Arrive To: Arrive at the Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama.

Proceed through Immigrations, Baggage Claim and Customs before exiting the secured area of the airport. The Road Scholar representative will be waiting outside the exit door with a Road Scholar sign (only applies to Road Scholar group flights).

Transfer to the hotel and check-in, followed by time at leisure.

Please note that this is an international travel day; no meals or program activities are scheduled on this day. Hotel check-in usually begins at 3PM.

Lodging: Amador Country Inn & Suites

Panama City -
The History of Panama City/Casco Viejo/Panama Canal Museum

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Program orientation.

Field trip to the Pacific Canal Commission Compound.

Excursion to Casco Viejo, the historic colonial center of the city of Panama with site lecture.

Panama City's old historic quarter (a.k.a. Casco Viejo or Casco Antiguo) dates back to the 1670s, when the destruction of Panama Viejo made relocation a necessity. Casco Viejo’s parks and narrow streets are lined with colorful buildings representative of Spanish, French and early American architectural styles. This eclectic collection of architectural styles reflects the city's role as an international trade center and cultural melting pot that began well before the building of the Canal. Some of Casco Viejo's must-see sites include the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Municipal Palace, the National Theater, the Panama Canal Museum (originally the Grand Hotel), the French Embassy, and France Plaza.



Lunch: Lunch at local restaurant.



Afternoon: Field trip to the Panama Canal Museum, showcasing the American era of the Panama Canal.

Excursion to the French Square, a monument to the French builders who began the Panama Canal.

Lecture: The Panama Canal in the New Millennium.



Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Amador Country Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.



Morning: Field trip to the Miraflores Locks to view ships passing through the first series of locks in the canal.

Visit the interpretive museum.



Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant.



Afternoon: Field trip to Las Cruces Trail, used by early travelers to California lured by the Gold Rush.

In the past, Las Cruces Trail served as the primary artery for sending most, if not all, of the gold brought from the Incan Empire to port for shipment back to Spain. In many ways, the Las Cruces Trail of the colonial era was the wealthiest road on earth. At the same time, because so much gold traveled the same route, just about every enterprising pirate sought access to this trail.

Excursion to the Chagres River, where early travelers would sail, then cross the isthmus before the canal was built.
Visit the Lake Alajuela/Madden Dam.

Lake Alajuela was "created" in 1924 with the construction of the Madden Dam. The dam's reservoir maintains the water levels in Lake Gatun and provides primary supply of drinking water along the canal. Lake Alajuela is surrounded by a 129,000 hectare national park of primary rainforest.

Enjoy a visit to the French Cemetery that honors the many lives that where lost during the construction of the Panama Canal.



Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant with views of the ships passing through the canal.

Lodging: Amador Country Inn & Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Early morning transfer to port to board boat.

Breakfast on board the boat.



Morning: Full day transit through the Panama Canal.

This transit leaves at 7:30 am and heads out the Pacific entrance of the Canal, just outside Flamenco Island. Here you will wait for the Panama Canal Commission Pilot who will guide you through the transit. Follow your companion vessel for the transit of the Miraflores locks (by Canal standards, we are a small vessel, so we rarely transit the locks alone).

The transit will take you through Miraflores Lake, Pedro Miguel Locks, Gailard Cut, Gamboa, and Gatun Lake. You will exit the canal at the Atlantic Ocean and dock at Cristobal.

Throughout the transit there are numerous opportunities to see dolphins, birds, monkeys and crocodiles. The whole experience will take about 10 hours.

Lunch: Lunch on board the boat.

Afternoon: Continue with canal transit.
Disembark in Colon.

Colon Province was once known for its wealth and its seemingly endless supply of gold and silver. This is where the stolen Inca gold was stored and sorted before being shipped back to Spain. The gold is gone and swashbuckling pirates no longer visit the province these days but Colon, the provincial capital, maintains a reputation as a place to make money.

Until 1852, Colon was an island, but was linked to the mainland when the United States started building the railroad. Contemporary Colon is known for its status as a Zona Libre, a free trade zone. Next to Hong Kong, Colon is the largest free-trade zone and marks the northern terminus of the Panama Canal.

Transfer to the hotel.



Dinner: Dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: Melia Panama Canal

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Field trip to Fort San Lorenzo, constructed in the 1500s during the reign of the Spanish King, Phillip the II.

Site lecture: The importance of Fort San Lorenso during the early years of the canal.

Located on the mouth of the Chagres River, this Spanish fort was once a primary defense against English pirates. While the fort successfully thwarted some (look for a captured British cannon on the fort’s grounds), it is perhaps best known for its failure to stop the infamous pirate, Henry Morgan. In 1672 Morgan defeated the forces at San Lorenzo, sailed up the Chagres River and led his men to Panama where they sacked, looted, and burned the city. By the time they completed their raid, Morgan safely escaped with massive quantities of gold and treasure.

Return to the hotel.



Lunch: Lunch at the hotel.



Afternoon: Visit to the Gatun Locks, dam, power-generating plant and spillway.

Train ride excursion to Panama City via the isthmus.



Dinner: Farewell dinner with Panamanian music.

Lodging: Crowne Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Depart From: Transfer to the Tocumen International Airport for flight to the U.S.

Note: Participants with independent travel arrangements and/or scheduled on later flights can keep their hotel rooms until check-out time on this day. Except for breakfast, all other meals are on your own on this day.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel (depending on flight time).

Meals Included: Breakfast