Sailing The Panama Canal & The Humboldt Route - V260A

The city of Bridgetown is the capital and largest city of the island country of Barbados, a major tourist destination in the West Indies. The city has numerous attractions, landmarks, monuments, museums, and art galleries of an international standard. It is also a starting point for visiting many other popular cities on the island. This historic city and its nearby Garrison are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so be sure to take a virtual tour to explore the area. Read more about Bridgetown, Barbados

Santa Marta in Colombia is more than the average tropical paradise. It certainly has warm Caribbean surf and white sandy beaches, but it's also much loved for the stunning Sierra Nevada mountain range that towers above it. Being the oldest city in the country also has its advantages. It is home to a fair share of architectural treasures such as the Santa Marta Cathedral, Santa Marta’s colonial centre, as well as the Lost City, a well-known archaeological site nearby. Read more about Santa Marta, Colombia

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. Add to this the great combination of races and ethnicities that live in harmony with the indigenous Western Caribe peoples and Latinos. 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. Crossing the Canal is something that we would all like to experience, and subsequently many passenger ships provide a narrator giving excellent information during the crossing. Read more about Panama Canal, 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. Crossing the Canal is something that we would all like to experience, and subsequently many passenger ships provide a narrator giving excellent information during the crossing. Read more about Panama Canal, 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. Crossing the Canal is something that we would all like to experience, and subsequently many passenger ships provide a narrator giving excellent information during the crossing. Read more about Panama Canal, Panama

Manta is a major commercial and holiday resort centre and the second major port of Ecuador. It is possibly best known for the Playa (beach) Murciélago area of the Malecón, where not only is the seafood excellent, but also on offer is great music, beach aerobics, parties, and general night life ambience. Gathering momentum among tourists is the fact that this is the home of seeds of particular palms that are almost indistinguishable from ivory after they have been dried. Buttons, jewellery, and small sculptures made from these seeds are quickly gaining in popularity. Read more about Manta, Ecuador

Manta is a major commercial and holiday resort centre and the second major port of Ecuador. It is possibly best known for the Playa (beach) Murciélago area of the Malecón, where not only is the seafood excellent, but also on offer is great music, beach aerobics, parties, and general night life ambience. Gathering momentum among tourists is the fact that this is the home of seeds of particular palms that are almost indistinguishable from ivory after they have been dried. Buttons, jewellery, and small sculptures made from these seeds are quickly gaining in popularity. Read more about Manta, Ecuador

Machala is a city on the Pacific coast of SW Ecuador. The city of a quarter million population is a commercial centre for the local agricultural industries, particularly bananas, coffee and cocoa – and is often referred to as “The Banana Capital of the World.” Puerto Bolivar is 7km from the city centre, and one of the world’s largest shipment points for bananas, most destined for Europe. About 60 km inland, the coastal plain rises to the Central Andes with peaks reaching over 4000 m. Machala is not noted as a tourist destination, rather it is transport hub linking Guayaquil in the north to Peru in the south. Read more about Machala, Ecuador

Isla Lobos de Tierra and Islas Lobos de Afuera are two small islands located off the Pacific coast of the Lambayeque Region of Peru. Isla Lobos de Tierra (‘Island of Ground Wolves’) lies 11 km off the mainland at almost the most westerly point of South America. Its name comes from the fur seals (sea lions) and proximity to the mainland. Islas Lobos de Afuera (‘wolves from outside’) lies 53 km further south and away from the mainland. Read more about Isla Lobos de Tierra and Islas Lobos de Afuera, Peru

Trujillo is located on a bluff overlooking the Bay of Trujillo, on the Caribbean side of Honduras. The old Spanish fort, with its canons as well as the history of this colonial town, sits on the. An almost volcano-like mountain looms behind the city, making for a magnificent physical setting. It is a tropical paradise in the rough, and not a Holiday Inn or Motel in sight. Read more about Trujillo, Honduras

The Guanapes, located 9 km off the coast of northern Peru, are sheer columns of rock jutting straight out of the Pacific Ocean, with not a speck of mainland in sight. There are two main islands (North and South), plus a number of small stony islets. The larger North island is one kilometre long and up to 300 m wide: just a breeding place for birds. Hence the islands are covered with guano (consisting bird poo and dead birds, rich in phosphates, smelling of ammonia); dug out, and sacked for use as fertiliser. Read more about Islas Guanape, Peru

Lima, although a sprawling desert city, is the capital and largest city of Peru. The Historic centre of Lima is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era. In particular, visit the Plaza Mayor with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. The numerous churches are also popular as they date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Read more about Lima (Callao), Peru

Lima, although a sprawling desert city, is the capital and largest city of Peru. The Historic centre of Lima is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its large number of historical buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era. In particular, visit the Plaza Mayor with the 16th century Cathedral and the Presidential Palace. The numerous churches are also popular as they date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Read more about Lima (Callao), Peru

The Islas Ballestas are a group of small islands in the Pacific Ocean, 8 km off shore from Peru. The islands are nicknamed “The Poor Man´s Galapagos”. The nearest mainland port is Paracas, 18 km distant. The islands are barren rocky formations and are an important sanctuary for the guanay guano bird, the blue-footed booby and the tendril. Read more about Islas Ballestas, Peru

Pisco lies on the Pacific coast of Peru, 200 km south of the capital Lima. The small city is a gateway to the ruins of Machu Picchu, 500 km due east high in the Andes. Pisco is served by the port of San Martin which is 35 km out of town on the Paracas Peninsula. Named after the liberator General San Martin, this area is significant in Peruvian history as the birthplace of Peru's struggle for independence. Read more about Pisco (San Martin), Peru

Matarani is a major port on the south coast of Peru. The port is an important element of the current plan between the governments of Peru and Brazil to integrate an Atlantic-Pacific corridor between the two nations. This route will give Brazil access to the Pacific without going through the Panama Canal. Matarani lies on an interesting stretch of coastline, with curious rock formations and strange volcanic landscapes. Read more about Matarani, Peru

The seaside resort city of Arica in the north of Chile lies just 18 km south of the border with Peru. Known as the City of Eternal Spring - as it is sunny virtually every day of the year - it is located on the coast of the driest desert in the world. It has a great beach where visitors can enjoy the sun and take a swim. A tour or rental car enables visitors to explore the Green Uta valley that cuts through the desert, with water from rain and melting snow higher up in the Andes Mountains, and is also filled with the history and remains of ancient life. Read more about Arica, Chile

Iquique is a city in northern Chile, capital of Tarapacá Region, on the Pacific coast. It is located on a rocky peninsula in the rainless Atacama Desert with its unbelievable landscape that has a lagoon in the middle of the driest desert in the world, and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. You can find beautiful topography in the Isluga Volcano National Park, with high mountains and attractions like native flora, geysers, lagoons and rivers. Water sports include scuba diving, windsurfing, water skiing, and fly fishing in the ocean, while on land, buggy riding and sandboarding can be tried at Dragon Hill. Read more about Iquique, Chile

Antofagasta is a port city in northern Chile, about 1,130 km north of Santiago. The last decade has seen a steady growth in the areas of construction, retail, hotel accommodations, population growth, and remarkable skyline development, mainly due to becoming a major mining centre. However, with its 20 km of beachfront and mild, dry climate it has also developed as a year-round beach resort. Outside the city limits one sees a stunning vast empty expanse of desert that approaches the beach. Read more about Antofagasta, Chile

Isla Pan de Azúcar (Spanish ‘Sugarloaf Island’), is located 900m off shore from the Pan de Azúcar National Park in Chile. The Chilean coastline has very low rainfall and little green vegetation. It is part of the Park, and if you land on one of the mainland beaches you’ll see more than 20 species of cacti, and recreational beach shelters accessible to visitors who come off the nearby Chile Route 5 highway (part of the Pan-American Highway). Read more about Isla Pan de Azucar Chile, Chile

Coquimbo is a port city and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Tourism has recently started to develop, particularly as an access point for popular beach towns to the south, such as the fisherman’s cove of Guanaqueros, and Tongoy, with its famous 5km beach of white sand. Then there is La Serena, the capital of the region, with multiple attractions from architecture to beaches and shopping. Coquiimbo itself is a source of legends of hidden treasures, due to the fact that in the past centuries it was assaulted by pirates. Read more about Coquimbo, Chile

San Antonio, Chile, is a Pacific port 63 km south of the port of Valparaiso. San Antonio is the largest freight handling port on the western coast of South America. The city lies on hills and coastal dunes north of the mouth of the Maipo River. It was seriously affected by earthquakes most recently in 1985 and 2010. Read more about San Antonio, Chile