, known for its diverse wildlife and world-class dive sites.
- Day 2
Islas Secas
Numerous activities to fill your day
Enjoy the unique biodiversity of the protected Coiba National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Water activities and shore excursions are available for those interested. Visit the Frigate Bird Colony on Coco Island, near Isla Secas. You can either choose to do this with a guide or take to the waters on the yacht’s toys. There are also excellent scuba and snorkeling to be found in the tropical waters.
You can even arrange for a Heli tour to Boquete for a Tree Trek zip line excursion, which has a transfer time of 40 min each way, for a maximum of 6 passengers. There are also tours of coffee farms and guided nature walks on offer for those staying behind.
Enjoy an evening meal on board and then overnight cruise to La Coiba.
- Day 3
Isla Coiba
Wake up in paradise
As you breakfast on the yacht’s aft deck, you will enjoy beautiful views over the turquoise Marine Preserve of Isla Coiba.
Today’s activities will center around the gin-clear waters where you can get the chance to spot loggerhead turtles, colorful parrotfish and schools of purple-finned surgeonfish among the 760 species of fish to be found here, as well as 33 kinds of shark, including white-tips.
While you are marveling at your underwater seascapes, your crew will set up lunch ashore for a beach BBQ to remember. Amid the screech of howler monkeys and scarlet macaws, relax and kick back in your tropical haven, and enjoy sundowners on the beach as a tangerine sun sets in a blaze over the horizon.
Once back aboard your yacht, the captain will set an overnight course to the Pearl Islands.
- Day 4
Pearl Islands
Savor the serenity
Known locally as Las Islas Perlas, these islands enjoy a storied past dating back to Spanish colonial times, when the islands were discovered by the Conquistadors, who named the islands after the abundance of pearls found here.
The islands are awash with wildlife, both above and below the water and it is up to you how you choose to spend the day. Whether you prefer to trek through the jungle, bask on the white sandy beaches or take to the water to witness the astonishing marine life, the choice is yours.
The waters around here are calm, making for goldilocks conditions to jump on the water toys and witness the staggering marine life from a different angle.
The yacht will cruise overnight to the entrance to the Panama Canal.
- Day 5
Panama Canal
Experience the world’s most famous waterway
The transit through the canal will take approximately 8-10 hours, traversing Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks at 85 feet above sea level.
Mid-way, the canal widens making this a great spot to have a delicious luncheon onboard, and enjoy views of the lush mangroves that line the far banks as you cruise past.
After exiting from the Panama Canal on the Caribbean side, the yacht will head to Portobelo and anchor overnight.
- Day 6
Portobelo
Get a taste of Spain’s colonial past
The charming port of Portobelo in the Colón Province was once a major trading route through which countless gold and other treasures from the Americas were shipped in the 1600s, making it a prime target for pirates.
Today, you and your guests can explore some of the town’s important fortifications and other colonial-era artifacts. The town also has its cultural roots linked with the African people of the Congo, who were brought to Panama by the Spanish. The Congo population here maintain their own culture, which has now been accorded with UNESCO Heritage status as part of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
For those who missed the chance to get in the water yesterday, Portobelo also boasts some spectacular dive sites in the surrounding waters.
Enjoy an evening meal on board, after which the Captain will reposition the yacht to the San Blas Islands.
- Day 7
San Blas islands
Tropical paradise awaits
Located in the northwest corner of Panama, set in the impossibly blue Caribbean waters, this archipelago of approximately 378 islands is quite simply paradise on earth.
With hardly any inhabitants, the islands offer pristine seclusion and tranquility everywhere you look. With each isle shaded by swaying palm trees and fringed by pearlescent sands lapped by intense turquoise waters, this really is the time to just dial it right back and savor the solitude.
The chef can prepare some freshly-caught lobster on the BBQ as you and your guests bask on the sun-kissed sands and frolic in the clear waters.
- Day 8
Coco Bandero Cays
Calm anchorage for water toys
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast to the sounds of the breeze and gently lapping waters, the Captain will up-anchor and head to the Coco Bandero archipelago.
Protected by a vast coral reef, the waters around these islands are perfect for novice divers and those who just want to swim lazily between the islands. Channel your inner Robinson Crusoe and revel in the tropical island settings, or get the crew to deploy the yacht’s toys and spend the afternoon exploring secluded coves and shallow lagoons teeming with fish.
- Day 9
Coco Banera Cays
Barefooted bliss
Snorkeling and swimming are the order of the day in these glorious palm-laden islands with implausibly powder fine white sands and intense blue waters making you think you are experiencing some kind of utopian dream.
One of the most popular anchorages here is the Swimming Pool anchorage, perfect for beachcombing and relaxing in the warm shallows as you contemplate the astonishing beauty of your surroundings.
- Day 10
Dog Island
Dive the famous wreck
Offering beautiful clear waters and heavenly beaches, Dog Island, or Isla Perro, is one of the most popular islands in the San Blas archipelago.
Don’t miss the opportunity to dive the wreckage from an old army gunboat that has now become home to a motley collection of colorful marine fauna and flora.
Isla Perro is also renowned as one of the top snorkeling sites, so if diving isn’t your thing, don a mask and some fins and glide over spectacularly clear waters and witness the hive of marine activity from above.
- Day 11
San Blas Islands
Take your pick of tropical islands
The Captain can be led by you and your guests as to your itinerary for today.
Take your pick of one of the myriad islands before you, or speak with the crew to let them know what everyone is in the mood for and they can make your dreams come true.
In the evening, enjoy a heavenly meal of freshly prepared fish paired with a crisp white and spend the evening playing the yacht’s board games for some wholesome entertainment.
- Day 12
Turtle Island
Your penultimate day
Make the most of your last days in the San Blas Islands.
Named after the turtles who come here to lay their eggs between May - August, the island offers prime snorkeling territory with beautiful colorful corals and kaleidoscopic fish swimming mere meters from the surface.
- Day 13
Colón
Your last full day of your Panamanian adventure
Explore the vibrant city of Colón, which sits at the entrance to the Panama Canal.
There are numerous things to see and do here, from experiencing the viewing platforms over the Gatun Lake locks at the Canal Expansion Observation Center to an afternoon spent shopping ‘til you drop in the tax-free trade zone, or discovering the well-preserved colonial Fort San Lorenzo, the choice is yours.
If city life isn’t for you, you can always just relax and enjoy your luxury charter yacht and its amenities and attentive crew.
- Day 14
Panama
All good things must come to an end
Make your final farewells, until your next yacht charter adventure.
After a hearty breakfast on board, say your goodbyes before making your way back to the airport and your journey home. Your Captain or yacht charter broker will have arranged for a helicopter or small plane to transport you and your guests to Panama City.
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*All distances are approximate
