Panama -- adventure, nature, and The Canal. Seeing the canal has long been on our "bucket list" and we finally made it. In addition to seeing the daily workings of the canal, it was a thrill to see the new locks under construction. The scope of these projects is almost beyond comprehension!
We began our trip in El Valle, a small town in the crater of an ancient volcano where we hiked, zip lined, biked around the town and markets.
Next, we moved to the Gamboa Eco Lodge on the shores of Gatun Lake, the lake formed when the canal locks were built. Visited the Barro Colorado Island, operated by the Smithsonian since the island was first created; scientists from all over the world come here to study tropical forests. For several days, we watched the canal life in action and had one of the most fun kayak trips ever in the backwaters of the lake. Wildlife galore!
Lastly, our itinerary took us into Panama City, a fast-growing, extremely modern city. I don't know quite what we expected the city to look like, but this wasn't what we had pictured! Toured the city, the "old city," which is getting a big facelift, and The Canal.
Adventure Life has been an extraordinary travel resource for us over the years and today was no exception. Our River Cruise booking was handled by Jess (who has been our personal trip planner for several years) the same day as our inquiry. Suggestions were given for cabin choice and pre-trip options (that were not shown on the cruise line's website) like airport transfers and prepaid gratuities. Trip insurance recommendations followed and we were assigned a travel co-ordinator till the end of the tour. All we have to do is show up! Great service from friendly folks.
APtravelwell
1 day ago
My representative Kevin was very responsive generally and in crafting our itinerary to our specific priorities.
Rocco Labella
1 day ago
Although there was a lot of paper work, I received help and guidance when I needed it.
Donna Kirby
2 days ago
Our travel was flawless! The rider pickup (airport, hotel, ship) was seamless. Jane's recommendation for Emerald Cruise Sakara was everything I wanted but the experience was soooo much more. Adventure Life took care of each and every detail and this was the easiest of all my travels.
Anne Petty
3 days ago
Follow up was effective any questions were answered in a timely manner