Colón is the second largest city in Panama, at the Caribbean entrance of the Panama Canal. Colón is an important port today, and the free trade zone created in 1953 contributed greatly to the city's development. 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.

Located on the northeast 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 300 square kilometers, offering travelers a multitude of treasures. The San Blas Islands are sheltered behind a long coral reef 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. Still subsisting on hunting and fishing, they will welcome you in their villages of bamboo houses gathered near the beaches.

Aboard your ship and experience something unique that has inspired the imagination of numerous adventurers in the 20th century: sailing the Panama Canal. Its construction started in 1880 under the direction of Ferdinand de Lesseps. Abandoned then resumed, the United States completed this engineering marvel and opened in 1914. The canal crosses the Isthmus of Panama and links the Atlantic to the Pacific. Including three levels of locks and raising ships to Lake Gatun, almost as if the water was a lift, allows them to avoid having to round Cape Horn.

An artificial peninsula at the Panama Canal's Pacific entrance, 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 the Chagres River. These proud people have successfully preserved their traditions and ancestral way of life, predating the Spanish colonization of the region.

The province of Darien, the most remote and least developed region of Panama, is an unspoiled land with an extremely wide variety of flora and fauna. Listed by UNESCO as a 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 can visit the village, attend the traditional songs and dances of the locals, and admire beautiful local crafts.

During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to relaxation in the spa or stay in shape at the fitness center. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, shop in the boutique, or meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. It is a truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest, and entertainment.

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. In this coastal town crisscrossed with tree-lined streets in bloom, admire the houses and their incredible sculpted balconies. Enjoy shopping in the many traditional boutiques: pick up some handmade cotton clothing, ceramics embellished with Costa Rican designs, and home décor pieces in hand-painted wood.

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 Costa Rica’s national parks, Poas and Arena volcanoes tower 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.