Panamakanal und Nationalparks

Enhance your cruise and extend your trip with a carefully designed programme.

Take advantage of one day to visit San Jose’s cultural heritage and proceed to Costa Rica’Central Valley with beautiful mountain landscapes and rich lush sceneries. This programme will be a pleasant prelude to your embarkation.

Day 1 - San Jose

Meet at the airport – Arrival Hall (look for PONANT sign).

You will be greeted by our local English-speaking representative off the flight selected by PONANT.

You will then be transferred by coach to the hotel Costa Rica Marriott.

Check-in.

Dinner included.

Day 2 - San Jose/Puerto Caldera

Breakfast. Check-out.

Discover this morning the heritage and the history of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital city. First, pass by some of its historic residential areas, such Barrio Amón and the local parks surrounding it ; as well as the metropolitan cathedral and the local market. You will visit the National Theater which is an icon of the San Jose of the late 19th-century, and also the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum. It is one of the few Pre-Columbian gold museums that exists worldwide. The exhibition consists of 1000 original pieces that date from 300 to 1500 A.C. including an extraordinary collection of golden objects that reflect these precious metal working techniques of the Pre-Columbian people of Costa Rica. The exhibition shows the use, function, and technology of the pieces as well as their connection to nature and people daily life.

You will then depart for Costa Rica’s Central Valley. You will make a first stop at Sarchi, located about a 1h30 drive from Puerto Caldera and widely recognized for its colorful and decorative oxcarts.

Lunch will be served in a local restaurant.

You will also explore the small town of Grecia, located amidst beautiful mountain landscapes and rich lush sceneries. Grecia is a tourist destination mainly due to its unique metal church, which is a deep dark red color. The Cathedral de la Mercedes is a gothic style church made from metal pieces that were imported from Belgium in the 1890’s.

You will then proceed to Puerto Caldera (approximately a 1h30 drive), to embark aboard your ship.

Your hotel:

Nestled within a 30-acre (12 ha) coffee plantation, the Costa Rica Marriott hotel combines colonial splendour with its architecture inspired by the old haciendas and modern comfort. Its sophisticated rooms offer pillow top bedding and cable television as well as internet access.

Your programme includes:

• 1-night accommodation in Standard room at the hotel Costa Rica Marriott (or similar).
• Meals (including 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and 1 dinner) as mentioned in the programme.
• Beverage package during meals (mineral water + 1 soft drink or 1 local beer + 1 coffee or tea).
• Transfers and visits as mentioned in the programme.
• Services of a local English-speaking guide.
• Tips for the guide and the driver.

Your programme does not include:

• Personal expenses.
• Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Contact of your hotel:

Costa Rica Marriott

P.O. Box 502-4005, San Antonio de Belén

Heredia, Costa Rica

Telephone: (+506) 2298 000

Duration of the visits are given as a guide only. The order of the visits may be reversed. For the times of your PONANT flight, please contact your travel agent; they are also shown on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.

Travel with peace of mind as PONANT organizes your transfer between the port of disembarkation and the airport.

Colon/Panama City

After disembarkation procedures are completed, you will be greeted at the port by our local representative. You will depart by coach for a sightseeing tour of Panama City.

You will be taken first to Miraflores locks where you will experience the so-called ‘Eighth Wonder of the world. Panama Canal is one of the most celebrated human achievements on the planet. Upon arrival at Miraflores Visitors Centre, you will visit the exhibition halls and learn about the Panama Canal’s history, its impact on international trade, how it works, its close relationship with nature and the Canal Expansion. From one of Miraflores observation terraces, you will be able to watch the lock gates open and close as vessels begin or end their transit and you may observe transiting vessels from a distance of only a few meters while you learn about the various operations of the Panama Canal (cannot be guaranteed depending on Panama Canal time table).

You will then visit the Old Panama Ruins, first European city built in the Pacific coast of the Americas.

Lunch included.

After lunch, you will continue your exploration to the Biomuseo, also called the Gehry’s Museum in honour of its world-renowned architect Frank Gehry. The building is designed to recall the creation of the isthmus of Panama which linked two continents, and changed the planet’s biodiversity forever. The event that would change natural history for both continents occurred around three million years ago. Species from both continents mingled as northern animals went south and southern animals went north. The Biomuseo’s 4,000 square meters describe the country’s rich biodiversity.

Discover the turbulent past of Panama City, in the peninsula of Casco Antiguo (or Casco Viejo) which is the historic part and the cultural gem of this vibrant metropolis. After the destruction of the first Panama City by pirate Henry Morgan, the ‘Casco Antiguo’became the second Panama City. It was established around 1673 by the French colonialists, the Catholic Church, and other settlers. This is where much of the impressive colonial and Baroque architecture remains today. The modern, cosmopolitan areas of Panama City add a third layer to this historically rich city. You will get the chance to explore on your own the neighbourhood of Casco Antiguo with its colonial style government buildings, old churches and grand plazas. Casco Antiguo has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1997.

You will then be transferred to the airport in time for check-in of the PONANT selected flight.

Your programme includes:

• Lunch with beverage package (mineral water + 1 soft drink or 1 local beer + 1 coffee or tea).
• Transfers, visits and entrance fees as mentioned in the programme.
• Services of a local English-speaking guide.
• Tips for the driver and the local guide.

Your programme does not include:

• Personal expenses.
• Other services not mentioned in the programme.

Duration of the visits are given as a guide only. The order of the visits may be reversed. For the times of your PONANT flight, please contact your travel agent ; they are also shown on your electronic ticket included in your travel documents.