World Wildlife Fund

Rain Forests & Reefs

Aboard Le Levant

 

From $10,980 per person, based on double occupancy. Solo occupancy rates from $17,580.

Trip Overview

At the crossroads of two continents, Central America is a land of rich biodiversity with an array of colorful, exotic wildlife and a long and significant human history. In other words, the region is a natural destination for WWF travelers. Our Rain Forests & Reefs expedition is an odyssey to five countries, on two oceans, and through the Panama Canal.

Trip Itinerary

Sunday, January 3, 2010: Home / Belize City, Belize
Independent flight from your home city to Belize City. Transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)

Monday, January 4: Lamanai Ruins / Embark
In the morning, board boats for a wildlife cruise through virgin marsh and forest. Look for Morrelet’s crocodiles, northern jacanas, anhingas, and great egrets, as well as such rare species as snail kites and black-collared hawks. Walk through the rain forest to arrive at the fascinating ruins of Lamanai (Mayan for “submerged crocodile”), one of Belize’s largest Maya centers. The excavation site reveals the multiple layers of pyramids built upon other pyramids as one king succeeded the next. This afternoon, transfer to Le Levant and set out for the cays of Belize. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, January 5: Lighthouse Reef
Established in 1981, Lighthouse Reef’s Half Moon Caye Natural Monument is a bird sanctuary and the only nesting site in the region for red-footed boobies. During nature walks you can observe these birds as well as their thieving neighbors, the magnificent frigatebirds. Other species that make their home on the sandy caye include ospreys, mangrove warblers, and white-crowned pigeons. The waters off Half Moon Caye offer excellent snorkeling among purple seafans and colorful fish. Lighthouse Reef is also home to one of the most spectacular natural wonders of Belize – the Blue Hole – a gargantuan sinkhole where you can snorkel or scuba dive (conditions permitting). Once dry, as evidenced by the presence of stalactites, it has been submerged since the Ice Age. According to theory, a portion of its ceiling collapsed, forming a hole more than 1,000 feet in diameter and 400 feet deep. The Mesoamerican Reef that it's a part of is a WWF priority place for protection. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, January 6: Roatán, Honduras
Today explore the largest of Honduras’ Bay Islands, Roatán. The island has a mountainous backbone and is completely surrounded by coral reefs that are among the healthiest in the Caribbean. Sergeant majors, groupers, blue tangs, and other fish swim among the coral. The island’s volcanic origin formed pinnacles, ledges, underwater canyons, tunnels, and caves. Huge gorgonians and sponges clinging to the sheer canyon walls provide a rich and dramatic underwater scene, attracting divers and snorkelers. Crystal clear waters also offer excellent snorkeling 300 feet from the beach, where the water is only five feet deep. Other activities you can enjoy include investigating the regional flora during an excursion to a botanical garden, exploring the town, or relaxing on the beach. (B,L,D)

Thursday, January 7: Sailing the Caribbean Sea
At sea (B,L,D)

Friday, January 8: Isla de Providencia, Colombia
Far from mainland Colombia, the rarely visited Isla de Providencia is a warm and friendly, English-speaking island with the nostalgic feel of the Caribbean of yesteryear. An island tour takes you to a parochial school and other points of interest ashore. Or venture out to snorkel or dive among a variety of fish, including colorful tangs, cuttlefish, and barracuda that populate the island’s coral reef. (B,L,D)

Saturday, January 9: Puerto Limón / Tortuguero Canals, Costa Rica
Today you arrive in lovely Costa Rica and board shallow-draft boats for an excursion among the Tortuguero Canals, which are home to 2,000 plant species, more than 400 species of birds, and 13 of Costa Rica’s 16 endangered mammals. During your exploration of the raffia-lined waterways, you may spy sloths, howler and capuchin monkeys, wood storks, bare-throated tiger herons, roseate spoon-bills, Montezuma oropendolas, ringed kingfishers, crocodiles, caimans, turtles, and iguanas. You may even happen across basilisks, which are also called “Jesus Christ lizards,” because they can run on water. Upon returning to the ship, set sail for Panama. (B,L,D)

Sunday, January 10: Escudo de Veraguas, Panama
Ten miles off the Panama coast is a small, rarely visited group of lush islands—often likened to those of Palau – surrounded by crystal clear turquoise waters. During an expeditionary stop, Zodiacs take you to the southern side of the islands to view the steep white cliffs and isolated rock stacks where brown boobies nest. Explore the long sandy beach and the rain forest beyond in search of the endemic pygmy sloth, endemic Escudo hummingbird, golden-collared manakin, bay wren, and blue-gray tanager. The island is also the best place in the world to spot the rare uniform crake. Blue channels and a superb coral reef offer excellent snorkeling. (B,L,D)

Monday, January 11: San Blas Archipelago
Wake up in the San Blas Archipelago, a group of more than 350 islands in the Caribbean Sea and stretching for 200 miles along Panama’s coast. They vary in size from tiny uninhabited islets with a few palm trees to larger islands clad in rain forest. River exploration affords up-close views of the wildlife native to the archipelago. San Blas is also home to the Kuna Indians, a semiautonomous tribe still practicing the traditions of its ancestors, including the crafting of molas, brightly colored appliquéd blouses. You have the opportunity to meet the Kuna, learn about their culture, and purchase molas. In the afternoon, land at Holandes Caye to beachcomb or snorkel in the inviting waters. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, January 12: Daylight Transit of Panama Canal
The Panama Canal, which has been called the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” comprises a series of locks and dams straddling the isthmus high above sea level. During our daylight transit, Le Levant gracefully navigates three mighty locks, Gatún Lake, and the dramatic Gaillard Cut. Relax on deck and enjoy a historical perspective as you follow this famed waterway to the Pacific. (B,L,D)

Wednesday, January 13: Mogue River, Darién Province
Panama’s remote Darién Province is one of the last unspoiled regions in Central America. In Zodiacs and dugout canoes, cruise the Mogue River to meet with the indigenous Emberá Indians who live in small, thatched-hut villages scattered throughout the Darién. Primarily harvesters of forest agricultural products, they are also well-known for their baskets and the carvings they fashion from cocobolo, a dense hardwood. The Emberá are also famed for their music and dance, and as you approach the village you will hear percussion and flutes. (B,L,D)

Thursday & Friday, January 14 & 15: Isla Coiba
Le Levant anchors off Isla Coiba for a two-day exploration of one of the largest marine parks in the world. The terrain is rugged, with large stretches of mangrove swamp and roughly 1,400 types of plants, of which only about 50 percent have been identified. On nature hikes, search for more than 130 species of birds, including red-legged honeycreepers, crimson-backed tanagers, and brilliantly colored lance-tailed manakins. Zodiacs carry you on excursions along Coiba’s shores and bring you to a secluded beach for good snorkeling opportunities. Coiba is also the site of a large coral reef where a convergence of currents reveals an array of eastern tropical Pacific marine life to divers, including damselfish, snapper, parrotfish, rays, eels, and octopuses. (B,L,D)

Saturday, January 16: Río Claro / Isla Caño, Costa Rica
Zodiacs take you ashore for guided hikes to the Río Claro. As you walk along the beach trail, pass heliconia, orchids, strangler fig, and silk-cotton trees before arriving at the tranquil river for a swim. Scarlet macaws nest along this route, and you may see white-faced capuchin monkeys, lizards, red-legged and shining honeycreepers, chestnut-mandibled toucans, and black-cheeked ant tanagers, a bird endemic to the Osa Peninsula. Isla Caño, your afternoon destination, offers excellent snorkeling. Low coral reefs encircle the island, and the presence of whitetip reef sharks, dolphins, stingrays, morays, and groupers make this a popular dive site.
During a walk ashore, see several varieties of migrant and neotropical bird species. (B,L,D)

Sunday, January 17: Puerto Caldera / Disembark / San José / Home
Arrive in Puerto Caldera in the morning and bid farewell to Le Levant. The transfer to San José takes us past coffee and sugar cane plantations. Board your independent flight homeward in the afternoon. (B)

Optional Extension

Two optional extensions are available to accompany this tour.

Ancient Maya Mysteries
December 29, 2009 – January 3, 2010
For those with an interest in Maya history and archaeology, we have designed a five-day land extension exploring two of the best-preserved Maya sites in the Americas: Tikal in Guatemala and Copán in Honduras. These former glorious cities give you a rare look into the daily lives, culture, and beliefs of a people who once dominated Central America. Cost: $3,280 per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $690.

Costa Rican Wonders
January 17 – 20, 2010
Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity is legendary: 35,000 species of insects; 9,000 species of plants, including 900 different types of trees; 750 species of birds; 200 mammal species, including four kinds of monkeys; 200 species of reptiles, including 14 turtle species; and 150 species of amphibians. This three-night land extension is the perfect opportunity to witness this intense proliferation of life as you travel through lush green rain forests, along magnificent rivers, and high into cloud forests. Cost: $1,980 per person, based on double occupancy. Single supplement: $390.