Starting in 2023, we are pleased to offer complimentary beer & wine aboard National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion. See our new Free Bar Policy under special offers for details.
We're a winner of Conde Nast Traveler's 2022 Readers Choice Awards
Amazingly diverse flora & fauna—and an engineering marvel
Within the lush and vibrant green of this region lie many discoveries. The flash of scarlet macaw wings amid treetops. The scintillating iridescence on the hummingbirds sipping nectar as they hover. And so many moments that will stay with you long after you leave—the atavistic thrill of hearing howler monkeys call to each other in the trees or the peace of sinking into a pool at the base of a waterfall deep in the jungle. Add to that the privilege of seeing one of the world’s great feats of engineering from the deck of an expedition ship as you cross the Panama Canal—an absolute peak travel experience.
$700 AIR CREDIT OR FREE 3-DAY PANAMA CITY EXTENSION
Book by April 30, 2023, and choose either a $700 air credit per person or a free pre-or-post voyage 3-day Panama City extension on select 2024 departures. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Credit will be deducted from cabin fare prior to any additional applicable savings. Call for details.
FREE BAR POLICY
Enjoy free beer and wine (excluding super-premium brands) on all 2023 departures aboard National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion. Starting in 2024, your full bar tab (excluding super-premium brands) will be included.
Costa Rica's Cloud Forest through the Panama Canal
Duration
11 days
Jan
Feb
Dec
From
$9,210
Top Highlights
Kayak, hike, swim, and snorkel; actively explore these idyllic islands and hidden waterways, getting the same enriching experience offered on our eight-day Costa Rica and Panama expedition
Plus, explore Costa Rica’s rugged interior among the mist-shrouded wild forests of Monteverde
Sail into remote wilderness; hike among monkeys, sloths, and tropical birds; and explore far from any inhabited places
Transit the Panama Canal over two days to see it by day and in the coolness of night—plus an exclusive stop at the Smithsonian Research Institute
Explore idyllic islands; snorkel over a vibrant coral reef and take a Zodiac along jungle shores teeming with birds
$700 AIR CREDIT OR FREE 3-DAY PANAMA CITY EXTENSION
Book by April 30, 2023, and choose either a $700 air credit per person or a free pre-or-post voyage 3-day Panama City extension on select 2024 departures. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Credit will be deducted from cabin fare prior to any additional applicable savings. Call for details.
FREE BAR POLICY
Enjoy free beer and wine (excluding super-premium brands) on all 2023 departures aboard National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion. Starting in 2024, your full bar tab (excluding super-premium brands) will be included.
Panama and Colombia: Exploring the Caribbean Coast
Duration
8 days
Oct
Nov
From
$6,290
Top Highlights
Transit the Panama Canal over two days to see it by day and in the coolness of night—plus an exclusive stop at the Smithsonian Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island
Visit the palm-shaded Panamanian archipelago of Guna Yala (formerly San Blas Islands), an autonomous province that is home to the indigenous Guna people, and get immersed in local culture
Discover the coastal treasures and remote wilderness of Colombia, exploring vibrant villages, pristine beaches, and wildlife-rich jungles
Explore Colombia’s rainforests, among the most biodiverse on Earth, with almost 1,900 bird species and an astonishing list of approximately 450 mammals
$700 AIR CREDIT OR FREE 3-DAY PANAMA CITY EXTENSION
Book by April 30, 2023, and choose either a $700 air credit per person or a free pre-or-post voyage 3-day Panama City extension on select 2024 departures. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Credit will be deducted from cabin fare prior to any additional applicable savings. Call for details.
FREE BAR POLICY
Enjoy free beer and wine (excluding super-premium brands) on all 2023 departures aboard National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion. Starting in 2024, your full bar tab (excluding super-premium brands) will be included.
FREE ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE ON SELECT 2023 DATES
Receive free roundtrip airfare from Miami to San Jose. Baggage fees may be additional. Valid for new bookings only and may not be combinable with other offers or pre- or post-extensions.
Enjoy free beer and wine (excluding super-premium brands) on all 2023 departures aboard National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Sea Bird, and National Geographic Sea Lion. Starting in 2024, your full bar tab (excluding super-premium brands) will be included.
FREE ROUND-TRIP AIRFARE ON SELECT DATES
Book by June 30, 2023, to receive free roundtrip airfare from Miami to San Jose on select departures. Complimentary air is based on economy group flights and must be ticketed by Lindblad Expeditions. In the case that Lindblad's group flight is not available at time of booking, we reserve the right to issue a credit. Baggage fees may be additional. New bookings only and may not be combinable with other offers or pre- or post-extensions. Call for details.
$700 AIR CREDIT
Book by June 30, 2023, to receive a $700 air credit per person on select departures. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Credit will be deducted from cabin fare prior to any additional applicable savings. Call for details.
Actively discover the legendary wildness of Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. Hike, paddleboard, kayak, snorkel, and zip line. Go by ship to venture to places far from tourist infrastructure, landing at remote, empty beaches by Zodiac to find exotic birds and flowers. If you venture to Colombia, explore some of the most biodiverse regions on Earth, where endemic species thrive amidst intriguing, modern cultures. If you choose to cross the Panama Canal, do so in a way worthy of the peak experience. Go aboard an expedition ship with open decks to experience it up close. Cross over two days to see the workings of the locks by day and in the coolness of night.
Escape winter, or go to relish one of the world’s most exciting natural environments. The onboard atmosphere is comfortable and casual, akin to that of a large private yacht. And our wellness philosophy is designed to relax and revitalize mind, body, and spirit.
Recently returned from our Panama and Colombia:Exploring the Caribbean Coast voyage, staff photographer David Vargas captured soul-stirring images of the people and places at the heart of this vibrant region.
Costa Rica by Ship: A Unique Look at Tropical Wildness
With jaguars and toucans in the cool mist of cloud forests, blue morpho butterflies and sloths in tropical rainforests, and a kaleidoscope of marine life swirling around coral reefs, Costa Rica’s varied habitats burst with biodiversity. The wildest of these wild places are also the least accessible—unless you approach by expedition ship.
Take a breather and enjoy the peaceful landscapes, sounds, and wildlife of Costa Rica.
6 Ways to Discover Costa Rica's Wild Wonders
Our carefully curated itineraries allow you to experience different facets of this biodiverse region, from remote shores that give way to seas teeming with marine creatures, to inland gems like a mist-shrouded cloud forest.
Corcovado National Park's remote location has enabled this nature preserve to maintain its reputation as one of the most interesting and abundant ecological destinations around.
Capturing Guanacaste: A Photographer’s Top 12 Shots
Lindblad art director and staff photographer David Vargas recently visited Guanacaste, Costa Rica, where he photographed some of the elements guests will encounter on our brand-new itinerary.
In Guanacaste, breathtaking natural beauty waits around every corner—from picture-perfect beaches to hidden jungle waterfalls. But with so much abundance and beauty, where do you even start?! We curated some of our favorite user-generated content from Instagram to highlight the top must-see places to explore when visiting Guanacaste.
See, do and learn more by going with engaging experts who have been exploring this region for decades.
Expedition Leader
Veteran expedition leaders are the orchestrators of your experience. Many have advanced degrees and have conducted research or taught for years. They have achieved expedition leader status because they possess the skills, the experience, and the depth of knowledge necessary to continually craft the best expedition possible for our guests.
Our naturalists, passionate about the geographies they explore (and return to regularly), illuminate each facet through their enthusiasm and knowledge. Our guests consistently cite the expertise and engaging company of our staff as key reasons to repeatedly travel with us.
Undersea specialists are your eyes on the world that lies beneath the waves. Using an array of tools, including a high-definition camera, our Cousteau-like undersea specialists show you strikingly clear images of the seldom-seen world beneath the ship.
Every expedition aboard a ship in our National Geographic-flagged fleet offers an exclusive service—a Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic certified photo instructor. This naturalist is specially trained to offer assistance with camera settings and the basics of composition and to help you become a better, more confident photographer.
Video chroniclers accompany every expedition and shoot vivid HD footage—with no recycled footage ever—to provide you with a professionally edited and completely authentic memento of your expedition. Working during the day and editing into the night, they have your video ready for preview prior to—and available to purchase at—disembarkation.
Our wellness program embodies the belief that nature is vitalizing and that wildness, as Thoreau famously said, supplies a tonic. Wellness specialists are fully accredited and experienced licensed massage therapists and are aboard every ship in the National Geographic-flagged fleet. They lead morning stretch class, aerobic walks ashore, kayak outings, and more.
Making a Difference
Lindblad Expeditions supports stewardship efforts through the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic (LEX-NG) Fund. One hundred percent of traveler contributions to the LEX-NG Fund in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia support the National Geographic Society’s Early Career Grants, which promote future leaders with novel and exploratory projects that span the fields of conservation, education, research, storytelling, and technology. In awarding each $5,000 to $10,000 grant, preference is given to projects that directly impact Costa Rica, Panama, or Colombia coastlines and communities.
FAQs
FAQs and Key Information
From climate conditions to water temperature to packing the right footwear, find answers to the questions Expedition Specialists get most often.
Today was our first day discovering the North Pacific of Costa Rica, and what a start! We woke up inside the Gulf of Papagayo in Panama Bay. Our first stop was Panama Beach, where we kayaked, practiced standup paddleboards, swam in the tropical waters, and took our first walk in a tropical dry forest to discover many bird species. In the afternoon, National Geographic Quest repositioned to Bahia Huevos. We enjoyed a Zodiac ride inside Palmares mangrove. We found many different birds and even crocodiles. After the zodiac tour, we took our second walk and observed birds and monkeys. What a day!
Today National Geographic Quest arrived at Caletas Beach in Corcovado National Park. You can see so much here in the protected forest on this peninsula. We organized groups of guests for coastal hikes and enjoyed great views of the beach and the shorelines of the Osa Peninsula. Forest hikes allowed us to experience the rainforest, and various walks were offered to guests. We saw lots of wildlife, including spider monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, and yellow-throated toucans. We returned to the boat for a delicious lunch and relocated to the entrance of Drake Bay. We explored Rio Agujitas in two rounds of Zodiac cruises. This was a highlight for many of our guests. The river was so calm and full of wildlife. We saw green kingfishers, boat-billed and yellow-crowned night herons, American crocodiles, and white-throated capuchin monkeys. We observed the towering canopy trees from the river and the forest’s vegetation, including woody lianas, climber plants, and palm trees with prop roots that anchored them to the very uneven forest floor. We returned to beautiful National Geographic Quest and celebrated the success of another great expedition.
We spent our second day at Golfo Dulce, the beautiful, pristine bay on the southwest coast of Costa Rica. We landed on Playa Blanca for an immersive experience with the “Ticos,” as Costa Ricans are called. Today we had the opportunity to experience a little bit of the Costa Rican culture. Some guests headed off to learn how chocolate and vanilla are cultivated–and eaten! Other guests learned about heart of palm, and some tried their luck with gold panning (no luck this time). While experiencing all this, we had wonderful encounters with white-faced capuchin monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, and several bird species, such as the spectacularly colorful scarlet macaws. Indeed, today was a very meaningful and complete day.
Coiba National Park is the largest marine park in the Eastern Pacific. Its multiple islands, pristine beaches, and crystal-clear water make it a choice destination for nature lovers. Coiba is Panama’s largest island at 493 square kilometers. Until very recently, the island was the site of a penal colony, which kept developers away and allowed the island to maintain its pristine condition. In 1991, it became the centerpiece of a 270,000-hectare national park, over 80% of which is oceanic. Not only is the number of terrestrial species (birds, reptiles, mammals) very high, but there are over 70 species of fish. The island is home to the second largest Eastern Pacific coral reef, and it offers the finest snorkeling found in the area. Today we snorkeled off Cocos Island. With easy access from a white sand beach, we found plenty of rocky reefs and incredible opportunities to observe thousands of colorful fish. We spent all morning here, and conditions were perfect for discovering the underwater world. After lunch, we visited the island of Rancheria, where we looked for birds, hiked, kayaked, and used paddleboards. Rancheria is a pristine island with perfect sand, palm trees for shade, and warm, crystal-blue water. We walked along a trail that led to a lookout from which we could see the layout of the islets and the big island of Coiba in the background. This was our last day in Panama, and we enjoyed it to the fullest.
The Panama Canal, which effectively connects more than 144 shipping routes, 1,700 ports, and 160 countries, is much more than its transit locks. It is miles of wild landscape, rich with intrigue and an astonishing biodiversity of wildlife.
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