8 day Natural Wonders of Central America Cruise

Colón, Panama
Colón is the second largest city in Panama, at the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal.  Colón was founded in 1850 by Americans working on the Panama railroad connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts through the isthmus of Panama; the city rapidly overshadowed the older Caribbean ports of Panama when the canal opened.

Embarkation 2/19/2026 from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Departure 2/19/2026 at 8:00 PM

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

San Blas Islands
Located on the north-east coast of Panama, the San Blas archipelago is a string of coral islands in the heart of the Caribbean Sea. More than 300 islands and cays cover an area of approximately 115 square miles offering travelers a multitude of treasures. Sheltered behind a long coral reef, the San Blas Islands are full of enchanting anchorages. The long sandy white beaches bound by crystal-clear waters will allow you to relax and enjoy incredible marine fauna before engaging with the Kunas Indian community.

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

Crossing the Panama Canal
Aboard your ship you will experience something unique, that has inspired the imagination of numerous adventurers in the 20th century, sailing the Panama Canal. The canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic to the Pacific. Including three levels of locks and by raising ships to the level of Lake Gatun, almost as if the water was a lift, it allows them to avoid having to round Cape Horn.

Overnight: Onboard Cruise ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

Playa Muerto, Darien National Park
The most remote and least developed region of Panama, the province of Darien is an unspoilt land with an extremely rich variety of flora and fauna. Listed by UNESCO as World Heritage, Darien National Park offers its extraordinary scenery of rocky coastlines, mountain ranges, mangroves, rivers and creeks. Discover Playa Muerto, a tiny coastal village home to the Emberas Amerindian community. You will visit the village, attend traditional songs and dances of the locals, and admire beautiful local craft.

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

Fuerte Amador, Flamenco Island
An artificial peninsula situated at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal, Fuerte Amador is the gateway to several noteworthy sites. Right near there, the impressive Miraflores Locks are a shining example of the engineering feats deployed during the construction of the Panama Canal. Further north, in villages nestling amid dense vegetation, lives the Embera tribe, guardian of the forest and of the Chagres River.

Included Option #1: Biological & Cultural Diversity of Panama

• Visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra Nature Center with tour guided by Smithsonian scientists.
• Trip to Casco Antiguo, with a guided walking tour.
• Visit to the Biodiversity Museum, designed by architect Frank Gehry.
• Lunch included.

Included Option #2: Archaeology & Biological Diversity of Panama

• Visit to the Biodiversity Museum, designed by architect Frank Gehry.
• Visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute’s Punta Culebra Nature Center, with a tour guided by Smithsonian scientists.
• Lunch in Panama City is included.
• Trip to Panama Viejo.

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

At Sea
During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or nearby sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, do some shopping in the boutique, or meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space.

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Stateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

Quepos, Costa Rica
Quepos makes for a charming stop-off on the Pacific coast, just next-door to the famous Manuel Antonio National Park, an untouched tropical natural reserve lined with white sandy beaches. The town’s seafront is an opportunity to stroll through market stalls, touting pineapples and bananas in the shade of the manchineel trees, as well as shopping in the many traditional boutiques to pick up some handmade cotton clothing, ceramics, and hand-painted wood pieces.

Available Included Options:

• Rafting on the Savegre River
• Manuel Antonio National Park
• Rainforest and Waterfalls Walk
• Birding in the Rainforest
• Boating Through the Mangroves

Overnight: Onboard Cruise Ship, Le Champlain – Deluxe Dtateroom
Meals: All Inclusive

Puntarenas, Costa Rica
The capital of the eponymous province, Puntarenas is sometimes called “the pearl of the Pacific”, for its unique charm. It sits on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, along the Gulf of Nicoya, lined with long expanses of wild natural environments. Further inland, among the countless natural wonders to be found in the generous rainforest of the Costa Rica’s national parks, Poas and Arena volcanoes towers up in all their majestic glory. In this luxuriant natural setting, Costa Rica protects one of the planet’s richest biodiversity: monkeys, sloths, tropical birds, iguanas, crocodiles, waterfalls, canyons, and more than ten thousand species of tropical plants.

Arrival 2/26/2026 early morning
Disembarkation 2/26/2026 at 8:00 AM