Costa Rica, Panama from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the Panama Canal

San José, Costa Rica’s capital, sits in the Central Valley region with the Talamanca Mountains to the south and volcanoes to the north. The city that is known today as San José came into being as a small town around the middle of the 16th century. This area was known as the Aserrí Valley and was comprised of extensive grasslands. Read more about San José, Costa Rica

Puerto Limon - aka Limon - is the capital of Limón Province in Costa Rica. It is the country's main Caribbean port, and most of its citizens are of African descent. Originally from Jamaica, these workers were brought to the area in the late 19th century to build the railroad line from San José to Limón. Read more about Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Puerto Limon - aka Limon - is the capital of Limón Province in Costa Rica. It is the country's main Caribbean port, and most of its citizens are of African descent. Originally from Jamaica, these workers were brought to the area in the late 19th century to build the railroad line from San José to Limón. Read more about Puerto Limon, Costa Rica

Bocas del Toro Archipelago is situated in an isolated region on the coast of Panama in the Caribbean Sea, in the Bay of Chirqui. Located on Colón Island, it is the capital city of Bocas del Toro Province. The entire island group is a unique place with its lush tropical vegetation and fauna found only in this part of the world. Read more about Bocas del Toro, Panama

Named one of the seven modern wonders of the world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Panama Canal is a 77 km ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1903 to 1914, nearly 850,000 vessels have passed through the canal. Interestingly, the 8-10 hour journey from the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east is one from SE to NW. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Cébaco Island is a private island located 6 km off the Pacific Coast of Panama, in the Gulf of Montijo. The island is 26 km long, and narrow, with a small settlement El Jobo on the NE coast. Its 30 or so dwellings are supported by solar panels for their electricity and communications. Read more about Cebaco Island, Panama

Located on Costa Rica’s south Pacific coast near the border of Panama, the small port city of Golfito is a spectacular tropical hideaway situated across from the Osa Peninsula on the Golfo Dulce. It lies on a narrow strip of land along Golfito Bay and is backed against steep green hills covered with pristine rain forest. Once a major banana growing region, due to disease and worker unrest the company closed down. Read more about Golfito, Costa Rica

Quepos, located in a tropical inlet surrounded by rainforest, is a city in Puntarenas Province on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It has moved on from its banana-growing roots to be a premier holiday destination. The locals go out of their way to make visitors welcome, and their ‘love of life’ is reflected by the fact that dancing in the streets is a local pastime, that culminates and explodes in the month long Festival del Mar. Read more about Quepos, Costa Rica

The tropical city of Puerto Caldera is located in the Esparza Puntarenas Province on Costa Rica's western coast. The province has close proximity to many of Puntarenas’s major tourist attractions and nature reserves, such as Puerto Caldera, which is a great place to parasail. Perfect for the adventure tourist looking for some action, this small port town has some amazing steep cliffs, from which one can take off to see some truly breathtaking views of the country’s Pacific Coast. Read more about Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica

The tropical city of Puerto Caldera is located in the Esparza Puntarenas Province on Costa Rica's western coast. The province has close proximity to many of Puntarenas’s major tourist attractions and nature reserves, such as Puerto Caldera, which is a great place to parasail. Perfect for the adventure tourist looking for some action, this small port town has some amazing steep cliffs, from which one can take off to see some truly breathtaking views of the country’s Pacific Coast. Read more about Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica