Panama Trip with www.kosherrivercruise.com
Day 6 (Saturday): Shabbat with the Jewish community of Panama. Day at leisure
Experience a special Shabbat with the Jewish community of Panama City, just like a kosher tour. After Kiddush return to your hotel for a day at leisure. Evening we experience a guided walking tour of the old city by night filled with shopping opportunities or just take in the local ambience.
Day 7 (Sunday): Visit the Anton Valley
After being picked up by your guide early in the morning, you will be driven for two hours to the magical Anton Valley. This enchanting town located within a dormant volcanic crater is filled with abundant flora and fauna.
Option 1: Cloud Forest Adventure
The crater rises 600 meters above sea level and provides many hiking opportunities. Once at El Valle, you will visit some highlights with your guide as we experience a tropical rain forest: The Painted Rock, a massive stone covered in pre-Columbian petroglyphs; the Sleeping Indian, a mountain shrouded in legend and whose profile resembles a sleeping woman; the Chorro del Macho waterfall, located within an ecological refuge; and a butterfly sanctuary showcasing around 250 live butterflies. Easily accessible trails including a number of hanging bridges traverse the valley as we explore the wonders of the cloud forest.
*Optional zip line and horseback riding opportunities are available in the valley
Option 2: Lake Bayano’s Cave Adventure
Lake Bayano was created from the Río Bayano and its tributaries, following the construction of a dam and hydroelectric plant that today supplies Panama City and other areas with their electricity. Eighty percent of the lakefront is within the Comarca de Madungandi, populated by the indigenous Guna, Emberá, and Wounan Amerindian peoples. Lake Bayano is the Jewel of Panama, with a spectacular environment that is home to hundreds of birds and other animals, some of which are very rare. Chief among its many splendours are the Panama Caves of Lake Bayano.
The caves were formed over many centuries by an underground river that continues to flow today. Fortunately for all of us, the caves are easily entered and enjoyed by foot year-round, and partially by boat during the rainy season. This spectacular trip will take you deep into the caves where you will be able to see rock formations, natural pools of water filled with fish, colourful frogs, and most importantly hundreds of bats! At several locations, the ceiling of the cave opens and you will be standing in amazing shafts of pure sunlight that illuminate the cave and all its wonders. We will be in the caves for approximately two hours. Once out of the caves, we will have some time to relax and enjoy a delicious lunch while observing various bird species and howler monkeys.
Before returning to the city, we will stop to visit the local farmer’s market, where local produce, flowers and handicrafts are sold.and traditional Jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies.
Day 8 (Monday): Depart
Update:
Exciting Days in Panama: A Tour Itinerary (Part 1)
Exciting Days in Panama: A Tour Itinerary (Part 2)