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Beaches and Culture Tour

Panama 10 Day Culture & Beaches Tour

The activities and itinerary are already set. Lodging and Dining simply depend on your style: backpacker, budget, or luxury budget.
Contact The Panama Insider for arrangements:

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Day 1:
Lodging:
Meals included: Welcome dinner
Activities: Traveling day

Day 2:
Lodging:
Meals included: 1 Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Activities: Ruinas de Panama La Vieja, Casco Antiguo, and Panama Canal

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RUINAS DE PANAMA LA VIEJA

Today we will visit the birthplace of Panama's capital, and photograph the Ruins of Old Panama or Ruinas de Panama La Vieja. The city was founded in 1519 and was a frequent target of pirate raids. When the city was looted by pirate Henry Morgan in 1671, the governor ordered powder magazines destroyed and the entire city burned to the ground. We will photograph the ancient ruins, the countryside, the people we meet along the way, and learn the history that will define the rest of the trip.

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CASCO VIEJO- ANTIGUO

The second part of our morning’s journey we will visit the historic part of Panama City, Casco Antiguo also known as Casco Viejo. This part of the city was declared a World Heritage site in 1997. Narrow brick streets, old churches, cafes, wrought-iron balconies, and old Colonial Spanish buildings are just some of the photographic opportunities that await. It is truly one of the most photographic parts of the entire city.

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PANAMA CANAL

The third leg of the day will focus on one of the major engineering feats of the world, the Panama Canal. Connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, this vital shipping lane permits over 14,000 ships' passage per year. Witness history in the making; bring your tripod to document urban landscapes, environmental portraits, historical constructions, and the workings of this modern-day vital resource.

Day 3:
Lodging:
Meals Included: 1 Lunch
Activities: Emberá-Wounaan Indian Community
Today we will be visiting the Emberá -Wounaan Indians in their jungle home. We will travel to the northeast portion of the country and venture by canoe to the Emberá Village. Here we step back in time observing a fascinating culture and people that have remained unchanged for centuries! About 8,000 of these semi-nomadic Indians live in Panama surviving on hunting, fishing, and making crafts. We’ll learn interesting facts like how the Emberá people taught the US Military jungle survival skills including Apollo astronauts like John Glenn. You will learn about some of these same plants taught to the military by one of the village elders. We will also take a ride down the Chagres River to a pristine waterfall in the heart of the rainforest (Appropriate for the minorly disabled).

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EMBERA-WOUNAAN INDIGENOUS TRIBE

Day 4:
Lodging: Yanugalu Eco Lodge & Tours- Isla Diablo
Meals Included: 1 Lunch, and 1 Dinner
Activities-San Blas Paradise Islands

The day begins early as we embark on a relaxing awe-inspiring journey to the San Blas islands. We’ll arrive to the capitol island, El Porvenir, via a 20 minute plane ride. Then it’s off to visit your choice of 4 islands in the Cayos Limones (Lemon Keys) where we’ll photograph the amazing blue waters, tiny white sand beaches, and colorful Kuna Indian women. We’ll learn how these islands are formed, how to recognize a high quality mola (the Kuna quilting art), and relax on various beaches.

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CAYOS LIMONES- LEMON KEYS

Day 5:
Lodging: Yanugalu Eco Lodge & Tours- camping
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch, and 1 Dinner
Activities-Cayos Holandeses, aka the Dutch Keys

The Dutch Keys, located northeast of El Porvenir, San Blas Archipelago, is one of the most intensely serene areas in Panama or the world. This is a place where the vastness of the turquoise sea blends with the blue sky. Couples can relax on Turtle Island in one of the numerous private nooks around the beach, while others entertain themselves by pulling lures to catch tuna, barracuda, red snapper, grouper, dorado fish or saws. The breeze and bright sun accompany the peaceful environment. A humble kayuko disperses indigenous shipments of lobsters and cambombia crabs which they have masterfully dived for without special masks. Photograph sunsets as red as the delicious snapper trapping tourists, and the gentle waves that lie in natural soft white sand

CAYOS HOLANDESES- DUTCH KEYS

Day 6:
Lodging: Cabañas Carti- Isla Carti Yandup
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch, and 1 Dinner
Activities-Visit populated Kuna Indian islands, museum, and sleep with the natives.

Now that we’ve reveled in their playgrounds, we’ll learn about the Kuna culture, interesting religious ties to Jesus & the Mormon faith, and learn how they came to seek protection from the Spanish Inquisition. The day’s activities include: traditional Kuna dance, the biology museum, Kuna culture museum, history of the mola, as well as photographing and sleeping in authentic Kuna feng shui huts. We’ll play with the children and learn Kuna dialect over a sumptuous lobster dinner.

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BOCAS DEL TORO

Day 7:
Lodging:
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch
Activities: Travel day to the Bocas del Toro Caribbean.
After breakfast we are taken by boat to the El Porvenir airport. Having arrived at Albrook airport, we then depart by way of another small plane to Bocas Del Toro. Situated next to Costa Rica in western Panama, Bocas Del Toro is a place of unspoiled and unpolluted nature; it is emerging as the Galapagos of the 21st century. In this ecological paradise find an array of biology, beaches, and swelling warm waters surrounded by colorful rainforest and locals. Upon arrival in Bocas we will have a day filled with many options. We will photograph Bocas Town, an old Colonial Caribbean town. You can also choose from a half day of snorkeling, diving, yoga, bar hopping, or a stroll along one of 4 local beachs. This will be a day to recharge before we head out on our next adventure.

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SNORKELING CRAWL CAY

Day 8:
Lodging:
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast, 1 Lunch, and 1 Dinner
Activities: Boating, snorkeling, & beaches
Today we will take a boat excursion to visit our third indigenous culture, the Ngobe Indians. The Ngobe Indians are the largest indigenous group in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. They inhabit several islands in the region including Colon, Bastimentos, Solarte, San Cristobal, Popa, and Swan’s Cay. The Ngobe's chaquira, or necklace, is made with colorful beads and is one of their signature crafts. Our tour begins with snorkeling at the Dolphin Bay reserve, then on to Isla San Cristobal for a small hike. Today we’ll photograph the orange and red frogs. Then it’s on to snorkel Crawl Cay, lunch where we’ll get up close and personal with a rainbow of macaws, and then on to Red Frog Beach. So, in addition to documenting the Ngobe culture at Isla San Cristobal, we’ll also capture landscapes, ocean, and wildlife photography.

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ISLA BASTIMENTOS

Day 9:
Lodging:
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast
Activities: Travel day back to Panama City and free day.
We will spend our last morning on Bocas Del Toro, then travel back to Panama City for a final day of photographing, shopping, casinos, or whatever stirs you. Our last day is usually a free day where a variety of opportunities are available. If your group has something specific in mind, now is the time.

Day 10:
Meals Included: 1 Full Breakfast
Activities: Departure day to USA.
We travel home with a plethora of memories and lots of digital files to edit or film to develop.