Manuel Antonio National Park is located on the central western coast of Costa Rica, with a mountain range separating the park from Costa Rica’s central valley. The park’s flora and fauna include an impressive mix of 109 mammal species, including the endangered squirrel monkey. Over 180 species of birds have been documented. Dominant trees include the black locust, balsa, monkey comb, bastard cedar, and mayflower.

The park contains many trails leading to the most incredible white sand beaches, with beautifully rugged coastline views. The park also includes twelve islets a short distance from shore. These islands are an important nesting area for brown boobies and are a sanctuary for other seabirds. The surrounding waters are teeming with a number of species of coral, sponge, crustaceans, and fish. Dolphins and migrating whales may also be spotted in these waters.

Isla de Coiba is the largest island of nine islands within the American Pacific, and is located within Coiba National Park. Coiba covers 120,000 acres and is part of one of the most extensive marine parks in the world, protecting three ecosystems of island, marine, and reef systems. The islands are internationally famous as a turtle nesting site, and also offer magnificent flora, fauna, and bird watching. The area is renowned for the giant Blue and Black marlins caught in the surrounding waters.

Darién National Park consists of several ecosystems, from coastal mangroves to lowland forests, and from mountain rainforest to the highland cloud forest of Pirre Mountain. Replete with endemic and rare species, Darién is the northernmost range of many South American species and the southern range of numerous Northern and Central American plants and animals. The Cana Biological Station protects diverse wildlife habitats and offers phenomenal bird watching.

The Panama Canal is one of the most important waterways of the world, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This engineering marvel allows navigators to avoid traveling several thousand extra miles around the dangerous southern tip of South America’s Cape Horn. The Canal stretches 50 miles from coast to coast through large areas of virgin jungle, and provides annual passage for more than 12,000 large ocean-going vessels. A museum, canal model and film can be seen in the Miraflores Lock in the northeastern part of Panama City.

In 1980, UNESCO and the OAS declared Portobelo a World Cultural Heritage Monument and a Monumental City of the Americas. Portobelo was once a favorite pirate target. As the Spanish mined silver and gold from Peru, they would transport their treasures north to the Pacific’s Panama City, and then haul it overland to Portobelo on the Caribbean side. They built forts and warehouses to protect this precious cargo until it was shipped to Spain. So of course, the likes of Sir Francis Drake pirated this city many times.

Originally called the Kuna Yala, the San Blas Archipelago consists of 378 islands running from the Caribbean coast of Panama almost to the Colombian border. As an autonomous province, these islands are home to the Kuna Indians, who maintain their own customs, culture, and economic system. The archipelago offers fantastic diving, snorkeling, and commercial fishing activities.