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A unique experience unfolds as your Holland America cruise ship enters the Canal at Cristobal and transits the first set of giant locks into Gatun Lake. There, awaiting your pleasure at the Gatun Yacht Club, a cold Panamanian beer - and a chance to swim in the Panama Canal. Holland Amrica presents many fascinating ways to discover the Panama Canal and some of the most exotic lands on earth like: Acapulco, Costa Rica, Cartagena, Golfo Dulce, San Juan del Sur, Puerto Quetzal, San Blas Islands, Half Moon Cay, Santa Cruz Huatulco, and more ...
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In The oldest city in the New World, founded in 1533. Through its portals once poured the wealth of the Spanish Main... Mother lodes of gold, silver and emeralds bound for Madrid. See San Felipe, the fortress that guarded it all, then plunder the dazzling Bocagrande, where emeralds still gleam.
Samples of shore excursions:
- Cartagena Bay Cruise - Board a beautiful Spanish galleon (a replica of a 17th-century sailing ship) for a two-hour cruisetour of the Inner Bay at Cartagena. You'll pass the port of Muelles El Bosque and the statue of the Virgin in the middle of the bay.
- Cartagena Beach & Boating - Transportation from Cartagena to Barz Island will be by fast motorboat. En route, you will pass the island of Tierra Bomba and the fishing villages of Punta Arenas, Caqo del Oro and Bocahica.
- Cartagena City Tour - A preferred target for pirates until construction of an impressive fortress, Cartagena earned the reputation as the treasure chest of the Spanish Main. Travel by bus past the Manga residential area's restored mansions.
- Old Walled City Historical Walking Tou - Travel by motor coach to Santiago's Bastion, and begin your walking tour along San Juan de Dios Street with charming colonial architecture. Continue to Custom Plaza--a commercial center dating back to colonial times--and the Plaza de la Proclamacion to admire the Cathedral and the original headquarters of the colonial Spanish government.
- Scenes of Cartagena - Less Walking Tour - This tour departs directly from the pier and explores the magnificent city of Cartagena. One of the most important ports in colonial times for transporting gold and other precious cargo to Spain, Cartagena was under frequent attack by pirates and corsairs.
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Adventure awaits in the land of perpetual springtime. From Puerto Caldera, venture to the Carara Biological Reserve to see iridescent blue butterflies, scarlet macaws, and the slowest creature on earth...the sloth. Explore the capital city of San Jose, where museums beckon and markets burst with luscious local color: mangoes, bananas, pineapples, papayas.
Samples of shore excursions:
- Arenal Volcano & Thermal Waters - Hot springs, a rain forest, an active volcano, crystalline rivers, coffee plantations, pasture lands, vegetable plantations and dairy farms are what you will see or experience today. Travel to San Ramon, one of the most historic towns of the Central Valley.
- Costa Rica's Countryside & Coffee Tour - A picturesque two-hour ride on the Pan-American Highway brings you to the Central Valley's rich farmlands, green hills and tropical forest mountains.Stop at the colonial city of Heredia, home of Cafe Britt's Coffee Tour.
- High There - Rain Forest Tram & Canopy - The Atlantic Rain Forest Aerial Tram and the Canopy Tour provide the best opportunity to explore the Caribbean Rain Forest from the ground up to the canopy and down again. The Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy gave the Ecological Flag award to this eco-tourism destination, declaring it of public and national interest.
- Poas Volcano & Cloud Forest - Poas Volcano National Park is one of the most beautiful areas of the Central Valley of Costa Rica. As you travel by deluxe air-conditioned motor coach, discover that several picturesque small towns surround the Central Valley. The landscape is amazing and green as you pass by some of Costa Rica's largest coffee and sugar cane plantations.
- San Jose All-Day Tour - Travel the Pan-American Highway through small towns to San Josi. You will pass by La Sabana Park, the National Stadium and the Metropolitan Cathedral, and stop at the National Museum and the famed National Theater. See the National Park and the National Library.
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From Puerto Quetzal the choices are many: The bustling capital of Guatemala City. Antigua, simply enchanting with its bonbon- pink houses and near-perfect weather. Lovely Lake Atitlan, where modern Mayans still tell their stories on backstrap looms. Not to be missed are the ancient Mayan ruins at Tikal, where a secretive jungle plaza is flanked by seven great stone temples; and Copan, "Paris of the Mayan world, " located just across the Honduran border.
Samples of shore excursions:
- The Best of Antigua Tour - Journey to the colonial capital of La Antigua, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The countryside of coastal cattle and sugar farms change to volcanic landscapes as you approach the city.
- Tikal, Maya City of Voices Tour - Transfer to a nearby airport for a 1 1/2-hour flight by chartered aircraft to the vast northern region of Petin. After disembarking the aircraft enjoy a one-hour drive along a rain forest-lined road en route to the famed Mayan ruins of Tikal.
- Maya Highlands and Lake Atitlan Tour - Your wonderful journey begins when your friendly guide greets you at the pier and assists you with boarding the air-conditioned bus. You will then drive for 2 1/2 hours through the Guatemalan Lowlands and into the Maya Highlands to visit Atitlan, a breathtaking lake surrounded by three majestic volcanoes.
- Filadelfia Coffee Estate & Antigua Tour - Drive through lowland pastures and past three spectacular volcanoes to the Filadelfia Coffee Estate in the central zone. This is an ecological project with an area of approximately 250 acres of land devoted to reforestation programs, seeding white pine, gravilea, mahogany, cedar and cypress.
- Sugar Cane Mill And Las Ilusiones Tour - Today's journey of begins when your friendly guide greets you at the pier and we begin boarding the air-conditioned bus. We will venture an hour into Guatemala's lowlands to the town of La Democracia where you will see some zoomorphic.
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Samples of shore excursions:
- El Valle Ecological Paradise Tour - On the 1.5-hour drive from Panama City to El Valle on the Pan-American Highway, you will cross the Bridge of the Americas. El Valle is a famous area known for its ecological environment and situated at the mouth of an extinct volcano.
- Gamboa's Resort Monkey Island Tour - The Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a five star hotel, is located in the vicinity of the historic Chagres River, alongside the Panama Canal, in the midst of the fifty five thousand acre Soberania National Park. The Gatun Lake was formed as a result of the damming of the Chagres River during the construction of the Panama Canal.
- Miraflores Locks Observation Center Tour - Take this opportunity to pause and view the gargantuan ships that make their way through the Miraflores Locks' chambers and visit exhibitions which include historical objects of Canal operations, interactive modules, video presentations, and models of the Panama Canal.
- Panama Railroad and Motorcoach Tour - Experience the Panama Canal and its living history as you travel the isthmus railroad through the beautiful flora and past lovely Gatun Lake. The enormous vessels that transit the canal can be seen, and you'll pass through towns and villages named for the people who built this "path between the seas."
- Authentic Embera Indian Village Tour - Step aboard your motor coach which will feel more like a time machine as you travel back more than 600 years to a Central America only a few ever experience. This is a journey into the lives of the Embera Indian Tribe--a proud people who maintain their traditions and lifestyle as it was before the Spaniards colonized Panama.
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Samples of shore excursions:
- Chagres River Adventure and Nature Walk to Colon - The Chagres River was used by the Conquistadors to move their gold across the Isthmus of Panama for transportation from Peru to Spain, and by the gold prospectors who attempted a shortcut from the US East coast to the gold fields of California. The river is now the lifeline of the Panama Canal.
- Fishing at Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal - Gatun Lake is one of the best places in the world to catch freshwater bass. For almost a century people have gone fishing in this lake and have come back with very good results. The surrounding area offers the perfect fishing setup amid lush rain forest and a lake bottom full of algae that the fish love to eat.
- Gatun Lake Safari - You will board the fast motor launches for a voyage of discovery. You will navigate above ancient routes that crossed the isthmus long before the lakes creation and will glide past lush forests to a scenic region of the lake and witness first hand the splendor and excitement of the jungle.
- Gatun Locks & Kayak in the Canal - Your adventure starts with a bus transfer to the Gatun Locks for an one-hour visit to the Panama Canal locks where you will be able to see the operation of this great marvel of modern engineering. Next you will find yourself paddling a kayak in the Panama Canal itself.
- Golf at the Summit Golf Club - The 18-hole, par-72, 6,626-yard (6km) Summit Golf and Resort has a long history, originally opening in the 1930s for Americans working in the Panama Canal Zone.
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Enjoy Costa Rican coffee before finding the way to San Jose's dazzling Jade an Gold Museums, touring the Cathedral of the rain forest, or flying to the Galapagos, fantastic birthplace of Darwinian theory.
Samples of shore excursions:
- Carara-the Kingdom of Nature
- Corobici River Raft Adventure
- Costa Rica's Countryside & Coffee Tour
- San Jose All-Day Tour
- Sarchi & the Artisans of Costa Rica
- Tropical Mangrove River Cruise
- Villa Blanca & Los Angeles Cloud Forest
Venezuela is pure Spanish gold. Or is it? Just outside Caracas find a Bavarian village, settled over 100 years ago by immigrants from the Black Forest. Here, German is preferred over Spanish, hearty sausage over pollo a la parrilla.
Samples of shore excursions:
- Angel Falls & Canaima National Park By Air
- Caracas Full-Day Tour
- Cloud Forest Adventure
- Coastal Exploration by Four-Wheel-Drive
- Colonia Tovar
- Half-Day Glassworks & Caracas
Take a trip to Granada, the colonial city still full of churches, convents and plazas which was founded in 1524 by Spanish Conquistador, Hernandez de Cordoba. Or, take an excursion to one of Nicaragua's national parks enables you to observe an active volcano and stand at the edge of an immense crater.
Samples of shore excursions:
- Experience Colorful Granada
- Granada, Masaya Volcano & Craft Market
- Masaya Shopping Tour
- Spanish Horses & Coffee
Set at the Caribbean end of the Canal, Colon is your portal to the massive Gatun Locks; and a visit to the Gatun Yacht Club for a rare experience - swim in the Canal.
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Pricing & Information Request
Hot Deal: Up to $100 Onboard Credit on select sailings!*
* Rates & offers are subject to select dates & categories, cruise only, per person, based on double occupancy, in US Dollars, & include NCCF. Government taxes & fees are additional. All rates & offers are capacity controlled, are subject to availability & confirmation, & may change without notice. Additional restrictions may apply. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed -- please confirm details at time of booking.
- Holland America Line reservations are only accepted from clients with a United States or Canadian residence; by reserving on Holland America Line, client warrants that he/she maintains a US or Canadian residence.
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