Costa Rica & Panama: The Grand Discovery

First, a group breakfast followed by a climb up the Poás Volcano slopes for a complete plantation tour, from red cherry to roasted bean, with a tasting included. The afternoon includes a stop in Grecia and Sarchí, the capital of painted oxcarts – the country's emblematic craft. The route then climbs into the Tilarán mountain range towards Monteverde, where your lodge awaits you on the edge of the cloud forest.

Tonight's option: guided nocturnal outing to encounter nighttime wildlife (on-site fees apply).

Morning of exploration in one of the great reserves Monteverde — Curi-Cancha, Santa Elena, or Monteverde, depending on conditions: orchids, bromeliads, 400 bird species, and, if the mist allows, the quetzal. In the afternoon, gain altitude on the hanging bridges of a private reserve, gazing into the canopy, before visiting a hummingbird garden at the end of the day.

For the daring: optional ziplining over the forest (fees apply on-site).

Scenic route around Lake Arenal, dotted with stops: a viewpoint over the lake, a café-viewpoint, craft stalls, and impromptu brake activations whenever a coati or a toucan crosses the landscape. Check into a charming hotel at the foot of the volcano. Arenal, then relax in the gardens or take a walking tour with your guide.

Tonight, volcanic-heated thermal baths: included in some hotels on the circuit, otherwise optional (fee payable on site).

morning, trails in the National Park of'Arenal We walk on the 1968 lava flows while the guide recounts the tumultuous life of the colossal volcano, now dormant. Campesino lunch at a small farm on the other slope, a visit to its crops and biomass digester – sustainable Costa Rica in practice. Free late afternoon: pool, gardens, or a trip to La Fortuna.

Departure at dawn, hearty breakfast in Guápiles, then boarding at the La Pavona dock: an hour of navigation between rivers and canals to reach Tortuguero, to nowhere. Buffet lunch at the lodge, then a visit to the village, nestled between the canal and the Caribbean Sea, and a walk back along the beach where turtles lay their eggs.

From July to October, optional: nighttime observation of green sea turtle nesting (fees payable on site).

Full day in the National Park of Tortuguero boat safaris at water level—caimans, basilisk lizards, howler monkeys, kingfishers—and walks along the lodge's trails. Between excursions, enjoy the pool, the frog garden, and a nap in a hammock under six meters of annual rainfall (not all in the same day, we promise).

Boat to La Pavona, then crossing the immense forest of Braulio Carrillo Park, buffet lunch en route. Arrival at San Jose 4-5 PM: setup, dinner with the group, and a quiet evening — tomorrow the second chapter begins, heading south.

Head for Irazú, 3,432 m, the country's highest volcano: five craters, an emerald sulfurous lake, and – if the morning is clear – both oceans on the horizon. After a regional lunch, the road tilts into the Talamanca mountain range and plunges towards the valley of San Gerardo de Dota, cool kingdom of giant bamboos and wild apple trees. Eco-lodge on the Savegre River, first nature walk.

At dawn, the hummingbird ballet opens the day; then your guide, briefed by trackers San Gerardo de Dota On the nests of the moment, we take you to track down the resplendent quetzal. In the afternoon, hike along the river to the waterfall, amidst lichens and tree ferns. Evening buffet by the fire, cozy night at 2,200 m.

Observation point at the summit of Cerro de la Muerte, then a long descent to the south coast to the river village of Sierpe. There, everyone boards: the boat goes down the river through the large mangrove forest before heading to Drake Bay, at the entrance to the Osa Peninsula. Landing on the beach, sandals on feet; two nights in a charming rustic inn, simple and well-kept, as close as possible to Corcovado Park.

At 7 a.m., boat to Sirena or San Pedrillo, in the national park of Corcovado — The largest rainforest on the Pacific slope of Central America. Full-day guided hikes: scarlet macaws, anteaters, peccaries, four species of monkeys, and tapirs for the lucky. Picnic facing the Pacific, return to Drake in the mid-afternoon, and a fiery western sunset.

Morning ascent of the Sierpe — last mangrove safari — then coastal road to the national park of Manuel Antonio. On its 638 hectares, the animal density is almost unbelievable: sloths, capuchins, squirrel monkeys, iguanas, and beaches fringed with jungle. In the evening, settle into a seaside hotel near Tárcoles, pool included.

Two-hour morning cruise on the Guacalillo estuary and Tárcoles River, bordering Carara National Park: it is one of the highest densities of American crocodiles in the world, under the comings and goings of scarlet macaws. Lunch upon return, then an afternoon at your leisure between the beach and the pool. Last Costa Rican night.

Photo stop at the Tárcoles bridge - the crocodiles below are worth the detour - then drive to San José airport and flight (included) to Panama City. Welcome and check-in at a 4-star hotel at the foot of the towers: Central America suddenly changes scale.

From Gamboa, your cruise ship enters the famous Culebra Cut, blasted open with picks and dynamite through the continental divide. Next are the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks—a 27-meter descent to the Pacific—the Bridge of the Americas, and arrival at Flamenco Marina, with the skyline as your backdrop. Lunch is served on board; commentary provided by a local guide (English/Spanish).

Optional: private French-speaking guide for the canal cruise (quote upon request).

Head to Chagres National Park, then enjoy a 45-minute dugout canoe ride downriver – pure Amazonian atmosphere guaranteed – to the Emberá village. The community welcomes you with music: handicrafts (basketry, sculptures, jewelry), body painting with jagua, medicinal plants explained in the forest, and a lunch of fish with plantains served on a banana leaf, all accompanied by dances. Return to the capital at the end of the day.

Crossing of the isthmus to Colón and the Caribbean coast. On its promontory above the mouth of the Chagres River, Fort San Lorenzo (1598) still aligns its colonial cannons facing the sea — Henry Morgan captured it in 1670 before marching on Panama. Afterward, visit the Gatún Locks, the most colossal on the canal, then return to Panama City.

Grand final: the ruins of Panamá La Vieja (1519), then the alleys and balconies of the Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site — Place de France, Plaza Bolívar, colonial churches. Lunch in the heart of the district, Panama Canal Museum if time permits, and a final look at the ships from the Miraflores Visitor Center observation deck. Transfer to Panama City airport (flights after 4 p.m. recommended). Nineteen full days — and the desire to return.