Transit the Panama Canal by expedition ship, go hiking at La Amistad World Biosphere Reserve, and learn about the extinct Barril culture on the slopes of the Baru Volcano. Don't forget to bring your binoculars for birdwatching in the Chiriqui cloud forest. Share a 'chicha' drink with the chief of a Kuna house on Dolphin Island, and learn how the women of this communal tribe create colorful and intricate 'mola' textiles.

Go by foot and by dugout canoe on this extraordinary exploration of the Darien rainforest and its indigenous people. After dolphin-watching on the beautiful beaches of the Gulf of San Miguel, trek through rivers, wetlands, and mangroves before entering the mighty Darien jungle. Overnight in rustic ranger stations in the midst of a raucous cacophony of wildlife. Along the way, you'll meet up with isolated Embera tribes, who'll share their lives and smiles with you.

If a lance-tailed manakin, rosy thrushtanager, green honeycreeper, sapphire-throated hummingbird, rufous-browed pepper shrike or silver-fronted tapaculo is missing from your life list, then Panama's extraordinary bird diversity is all yours. More species of birds live in Panama than in all of South America and Canada combined - 961 of them in a country smaller than South Carolina!

Hike along jungle trails through the misty cloud forest surrounding Baru Volcano and explore white-sand beaches cradling Caribbean waters and picturesque small towns steeped in character on this Panama Adventure, awarded "World's 25 Best New Trips" by National Geographic Adventure Magazine for 2008. Tackle rapids, mountain bike through rolling hills, and snorkel, kayak, surf and dive in the crystal clear waters.