Central America Cruise Itineraries

The Pacific coasts of Panama and Costa Rica are surely among the world’s most beautiful and diverse. Here, you find mountains, tropical rain forest and dozens of idyllic, offshore islands. The wildlife is as diverse as the landscape. Join us to explore the coastal regions of neighboring countries for an intriguing blend of nature — plus a transit of the legendary Panama Canal — aboard National Geographic Sea Lion. Walk rain forest trails, home to capuchin and howler monkeys, three-toed sloths, iguanas and hummingbirds. Snorkel at Panama’s famed Isla Coiba. Kayak along wildlife-rich coastlines.

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Sail through history while transiting the legendary Panama Canal. Journey up a remote river to explore the Darien Province, and meet the Embera people who still live close to their ancestral traditions. Enjoy snorkeling opportunities at Isla Coiba National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site and one of the best reefs for snorkeling in the Eastern Pacific.

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There is an aura about Monteverde’s cloud forest that soothes the spirit. On this Costa Rica cruise, you will have a ground-level experience by walking the forest trail and then head up into the canopy to take a Skywalk — a series of suspension bridges — for a bird’s-eye view. Combine Monteverde with your National Geographic Sea Lion sailing for an in-depth perspective.

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Pick a place you’ve always wanted to go, then let our cruises take you even further. An onboard naturalist enhances your journey. Visit breathtaking Southwater Cay. Sway to the sounds of a Marimba Band during our top deck cocktail party. Cruise the dramatic gorges of the Rio Dulce. Tour a 400-year-old Spanish fort. Delight in water sports in the unspoiled inner lagoon of the Belize Coastal Zone. Ride our glass bottom boat in search of brain corals, parrot fish and sea fans.

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This expedition offers an amazing variety of experiences, including an in-depth transit of the Panama Canal; and time on land in Monteverde Cloud Forest and at Arenal Volcano, active since 1968. Explore the area by small ship cruising aboard the versatile National Geographic Sea Lion, go kayaking, use Zodiac landing craft, and snorkeling gear. On this Central American cruise you can join rain-forest hikes amid monkeys, sloths and tropical birds.

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This expedition offers an amazing variety of experiences, including an in-depth transit of the Panama Canal; and time on land in Monteverde Cloud Forest and at Arenal Volcano, active since 1968. Explore the area by small ship cruising aboard the versatile National Geographic Sea Lion, go kayaking, use Zodiac landing craft, and snorkeling gear. On this Central American cruise you can join rain-forest hikes amid monkeys, sloths and tropical birds.Spanish explorers discovered gold in Panama in 1501, luring them back to the New World with the promise of riches galore. Finding a faster and safer way to transport Panama's looted gold to Spain became an obsession for Spanish royalty. Ever since Spain created the first working plan for a canal in 1529, the idea of constructing a water-based shortcut from the Pacific to the Caribbean took hold of imaginations the world over. France came closest to achieving this dream, starting the job in 1882 until illnesses, engineering and financial difficulties took their toll. But it was ultimately the lock-based technology of a young U.S. that revolutionized world shipping patterns with the opening of the Panama canal in 1914.

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Begin in the world-famous Manuel Antonio National Park. At remote Isla Coiba, go snorkelling, glide along in one of our transparent kayaks or just relax on the beach as Silversea butlers serve fresh fruit and cocktails. The Darién Jungle is one of the world’s top ten birding sites — and the most secluded. Cruise up river to the remote Mogue Embera village, one of several indigenous groups who live in relative isolation. Explore Panama’s three cities including the spectacular ruins of Panama Viejo, the Colonial City of Casco Antiguo, and the former Panama Canal Zone, or set off on a birding adventure to spot as many of Panama’s 954 bird species as time permits. Our voyage concludes with a transit of the Panama Canal, a great engineering marvel even by today’s standards.

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