Holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica + Darien birding tours, with private guides
Positioned at the crossroads of the Americas, holidays to Panama Canal & Costa Rica and specialist Darien birding tours with private guides, offer an exciting mix of urban buzz, incredible engineering achievements, pristine rainforests, indigenous cultures, verdant cloud forests and stunning island beaches.
Wherever you choose to visit in this beautiful country covered in lush forest, most holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica & Darien birding tours with guides are likely to begin in Panama City, a dynamic centre of international finance and commerce, with evocative remnants of Spanish colonialism and pirate history. Founded in 1519 by the Spanish, it sits at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. The original site was sacked and burned by a notorious Welsh privateer, Henry Morgan, but the ruins of the old town, Panama Viejo, remain a fascinating and popular tourist attraction, with its delightful colonial maze of plazas, bars, churches, cafés and palaces.
In contrast, the modern 1,000m Centennial Bridge, built in 2004, carries the Pan-American Highway over the Panama Canal. You can enjoy superb shopping here (high-end to ethnic) and wander through the Los Pueblos open-air mall. The Panama Canal changed world shipping and international trade forever and is a must-see, even if you aren’t an engineering buff. You can view it from the Visitor Centre, take a boat trip on part of it, or journey alongside it on the marvellous Coast to Coast Panama Railway. Just outside the city, don’t miss the stunning Frank Gehry Biodiversity Museum. On holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guides, you can explore world-class interactive exhibitions that cover Panama’s emergence from the oceans and its importance to the world’s bio-diversity.
Panama is barely 50 miles across, so there is a wonderful choice of day tours covering both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. These include trips to the Gamboa rainforest and birding tours in Metropolitan National Park. Longer Darien birding tours with private guides can be arranged, if you wish to search for the magnificent harpy eagle. On holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica & Darien birding tours with private guides, you can also enjoy whale watching along the Pacific coast between July and October.
If its culture you are interested in, you can visit an indigenous Embera village. The tranquil and unspoiled San Blas Islands on the Caribbean coast are the home of the indigenous Kuna Yala people, but it’s a very long day trip so we recommend staying overnight if possible, although the accommodation is rustic. The Chiriqui Highlands in the west have mountains draped in thick cloud forest and are ideal for walking, kayaking, canopy zip-lining and white water rafting on holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guides.
If a relaxed Caribbean vibe is what you are looking for, go no further than the beaches of the spectacular Bocas del Toro archipelago. The capital, Bocas Town, is located on Isla Colon and has exquisite beaches, many water sports and great snorkelling and scuba diving.
Combine your ideas with our expertise and let us help you create a holiday of a lifetime. We offer a wide range of options at different price points, all of which can be tailor made to your needs.
We have been arranging holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, as well as specialist Darien birding tours, with private guides for over 20 years.
ALL OUR HOLIDAYS TO PANAMA CANAL AND COSTA RICA & DARIEN BIRDING TOURS WITH GUIDES ARE FINANCIALLY PROTECTED wherever in the world you live.
More information on holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, as well as specialist Darien birding tours, with private guides:
Dynamic, sophisticated and multi-cultural, Panama is one of the safest country in Central America with an excellent infrastructure and the ease of having the US dollar as its currency.
You will not have to go far to find profusion of wildlife on holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guides. Metropolitan National Park is located beside the Panama Canal, just ten minutes from the city and is home to caimans, tapirs, abundant birdlife and a profusion of butterflies. The rainforests of Soberania National Park to the east of the Panama Canal are also easy to reach and perfect for hiking and birding. Pipeline Road and longer Darien birding tours with specialist birding guides are also popular, as this region is home to the enormous but elusive harpy eagle.
On the ‘Coast to Coast’ Pacific Railway, you can view magnificent modern shipping locks at one end and preserved Spanish forts at the other end. On holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guides, at Portobelo on the Caribbean coast you can wander among the ruins of five Spanish forts built when the town was at the centre of the colonial trade in treasure seized from the Incas.
Less than two hours from Panama City, on the Pacific coast there are good beaches such as Santa Clara. Further west is the Azuero Peninsula, which is the traditional heart of Panama and where both the colonial and indigenous cultures have been well preserved. Surfing and sport fishing are two of the top coastal activities here, with the towns of Chitre, Las Tablas and Pedasi providing local charm on holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guides.
The Chiriqui Highlands close to the border with Cost Rica, coupled with the Gulf of Chiriqui Marine Reserve, is a magnificent eco-diverse location that is ideal for those who love the outdoors. It is a region of volcanic peaks, orchids, cattle and coffee, where they it always feels like spring. There are many outdoor activities here, including hiking, kayaking, canopy zip-lining and white water rafting. Or you can simply walk and take in the astonishing richness of the animal, bird and plant life. On holidays to Panama Canal and Costa Rica, and Darien birding tours with private guide, you can explore this scenic region from San José de David, the local capital, or from the charming alpine town of Boquete.
Filter by Interest:
![Holiday Panama Canal Costa Rica Coast to Coast Railway San Blas Islands]()
This holiday to the Panama Canal & Costa Rica combines the pristine rainforest wildlife of Cost Rica with the engineering marvels of the amazing Panama Canal. Enjoy a tour of Panama City & the opportunity to ride the Coast to Coast Railway. You can also take day trips to visit local tribes or the beautiful San Blas Islands. All transfers & specified sightseeing included.
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• Holiday: Panama Canal & Costa Rica
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• Monteverde Cloud Forest
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• Sky Tram & Zipline
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• Sloths, Birds & Sea Turtles
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• Arenal Volcano
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• Hanging Bridges & Hot Springs
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• San Blas Islands
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• Manuel Antonio
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• Coast to Coast Railway
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• Panama Canal & City Tour
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![Panama Tours Wildlife Holidays Canal Gamboa Chiriqui Bocas del Toro]()
Our privately guided Panama tours & wildlife holidays explore this beautiful country, from the famous Panama Canal & Coast to Coast Railway, to the Gamboa Rainforest full of tropical birds, butterflies & other wildlife. Visit the indigenous Embera Quera tribe, Azuero Peninsula, Chiriqui Highlands & spectacular Bocas del Toro, where you can snorkel & dive. English speaking guide, all transfers & sightseeing included.
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• Panama City
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• Panama Tours & Wildlife Holidays
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• Panama Canal
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• Gamboa Rainforest
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• Embera Quera Tribe
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• Coast to Coast Railway
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• Azuero Peninsula, Rum Tour
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• Chiriqui Highlands, Coffee Tour
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• Bocas del Toro
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• Snorkelling in Caribbean
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![Bird Watching Holiday Panama Birding Tour Harpy Eagle Darien Pipeline Road]()
This bird watching holiday in Panama will allow you to visit one of the top birding destinations in the world, with a bird count of over 1,000 recorded species. Enjoy a private Panama birding tour in search of the Harpy Eagle in Darien National Park & birding along the Pipeline Road & in San Francisco private reserve. English-speaking birding guide, all transfers & park fees included.
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• Panama City tour
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• Gamboa Rainforest & Wetland
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• Bird Watching Holiday, Panama
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• Panama Birding Tour
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• Pipeline Road Birding
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• San Franciso Reserve
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• Chucunaque Birding
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• Harpy Eagle Trail
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• Darien Forest Birding
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• Rancho Frio Ranger Station
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![Costa Rica and Panama Canal Holiday Arenal Sloths Bocas Del Toro]()
This Costa Rica and Panama holiday combines the tropical rainforests, hanging bridge & hot springs of Arenal Volcano, with Monterverde cloud forest & Manuel Antonio, with its sloths & wonderful birdlife. Afterwards fly to spectacular Bocas Del Toro island in the Caribbean, with snorkelling & diving. End in Panama City, with a tour of the canal. All transfers, light aircraft flight & sightseeing included.
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• Sloths
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• Panama Canal Holiday
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• Hot Springs
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• Tropical Birds
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• Monteverde Cloud Forest
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• Hanging Bridges
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• Arenal Volcano
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• Bocas del Toro
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• Manuel Antonio
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• Costa Rica and Panama Holiday
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![Holidays to Colombia and Panama Canal Tours Cocora Valley Cartagena]()
Our wonderful range of holidays to Colombia and Panama, including Panama Canal tours & a ride on the Coast-to-Coast Railway. Visit Bogota with its Gold Museum, Salt Cathedral, pretty colonial Ville de Leyva, the beautiful Corcora Valley in the Coffee Region & the historic walled city of Cartagena - a World Heritage site. English speaking guides, all transfers & specified sightseeing included.
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• Bogota
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• Panama Canal Tours
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• Salt Cathedral
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• Villa de Leyva
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• Botanical Gardens
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• Coffee Region
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• Holidays to Colombia and Panama
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• Cocora Valley & Salento
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• Cartagena
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• Panama Railway
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![Holidays Panama Canal Costa Rica Nicaragua Arenal Granada Leon]()
Travelling with your own English-speaking guide, enjoy our amazing 3 country holidays to the Panama Canal, Costa Rica & Nicaragua. Visit the famous Panama Canal & ride 'Coast to Coast' on the Panama Railway. Then fly to San Jose to visit Arenal volcano & Rincon de la Vieje, before continuing to the colonial cities of Granada and Leon. English speaking guide & all specified sightseeing included.
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• San Jose
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• Holidays Panama Canal, Costa Rica
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• Panama Canal
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• Tortuguero Wetalnds
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• Leon
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• Panama Railway
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• Arenal Volcano
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• Rincon de la Vieja
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• Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua
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• Granada
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![Colombia Wildlife Holiday Amazon Tayrona Birds Otun Quimbaya Cocora]()
This Grand Colombia holiday has it all, combining sightseeing with a wildlife holiday as you explore the rainforests of the Amazon & Tayrona National Park, the birds of Otun Quimbaya & the wax palms of the Cocora Valley. Also visit Bogota, colonial Ville de Leyva, San Agustin archaeological site, Medellin & historic Cartagena. English speaking guides & all transfers included.
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• Colombia Wildlife Holiday
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• Salt Cathedral
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• Villa de Leyva
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• Amazon Basin
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• Birds of Otun Quimbaya
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• Cocora Valley
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• Cartagena
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• Tayrona National Park
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• Bogota
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• Pink Dolphins
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