Small Ship Costa Rica & Panama Canal Cruises

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See the engineering feat that is the Panama Canal, a highlight of Panama Canal cruises aboard small ships. Gaze at rare animals in wildlife-watching areas like Bahia Drake, or relax on uninhabited white-sand beaches and snorkel stunning reefs.

This is an adventure! Get your feet wet as you wade ashore from the Zodiac (a “wet landing”) onto deserted beaches and access remote wilderness areas.

Spend a full day enjoying secluded Isla Parida during Windstar’s Signature Beach Party — a catered affair complete with an island bar, water toys and a plentiful-mouthwatering buffet.

Nothing makes you appreciate the Panama Canal like sailing through it on a yacht. Make a transit of the Panama Canal as our Canal historian shares facts about its construction and its inner workings.

“Port Jim” is one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse areas. Kayak through the mangroves and estuaries watching for rare animals like macaws, quetzals, monkeys and caimans, or simply relax on a perfect beach.

Learn about Costa Rica’s most important crop — coffee — observing the process from roasting to cup, followed by a hearty traditional Costa Rican casado lunch.

Experience a one in a lifetime half-day guided tour of Machu Picchu, followed by a scenic Vistadome train journey.

Experience Costa Rica & Panama in Windstar Style

See the engineering feat that is the Panama Canal, a highlight of Panama Canal cruises aboard small ships. Gaze at rare animals in wildlife-watching areas like Bahia Drake, or relax on uninhabited white-sand beaches and snorkel stunning reefs.

This is an adventure! Get your feet wet as you wade ashore from the Zodiac (a “wet landing”) onto deserted beaches and access remote wilderness areas.

Spend a full day enjoying secluded Isla Parida during Windstar’s Signature Beach Party — a catered affair complete with an island bar, water toys and a plentiful-mouthwatering buffet.

Nothing makes you appreciate the Panama Canal like sailing through it on a yacht. Make a transit of the Panama Canal as our Canal historian shares facts about its construction and its inner workings.

“Port Jim” is one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse areas. Kayak through the mangroves and estuaries watching for rare animals like macaws, quetzals, monkeys and caimans, or simply relax on a perfect beach.

Learn about Costa Rica’s most important crop — coffee — observing the process from roasting to cup, followed by a hearty traditional Costa Rican casado lunch.

Experience a one in a lifetime half-day guided tour of Machu Picchu, followed by a scenic Vistadome train journey.

Get Closer to Costa Rica & Panama

Natural and man-made wonders combine in this exotic region where you are an explorer by day with cocktails on the fantail of your boutique ship by night — exactly the kind of experience that defines Panama Canal cruises small ships are known for. Costa Rica is one of the most ecologically diverse places on earth over landscapes of rainforest, lakes, cloudforests, volcanoes, and more. Learn more about their history, flora and fauna from a local Naturalist on board, and transit the massive Panama Canal during daylight hours. And your white yacht rests at anchor awaiting your return from a delightful day of exploring.

Let Windstar Show You Costa Rica & The Panama Canal

THE RAINFOREST, SEA, AND BEACHES here brim with life — howler monkeys, jaguars, blue morpho butterflies the size of dinner plates — bisected by a canal built on a scale never before attempted by man. Mayan and colonial relics hint at past glories, shrouded in jungle and hidden deep within Belize’s limestone caves. Latin cuisines burst on the palate with the exuberance of a mariachi band. Meet Embera Indians in Panama and search the Costa Rican rainforest for endangered species. You are an explorer by day, with cocktails on the pool deck at 5.

WINDSTAR VOYAGES TO COSTA RICA & PANAMA CANAL

Windstar’s Costa Rica & Panama voyages also include sailings to Peru. Stroll the ancient Inca capital Cusco, a UNESCO site, and tour the ruins of the Sacred Valley. Or have a guided tour of Machu Picchu.