Embark Silver Explorer and meet some of your fellow travellers as you become acquainted with the luxurious amenities foundon board. After settling in a mandatory safety drill will have to be attended.Later your Expedition Leader will introduce some of the important crew membersand your Expedition Team. At dinner and while we sail out of Panama City youwill be able to see the spectacular scenery of the Bridge of the Americas , the“Biomuseo”, designed by Frank Gehry, and Panama City’s illuminated skyline.

The Darien Jungle is remote and has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. This morningSilver Explorer willanchor in the Bay of San Miguel. We will explore this pristine, seldom visitedarea by Zodiac or local canoe, navigating up the tidal Mogue River. At theconclusion of our river adventure, we hear the sound of distant drums welcomingus to the remote Embera Village. The Darien Jungle is rarely visited byoutsiders (fewer than 1,000 tourists visit each year), and the Embera are oneof several indigenous groups that live in relative isolation.Local women and children in brightly coloured attire welcome us to theirvillage and introduce us to their way of life. We will visit authentic tribaldwellings built of nearby trees and plants. Before leaving, villagers willperform a native dance for our entertainment and demonstrate basket weaving andcarving techniques. If you are adventurous you might even get temporalmosquito-repellent painted onto your body (careful –the dark markings stay forat least two weeks). And we will have the opportunity to purchase souvenirs ofour visit including beautiful handcrafted baskets.As the Darien Jungle is recognised as one of the world’s top ten birding sites, on ourway to the village and back to SilverExplorer and we hope to see many different bird species such as thecolourful Crimson-collared Tanager, Green and Chestnut-fronted Macaws,Rufous-tailed and Snow-bellied Hummingbirds, whimbrels, White Ibises andegrets, as well as Laughing Gulls.

Making fulluse of our small, manoeuvrable ship and our Zodiacs, we hope to land at thisremote part of Panama for a hike through the rainforest. This island was oncean infamous prison island, but now it is a National Park and has reverted to anatural state. Our onboard Naturalists will point out the local flora andsearch for signs of wildlife during a walk near the ranger station.Just offshore from this nature preserve, a rocky headland provides an ideal spot forsnorkelling. Join the onboard Marine Biologist and learn to identify damselfish, jacks, surgeon fish, trumpet fish, parrot fish, trigger fish and white tipreef sharks. Take this opportunity to relax on the beach and enjoy trueSilversea hospitality as your butlers serve fresh fruit skewers and a varietyof cocktails.

Today we have the opportunity to visit Santuario Silvestre de Osa – the only wildlifesanctuary and rescue centre in Golfo Dulce that devotes all of its efforts tothe care and rehabilitation of rainforest animals. The sanctuary is home to awide variety of orphaned and injured animals, including howler monkeys, spidermonkeys, squirrel monkeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws,toucans, parrots and two-toed sloths.The other option is to visit the famous gardens of Casa Orquideas (Orchid House). Thereare more than 100 varieties of orchids and while strolling through the gardens,tanager, toucans and parrots can usually be seen.

To be able to see the different faces of the Corcovado National Park and its surroundingforest reserves, wildlife refuges and wetlands can offer, we go ashore byZodiac in Bahia Drake.At Bahia Drake there will be several options to explore the national park: you can gohorseback riding along the beach to enter the jungle, looking for ScarletMacaws, finally reaching a lookout point to see Isla Cano, a biologicalreserve, in the distance. For anadrenaline-charged experience you will be driven to the northwestern border ofCorcovado National Park and the village of Los Planes. Here a rainforest canopyzip-line tour across 11 different cables will give you a different view of thepark. If you prefer to be active yourself, then take the third choice: a walkalong the Corcovado biological corridor, exploring forest, seashore, freshwater ponds and gardens. The walk will lead over a hanging bridge to a viewingplatform.

Curu NationalWildlife Refuge is located on the southern Nicoya Peninsula ofnorthwestern Costa Rica. We go ashore by Zodiac to explore this area teamingwith abundant wildlife and one of the most unspoiled beaches on the NicoyaPeninsula. Curu National Wildlife Refuge is managed sustainably to produceprofit and employment through low level cattle grazing and the harvest oftropical fruits, while at the same time protecting otherwise threatenedforested habitats such as mangroves, tropical moist and dry forests, and coralreefs. Some 200 species of birds thrive in the area and during a walk we willlook for Scarlet Macaws, Rufous-tailed hummingbirds and Blue-gray Tanagers, aswell as capuchin and howler monkeys.

We go ashore by Zodiac to the port of Quepos. The small town of Quepos is close toCosta Rica’s most popular gem, Manuel Antonio National Park, which is where we wantto begin the day’s exploration. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the moststunning and bio-diverse areas of the world. Spread out over 683 hectares it isfilled with diverse wildlife, has both primary and secondary forests, boasts astunning shoreline ideal for bird watching or swimming, and is home to a numberof endemic species of plants and animals including iguanas, sloths, squirrelmonkeys, colourful crabs, and the ceiba tree, which, according to ancient Mayanculture, is the tree of life that links us to the spirit world. Together withour Costa Rican naturalist guides we will stroll through the exotic,bio-diverse tropical rainforests hoping to encounter monkeys and sloths as theytraverse the tree canopy, and listen to the songs of the multitude of birds.Alternatively,enjoy a cruise through the mangroves, considered to be an important ecosystempacked with hundreds of species of marine and land animals. Aboard a sturdyvessel designed for this type of cruising, you will be taken around shifting sandbanksto reveal the animals, insects and plants that lie hidden from the untrainedeye. We will pass through wide lagoons where many species of seabirds can beobserved, and round narrow passages, hoping for a chance to encounterwhite-collared capuchin monkeys.

San Juan del Sur is a small coastal town of roughly 8,000 inhabitants that has becomesomewhat of a tourist attraction with its many fishing boats in the bay andsurf spots nearby. San Juan del Sur is the starting point for excursions toGranada, Nicaragua’s oldest colonial city, to see the cathedral and convent ofSan Francisco, and to Lake Nicaragua. Less than 12 miles separate the PacificOcean from Lake Nicaragua and this is where a channel would have been builtinstead of the Panama Canal, had it not been for the very active volcanoesfound in and near the lake. During a cruise on the lake some of the more than360 small islands that dot the lake can be seen. These mostly uninhabitedislands are home to exotic plants and animals.

Just south of El Salvador’s Gulf of Fonseca and west of Lake Xolotlán is the port ofCorinto. Some 20 miles to the east is Leon, Nicaragua’s second-largest city. Todaywe have the opportunity to visit this former capital of Nicaragua. Next toManagua Leon is the intellectual centre of the country. Apart from havingCentral America’s second-oldest university, the amount of colonial buildings,including its 18th century cathedral, the many churches and residential houses,rivals those of Granada. The tomb of Ruben Dario, one of Central America’s mostimportant poets, is also found in Leon.

Entering the Gulf of Fonseca and its sidearm the Bahia de La Union, Silver Explorer will go alongside in La Union, El Salvador’s second-mostimportant harbour. Today we have the opportunity to visit the volcanoConchagua. From the top of the volcano excellent panoramic views of El Salvadorand the neighbouring countries of Honduras and Nicaragua can be had.

Jiquilisco Bay is a hidden treasure of the Pacific. Today we have the opportunity toexplore the many side arms and beautiful channels of the bay to appreciate anexotic variety of mangroves either by Zodiac (pending permission) or by kayak.Another option will be to visit Central America’s largest cacao plantation inSan Jose Real de la Carrera. There you can not only see the plantation, butalso the plant for processing, drying and fermenting cacao, and can taste thefruit and have a cup of hot chocolate.

Acajutla is El Salvador’s main harbour and the perfect jumping point for excursions to Mayansites, spectacular nature and colonial towns and villages. El Salvador’simportant Mesoamerican sites visited today on a full day tour include Joya de Cerén,a pre-Hispanic farming community that was buried under an eruption of theLaguna Caldera volcano declared a UNESCO World heritage Site , and theimportant political and religious centres of San Andrés and Tazumal. North ofAcajutla is the El Imposible National Park. This area with the highestdiversity of wildlife is the largest ecoregion in El Salvador and has been puton the UNESCO World heritage tentative list. Coffee used to be transportedthrough a perilous gorge, resulting in the name “the impossible”. Coffee isstill grown in the area and we can visit one of the plantations.

Disembark the Silver Explorer after breakfastand head for Guatemala City and the return home.

Expedition highlights and wildlife listed here are possible experiences only and cannot be guaranteed. Your Expedition Leader and Captain will work together to ensure opportunities for adventure and exploration are the best possible, taking into account the prevailing weather, wildlife activity and ice conditions. Expedition Team members scheduled for this voyage are subject to change or cancellation.