Panama, «the crossroads of the world»

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Panama, «the crossroads of the world» Panama is a narrow bridge between North and South America, at the bottom south of Central America. It shares its borders with Colombia and Costa Rica.

2 Panama, «the crossroads of the world» Panama is a narrow bridge between North and South America, at the bottom south of Central America. It shares its borders with Colombia and Costa Rica. Its entire territory is surrounded by the Caribbean sea (north), and the Pacific ocean (south). The canal : The 2 oceans are linked by the canal of Panama, built from 1903 to The canal goes through various altitudes formed by the Talamanca cordillera and the hilly area of San Blas. Its real length is 65 km, although the entire length from the deep waters where the ships start maneuvering is 80 km. The canal has become a symbol of Panamá, as an impressive prowess of engineering and a link between the Atlantic and the Pacific worlds. But reducing Panama to its canal would be an insult to the diversity of its historical patrimony, dating back from the Spanish conquest, its exceptional fauna and flora (among the richest on the planet), its white sand beaches calling for farniente, and its five indigenous groups. Politically stable (it is the safest country in Latin America), equipped with modern infrastructure, Panamá is a destination out of the ordinary, that offers all the ingredients for a perfect incentive trip. We invite you to go beyond the clichés usually heard about Panama, and discover this country full of wonders, only recently opened to tourism.

3 Useful information Visa : Visitors from Belgium receive a 90 day automatic tourist permit upon landing in Panama. Time difference : GMT -5. Climate : Tropical and humid, with a dry and a rainy season. Currency : US dollar. Electric current : 120V, 60Hz.

Your City Hotel The Hilton Panama is ideally

on avenida Balboa (the city s main Oceanside

Designed in a bright luxurious modern style,

4 Your City Hotel The Hilton Panama is ideally located at the heart of Panama City downtown, on avenida Balboa (the city s main Oceanside avenue), steps away from the colonial district and Calle Uruguay (area of bars and restaurants). Designed in a bright luxurious modern style, the Hilton is one of Panama s most beautiful business hotels. Fact sheet : 321 rooms and 26 suites 4 restaurants Outdoor pool, Fitness centre and spa Casino 5000 sqm of meeting rooms.

Programme Your beach hotel The Westin Playa Bonita is a beautiful 5*

the canal, lit at night, it is a perfect base to discover Panama City

Fact sheet : 611 rooms (including 64 suites) 4 swimming pools 6

5 Programme Your beach hotel The Westin Playa Bonita is a beautiful 5* hotel located in lush surroundings, along a white sand beach, only 20 minutes drive from Panama City. Its modern and luminous design makes the Westin one of the most elegant business hotels in the country. With a great view of the Pacific ocean and the boats waiting to enter the canal, lit at night, it is a perfect base to discover Panama City and its numerous activities, from a quieter natural spot. Fact sheet : 611 rooms (including 64 suites) 4 swimming pools 6 restaurants : Oceanica, Pacifica, Tierra y Fuego, Starfish, Asiana, Soleo. Spa, Fitness center, Business center, Executive floor and lounge, 18 meeting rooms.

6 DAY1

7 Day 1 - Afternoon Welcome to Panama! Landing and welcome at Tocumen international airport. VIP welcome at the exit of the plane. Transfer to Hilton Panama on board a privatized diablo rojo.

8 Day 1 - Evening Cocktail dinner around the hotel s swimming-pool. View on the skyline of Panama, lit at night.

9 DAY 2

Day 2 - Morning Site inspection of Hilton.

Speed-boats ride on the canal : you will board

surrounded by lush vegetation and mangrove, where

10 Day 2 - Morning Site inspection of Hilton. Transfer to Gamboa dock. Speed-boats ride on the canal : you will board privatized lanchas for an impressive ride on the canal, next to the huge supertankers. Then you will enter narrow waterways of Lake Gatun, surrounded by lush vegetation and mangrove, where tropical fauna abounds : spider, capuchin and howler monkeys, sloths, caimans, turtles, toucans and dozens of other bird species.

The School of the Americas also known as Fort Gulick, was used between 1946 and 1984 by the CIA to train future potential Latin leaders,

11 Day 2 - Lunch Arrival at Gatun Yacht club and transfer to Melia Canal, former School of the Americas (20 min). Outdoor lunch in the gardens, alongside the Gatun lake, under the Corotu tree. The School of the Americas also known as Fort Gulick, was used between 1946 and 1984 by the CIA to train future potential Latin leaders, friendly to American interests and hostile to Communism. Its curriculum included courses in psychological warfare, counterinsurgency, interrogation techniques, and infantry and commando tactics. It was nicknamed The School of dictators.

Day 2 - Afternoon Transfer to the locks of Gatun (20 minutes). Visit of the locks of Gatun.

Far less visited than the locks of Miraflores (where hundreds of visitors come everyday), the locks of Gatun

From the observation deck, the view of the huge ships and the small locomotives that help them manoeuver

12 Day 2 - Afternoon Transfer to the locks of Gatun (20 minutes). Visit of the locks of Gatun. The locks of Gatun No better place than the locks of Gatun to discover and understand the canal of Panama. Far less visited than the locks of Miraflores (where hundreds of visitors come everyday), the locks of Gatun allow an intimate and exclusive visit. From the observation deck, the view of the huge ships and the small locomotives that help them manoeuver through the locks is unique. Thanks to the expert explanations of our guide, you will understand fully how this marvel of engineering is operated, and its importance in the success of international trade.

Day 2 - Afternoon Transfer to Colon train station (30 minutes). Historic train ride to Panama City, along breathtaking landscapes, bathed in the sunset.

The principal incentive for the building of the rail line was the vast increase in traffic to California owing to the 1849 Gold Rush.

13 Day 2 - Afternoon Transfer to Colon train station (30 minutes). Historic train ride to Panama City, along breathtaking landscapes, bathed in the sunset. The Panama Canal Railway links the Atlantic ocean to the Pacific ocean, across the isthmus of Panama. The route stretches 47.6 miles, from Balboa to Colón. The principal incentive for the building of the rail line was the vast increase in traffic to California owing to the 1849 Gold Rush. The Panama Rail Road was then of vital importance for construction of the Panama Canal, over a parallel route, half a century later. You will enjoy the view of the wild and lush surrounding of the canal, in the wooden panoramic wagon, covered with a glass dome.

14 Day 2 - Evening Transfer to the Trump Tower, the highest tower in Latin America, for dinner. Dinner at the Ocean Deck, alongside the Pacific Ocean, with an incredible view of the skyline, at the foot of the huge Trump Tower.

15 DAY 3

Day 3 - Morning The guests drive their 4WD

Arrival at Boqueron Abajo where the Embera

16 Day 3 - Morning The guests drive their 4WD vehicles to Chagres national park (1h30 including 30 min on dirt road through the jungle). Arrival at Boqueron Abajo where the Embera cayucos (wooden canoes) are waiting for the guests to embark. Boqueron abajo

Day 3 - Morning & Lunch Cayuco ride on the

grilled river fish and patacones wrapped in

17 Day 3 - Morning & Lunch Cayuco ride on the Chagres river, along the beautiful scenery of the national park s canyons (1h). Arrival at the Embera village and welcome by the tribe s chef. Lunch prepared by the Embera families (fresh grilled river fish and patacones wrapped in a banana tree leaf, fresh tropical fruit). Catering complement brought by our team.

Day 3 - Afternoon Exchange at the community : -

- Walk in the jungle with the village s shaman,

Emberas to cure the sick and heal the wounded.

sloths during the walk - Temporary tattoo drawn

18 Day 3 - Afternoon Exchange at the community : - Swimming in the emerald river. - Walk in the jungle with the village s shaman, to learn about the medicinal plants used by the Emberas to cure the sick and heal the wounded. You might see toucans, peccaries, monkeys and sloths during the walk - Temporary tattoo drawn on your skin by Embera women (made of vegetal ink, lasts about 1 week).

19 Day 3 PM & Evening Return to the 4WD with the Cayucos and drive to Panama City. Check-in at Westin Playa Bonita. Evening fun transfer on board a Chiva disco bus.

20 Day 3 Evening Aperitif on Tantalo rooftop terrace. Fusion creative dinner at Manolo Caracol and surprise show.

21 DAY 4

22 Day 4 - Morning Site inspection of the Westin. Private flight to the airstrip of Porvenir (autonomous territory of Kuna Yala).

23 Day 4 - Morning Arrival at Porvenir and visit of the Kuna Community of Carti. Lancha transfer to the island of Icodub (10 minutes).

SAN BLAS San Blas archipelago is made of approximately 378 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited.

You officially cross a border when you enter Guna Yala, although you are still on Panama s territory.

of the community; he memorizes songs which relate the sacred history of the people, and in turn transmits them to the people.

24 SAN BLAS San Blas archipelago is made of approximately 378 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited. They are home to the Kuna Indians and a part of the comarca Kuna Yala (also spelled Guna Yala), an autonomous province since You officially cross a border when you enter Guna Yala, although you are still on Panama s territory. The islands of San Blas are tiny gorgeous pirate islands made of white sand beaches, coconut trees and surrounded by turquoise waters. Snorkeling there is exceptional. The Kuna indians : In Kuna Yala, each community has its own political organization, led by a Saila, both political and spiritual leader of the community; he memorizes songs which relate the sacred history of the people, and in turn transmits them to the people. Traditionally, Kuna families are matrilineal, with the groom moving to become part of the bride's family. The groom takes the last name of the bride as well. Their economy is based on agriculture, fishing and the manufacture of mola (a colorful textile art form made with the techniques of appliqué and reverse appliqué).

25 Day 4 - Lunch & PM Day and BBQ lunch on the island of Icodub, alongside the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. Afternoon to relax (swimming, snorkeling, beach volley, beach football, petanque, sunbathing ).

26 Day 4 - PM & Evening Lancha transfer to Porvenir. Return flight with the private planes to Panama City. Arrival at the hotel and free time. Fun transfer on board limousines to Hard Rock Hotel.

27 Day 4 - Evening Aperitif on Hard Rock s rooftop terrace. Gourmet dinner at Trona restaurant.

28 DAY 5

29 Day 5 - Morning & Lunch Transfer to the Causeway to visit Franck Gehry s Museum of Biodiversity. Transfer to Casco Viejo for lunch. Outdoor lunch on Plaza de Francia with surprise show.

BIOMUSEUM Franck Gehry achieved, a dozen years after the construction of the

exposition rooms and a botanical garden.

screens), the «Bridge appears» reference to the isthmus, the«big Exchange» between the

30 BIOMUSEUM Franck Gehry achieved, a dozen years after the construction of the Guggenheim of Bilbao, its first work in Latin America : the Biomuseo (4 000 m 2, eight exposition rooms and a botanical garden. The path presents Panama, «separator» of two oceans and «bridge of life» between two continents. To See : the «Biodiversity Gallery», the «Panamarama» (projection space of 10 screens), the «Bridge appears» reference to the isthmus, the«big Exchange» between the species of Northern and Southern Americas, the «Human Track», the «Division of the Oceans» represents by 2 aquariums, and the «Living Network» showing the relations between Panama s biodiversity and the rest of the world s one.

CASCO VIEJO Following the destruction of Panama Viejo by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671, the city was moved by the

The new location was easier to defend as the reefs prevented ships from approaching the city, and also because a

In 1904, when construction began on the Panama Canal, all of Panama City existed where Casco Viejo stands today.

You will discover its main monuments and sights : - the Cathedral and the National Theatre - Plaza de Francia, its

31 CASCO VIEJO Following the destruction of Panama Viejo by the pirate Henry Morgan in 1671, the city was moved by the Spaniards 5 miles southwest, to a rocky peninsula at the foot of Cerro Ancon. The new location was easier to defend as the reefs prevented ships from approaching the city, and also because a massive wall surrounded it, which is how Casco Viejo (Old Compound) got its name. In 1904, when construction began on the Panama Canal, all of Panama City existed where Casco Viejo stands today. Casco Viejo was declared UNESCO World Heritage in You will discover its main monuments and sights : - the Cathedral and the National Theatre - Plaza de Francia, its dungeon and view of Panama s skyline - Plaza Bolivar and the Presidential palace - the Church of San Jose and its famous golden altar - the flat arch of Santo Domingo s convent - the Museum of the canal - and the charming colonial atmosphere of its cobblestone streets...

32 Day 5 - Afternoon Visit of Unesco World Heritage Casco Viejo. Transfer to the airport and departure. Hasta luego!

Panama THE AWAKENING DESTINATION

Panama THE AWAKENING DESTINATION Panama s leading corporate, meeting, and incentive groups DMC With more than 10 years in the industry, Gamboa Tours has developed luxurious programs for clients all over