Panama Marine Adventures
By Shirley Linde and Lloyd Webbe, SmallShipCruises.com
We had been going up river about an hour with jungle on each side when we heard a single drum announcing our arrival. In minutes we were at a landing where a dozen or so villagers stood to greet us. Four musicians played drums, maracas and flute and sang. When we got on shore, sarong-clad children looked up at us with big eyes, wordlessly took us by the hand and one by one led us down a dirt path. We were visiting a village of Embera Indians, one of the highlights of a voyage in a yacht of Panama Marine Adventurers.
The yacht, named Discovery, has lived up to its name, having created a voyage of discovery for travelers who want to know the real Panama and its people. Panamanians are as colorful as the wildlife, their music as flavorful as their native foods, a blend of African, Caribbean and Spanish with dash of Chinese and European.
Discovery carries 24 passengers, Captain Rafael Munoz, 6 crew, and 2 naturalists. There are 8 queen and 4 twin cabins. The draft is shallow so the vessel can venture where few passenger vessels can, carrying clients in comfort into the shallow waters of Panama’s rivers and tributaries. There are two zodiacs, 8 kayaks, and snorkeling gear on board. The salon is the dining room and main gathering area.
Panama is just 9 degrees north of the equator, a thin strip of land that shapes the waist of the Americas. The country offers access to many different cultures and worlds, all within reach of each other in just a few hours. Mention Panama and most people think of the Panama Canal that draws ships and visitors from around the world. But there is more to see in Panama besides the Canal.
Continue reading this Panama Marine Aventure.
It was a pitch black night and we sat there in our canoes in the inky dark river waters. The guides shined search lights onto the shoreline and the trees, and eyes reflected back at us from the darkness – cayman cooling off in the water. (Cayman are a crocodile-like creature that can grow to 18 ft. in length.) As we sat silently in the canoes we could hear the sounds of the night forest — crickets, frogs croaking, birds calling. As our eyes became accustomed to the night, we saw some tree frogs and birds, and the area seemed actually bright in the light of the almost full moon. There were lightning flashes in the distance. Awesome.
We were on a seven-day expedition trip in the Amazon with Amazon Nature Tours on the Motor Yacht Tucano. We were cruising the Rio Negro, a tributary of the Amazon River. Alone it is the second largest river in the world with the Amazon being the largest. The color of the water is that of strong tea, giving it its name Rio Negro or black river. We go on the Negro because it is much more remote and pristine than the Amazon River. An added benefit — the chemistry of the waters is such that the Rio Negro has no mosquitoes. The entire river system is part of the Amazonas Region, the largest state in Brazil.
Hotel Terra Jackson Hole, was planned and built with the concept that it would be both healthier for its guests and for the land it inhabits. This eco-boutique has succeeded in becoming part of the global movement to change the way the hospitality industry interacts with our planets limited natural resources.
One of El Salvador’s best kept secrets is the surfing! Along the 320km of Pacific coastline there are at least 10 world class surf spots with long breaks, waiting to be ridden. And the best part for both pros and learners is that there are no crowds. It’s the best way to learn because you don’t feel like you’re encroaching on the surfers’ space, but also good for surfers who know what they’re doing and where to go to get the best waves with no one else in the way. There are good places for families to learn together that have smaller waves, and places with barrels and long double overhead waves that don’t close out for the best of you out there. Sunzal, one of the country’s best spots, is featured in Greenspot.travel’s 
If culture is more your thing, or you want to get out of the sun and up into the cool mountains for a couple of days, a truly undiscovered place awaits. Up in the highlands are indigenous villages with traditional mystical cultures. Nahuizalco is an amazing glimpse of the past with ancient churches from the time of Spanish colonization, and one of the oldest art and craft markets where local vendors still wear traditional dress. You really feel transported to another world when you’re walking around a place like this.