On a nine-day small-ship journey with UnCruise, an adventure travel outfit from Seattle, I toodle around the bays and islets off Panama’s Pacific and Atlantic coasts on Safari Voyager with 40 or so other intrepid travellers.

“We are the antithesis of the big ships,” says UnCruise owner Dan Blanchard. “Everything we do is not about the boat, it’s about what’s off the boat—the nature and wildlife. Essentially, the boat is a floating lodge we ‘hub and spoke off’ all day, the tool to get us to the places we can’t get to otherwise.”

Spot the boobies. I rarely get excited about boobies. But then I spot my first blue-footed boobie—and I’m mesmerized. On an inflatable skiff looking through binoculars, we see their cliffside bird colony on Little Pacheca Island in the Gulf of Panama. My boobies aren’t alone: I also see cormorants, pelicans and more, each commanding their own particular real estate around their wee island rookeries.

Find your tribe. Further down the Pacific coast, we spend an afternoon at an Indigenous village in the Darién province, communing with a tribe of welcoming Emberá villagers still living the same traditional jungle life that goes back centuries. After a formal welcome and a bit of ceremonial dancing, we buy crafts—beaded pendants, woven baskets, carved wooden dishware—and taste raw sugar cane.

WHERE TO STAY: IN PANAMA CITY

Kayak the mangroves. Existing before humans, the salt-tolerant coastal vegetation of the sub-tidal zones is its own ecosystem, filtering the salt out of the tree roots. Paddling through the mangroves yields an exquisite sense of peace and an arresting realization that I’m visiting a place few people ever get the chance to visit. We languish in the approaching sunset, drinking in the silence, watching the pelicans dive-bomb for fish in the estuary. No wonder these poor creatures go blind from this daily grind.

Traverse the Panama Canal. Tick.

Find a desert island. On the Atlantic side, we make for the Indigenous province of Guna Yala, a grouping of 360 picture-postcard islands, all white sand, palm trees and thatched roofs. We snorkel, paddleboard, kayak some more, eat, play volleyball and shop for molas, the colourful embroidered tapestries the locals have brought to our island-for-the-day.

THINGS TO DO: CASCO VIEJO

When you go. Uncruise Adventures offers seven- and 10-night trips around Colombia and Panama in October, December and January, and July and August. Pack the linen.

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San Blas history dates back to the late 17^th century, but the town was founded much earlier than that, in 1530. While not exactly a day trip from either of these cities, it is a worthy add-on, despite being a relatively poor area, and particularly if you’re venturing to the beach town of Sayulita, from which is a mere two hours.

Dig old stuff. Lots of it! Trek through the Contaduría, a fort on San Basilio Hill, the spot for the accountants way back in 1770 when the hacienda was in full colonial swing. A few steps away are the ruins of the Nuetra Señora del Rosario Temple dating from the same time. A giant bust of priest don José María Mercado stands watch over the scene up there.

Look at the birdie. San Blas is also one of the most important natural bird shelters in the Western Hemisphere. In La Tovara National Park, you can find more than 300 different species of birds—pelicans, terns, egrets, blue heron, ocelots, the works—not to mention quite a few crocodiles.

Cruise. The tropical marsh that includes the El Pozo estuary, the La Tovara National Park, and the San Cristóbal River makes for a fascinating afternoon or two. A boat tour through the watery maze of vegetation and wildlife will remind you of every prison escape movie ever made. Turtles and herons and termites and snakes—this is every kid’s dreamland. You’ll also come across a movie set of floating wooden homes, replicas of those occupied by some of the first settlers here.

Cuddle the crocs. No, you can’t do that. The crocodile sanctuary Cocodrilario Kiekari down the river rounds out the critter list.

Catch a wave. The fine, golden sand of El Borrego beach stretches for three kilometres and is an optimal spot for surfing—or if you’re me, watching others surf. From here, hop on a boat to Isla del Rey for a little quiet me-time on the sand. The beaches are also the best places to savour the traditional seafood dishes served up in the wee thatched huts.

Savour the flavour. Speaking of dishes, you are staying at the Hotel Garza Canela, home to El Delfin Restaurant, headquarters of celebrated Mexican food ambassador, chef Betty Vázquez, the Riviera Nayarit region’s unsung hero of the regional cuisine. Before an incredible meal, I had a tequila with a lime and a sangrita chaser—a mix of orange, onion, lime and tomato juices. Try it at home.

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