Highlights of Central America: Costa Rica & Panama
12 days | 15 days with Cartagena extension
From sipping coffee to spotting crocs, indulge your senses one stop at a time.
The foggy foliage of Monteverde’s cloud forests. The pristine shores of Manuel Antonio National Park. The urban buzz of Panama City—and the chirps and coos of the wildlife in nearby Chagres National Park. Wherever you look, Central America has something to catch the eye, and this tour of Costa Rica and Panama packs in the highlights. Colombia’s a short flight away, too, so why not follow the sweet sound of cumbia to Cartagena on the extension?
Your tour package includes
- 11 nights in handpicked hotels
- 11 breakfasts
- 3 lunches
- 5 dinners, some with beer or wine
- 2 food tastings
- 9 sightseeing tours
- Expert Tour Director & local guides
- Private deluxe motor coach
Included highlights
- Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
- Heliconia Ranch
- Manuel Antonio National Park
- Gesha coffee tasting
- Chitré artisan workshops
- Gatun Lake cruise
- Miraflores Locks
- Casco Viejo
- Chagres National Park
- Emberá community visit
Itinerary
San José
Day 1: Arrival in San José
Welcome to Costa Rica! Touch down in San Jose and transfer to your hotel. Settle in, then meet some of your groupmates in the evening over a light dinner.
Please note: If you arrive after 9 p.m., dinner will be served in your hotel room.
Monteverde
Day 2: Transfer to Monteverde & hiking tour of Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve
Included meals: Breakfast, Welcome lunch
Kick off your trip by heading to mountainous Monteverde, where you’ll stop at a family-owned ranch for a three-course welcome lunch, served with beer or rum punch. Then, hit the road again and prepare for an afternoon in the Costa Rican wilds.
Sitting at an elevation of roughly a mile above sea level, the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve is permanently shrouded in fog—and that only adds to its majesty. With your Tour Director in the lead, hike into the jungle to observe Costa Rica’s biodiversity in full bloom.
Learn about, and keep a lookout for, the reserve’s array of flora and fauna. Orchids and ferns dot the forest floor, while 30 types of hummingbirds—as well as three-wattled bellbirds, black-faced solitaires, and other hard-to-spot bird species—flit about overhead.
Please note: In the Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve, you should be able to hike around two miles over wet, and potentially slippery, paths.
Reviews
Hotels
We handpick every hotel to strike the balance of comfort, location, and local charm. Specific accommodations will vary based on your departure date, but these are frequently used hotels for this tour and we're confident you'll be satisfied.
Flights
Round-trip flights are one more thing we handle to make your journey as smooth as possible. Our team of travel experts will find the best flight itinerary for you at a competitive rate, thanks to our partnerships with top airlines.