Costa Rica | San José to Panama City | Adult Only

Overview

Explore Costa Rica and Panama’s coasts and jungle aboard the 174-foot expedition vessel, Safari Voyager. Your adventure basecamp, the ship is fully-geared up with kayaks, paddle boards, inflatable skiffs, hiking poles, and snorkel gear. Your expert guides—many of them are locals—are ready to get you out in the wild and into the action. While there’s a set itinerary, the small size of your ship allows captain and crew to deviate from the plan and go where opportunities are greatest—wildlife encounters, paddling and snorkeling, hiking, and other experiences. Paddle or skiff from ship or shore into mangroves and crystal-clear water of a national park. Hike and snorkel in conservation areas and a wildlife refuge watching for monkeys, sloths, iguanas, hummingbirds, toucans, and butterflies. And take in a star-lighted night transit of the Panamá Canal. This exciting adventure runs from San José to Panama City or in reverse from Panama City to San José depending on the week!

Straddled by both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and, these two, small Central American jungle nations are absolutely packed with adventure, wildlife, history and culture. Your home will be a 174-foot expedition vessel that positions you for the best possible wildlife encounters, paddling and snorkeling opportunities, hiking excursions, and other experiences. The ship’s kayaks, paddle boards, inflatable skiffs, and snorkel gear are your conveyances to adventure. Right from the ship, you’ll launch and paddle or skiff to uncover the wonders of jungles, mangroves, national parks, preserves, and the Panamá Canal itself. This 9-day trip will fill your heart (and your memory cards) with wildlife as you spot monkeys, sloths, iguanas, hummingbirds, toucans, whales, and so much more!

• Step carefully as you cross the swinging bridge surrounded by exotic birds as you overlook deer, frogs, snakes and crocodiles
• Transit from ocean to ocean along the 48-mile Panamá Canal – a story of engineering and human tenacity that took over 75,000 workers to build
• Enjoy superb bird watching on a skiff exploration and watch for mobula rays flying across the water
• Snorkel, kayak or paddle board the vibrant, turquoise waters of Isla Tortuga
• Be awe-struck in the birder’s paradise of Golfo Dulce as bromeliads, heliconias, toucans, hummingbirds, and fluttering butterflies provide a mesmerizing kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and tastes in every tree and bush you pass
• Snorkel among abundant marine life, kayak around rocky outcroppings, and lounge on the warm sand of Isla Coiba

Austin Adventures is proudly offering this trip in conjunction with UnCruise Adventures. Headquartered at historic Fishermen’s Terminal in Seattle, Washington, UnCruise Adventures has been in the small ship adventure cruise business for over 20 years. The small size of UnCruise’s ships allows them to access remote areas bigger ships can’t get to providing guests with opportunities to experience off-the-map wilderness, up close, hands on, and with boots on the ground. Each day brings opportunity for adventure—kayaking, hiking, skiff explorations, snorkeling, paddle boarding. All activities are included and it’s always your choice—do as many or as few as you want. The expert, knowledgeable, and mostly-local crew enthusiastically lead the way. UnCruise Adventures keeps a constant eye on treading lightly; their small ships introduce adventurers to new and breathtaking destinations sure to leave a lasting impression.

Panama Seasons & Climate
Tours to Panama are available year-round and weather conditions vary according to season, elevation, and geographic location. In general, in the lowlands expect average temperatures from 85-95 F with moderate to high humidity compared to cooler temperatures averaging 72 F in the highlands where you may need a light sweater at night. The peak Panama travel period is December through April and off-peak season for tours to Panama is May through November. These periods generally coincide with the so-called “dry” and “rainy” seasons. However, this is an overly simplistic description of climate and Panama travel seasons. We can help you travel to Panama any time of year based on a well planned itinerary.

Panama has more than a dozen climate zones which often contrast with each other; when rain falls in one region it tends to be drier in another. While the months of December through April tend to be almost rainless on the Pacific coast (March and April are the warmest months), this is the time of year you can expect some rain on the Caribbean coast. On the Caribbean side it tends to be relatively dry in September and October, which is considered the so-called “rainy season” in the rest of the country. We also recommend travel to Panama in July during the annual veranito, or “little summer” as the locals call it, when there is a predictable dry spell in the middle of the green season.

Most people travel to Panama to escape winter in North America when average rainfall throughout the country is low and migrant bird populations are highest. But others who prefer to travel in Panama during the off-peak “green season” will appreciate natural areas more to themselves, lush vegetation, better choice of guides and accommodations, low season rates, greater variety of blooming orchids and flowers, and other benefits. During the green season rain typically falls for a few hours in the afternoon or at night and rarely disrupts Panama tours, unless you are driving on secondary roads which can become impassable. It is impossible to predict weather conditions for any specific place and time in the tropics. The increasing number of tours to Panama during the green season have made it a year round destination.