Accommodation
During our tours, we usually stay in basic 2-3-star hotels, but for this tour we will stay in 3–4-star hotels. All the rooms will always have a private bathroom, and all places will have free Wifi. Every night except for one we will stay at hotel with both a pool and a gym. The photo above is from a 4-star Rainforest Resort where we will stay one night. The photo below is from our hotel in Panama City where we will stay for 4 nights.
Panama General - Practical Info.
Panama is a country in Central America, located on the Isthmus of Panama, which connects North and South America. It's bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the south, Costa Rica to the west, and Colombia to the southeast. Panama is about the size of South Carolina, with an area of 29,000 square miles. The tropical nation is renowned as the site of the Panama Canal, which cuts through its midsection.
Panama has a population of about 4.5 million people, with about 2 million people living in and around the capital city of Panama City.
Currency: The currency of Panama is the Balboa and the U.S. dollar. You do not have to exchange your US dollars before or upon arrival to Panama.
Guides
You will have one English speaking tour coordinator joining you from the airport in Newark and in Panama you will have an additional local English-speaking tour guide and driver as well.
Food and Water
Eating local is a big part of traveling and provides an important insight into local ways of life. To give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where, what and with whom you eat, we have chosen not to include some of the meals. This will also give you more budgeting flexibility. Central American food is delicious, nutritious and varied and most places there usually are quite a few options of restaurants to choose from, but sometimes we might be in more rural areas where options will be much more limited.
Fruits and vegetables in Panama are generally safe to eat. Panama is a tropical country with many farms, and its food standards and hygiene are better than other Central American countries.
Panama City has good water quality and water is generally safe in Panama to be consumed from the tap. However, we do recommend that you drink bottled water to avoid any possible illness, and it is always a good idea to bring an antacid (like Tums) with you.
Food Included in price
Day 1: None (We recommend that you bring some food for the flight)
Day 2: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 3: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 5: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 6: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 7: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 8: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 9: None
Panama is in general a bit cheaper than the US when it comes to buying food. Calculate with $100 - $200 for meals not included, depending on your eating habits.
Weather
We will be traveling to Panama in March, this is during the dry season with an average of only 0.5 inch of monthly rain. The daily temperature in March is pretty consistent with temperature from a low of 75 to a high of 90 degrees.
Spending Money
You need to bring enough money to cover meals not included in the price ($100 - $200), drinks, tips, incidentals and souvenirs. Panama is more of a cash society than the US. Panama's main form of currency is the US dollar, which is accepted at a one-to-one conversion rate with the Panamanian Balboa. You don’t need to exchange your US dollars. If you decide to pay on a local market with a $20, you can count on that they won’t have change, so it is always a good idea to bring a lot of single dollar bills, and it is also a good idea to not bring larger bills than a twenty. As international travelers attract pickpockets, we recommend that you have a money belt underneath your clothes or similar.
Liability Waiver
We will mail you our liability waiver about 3 - 4 weeks before the tour, which must be mailed back in a provided stamped envelope no later than 10 days before the tour.
Visa
If you are a US citizen, you will not be required to apply for and acquire a visa beforehand. Once you enter the country, you will be granted a free 180-day tourist visa. Panama does require that all travelers entering the country have a passport that are valid for up to six months from the date that you are flying back home again, and your passport must have a minimum of one blank visa page. This is very important, otherwise you will not be allowed to enter the country. We recommend that you also bring copies of all your important documents, and maybe even email them to you self. If you are not a US Citizen, please investigate for yourself if you have any visa requirements,
Electricity/Plugs
Panama uses the same electricity 110 volts, 60 cycles AC as in the US, and plugs/outlets are also the same. However, some sockets in Panama may be 220 volts, so it is a good idea to ask the hotel before plugging in any devices.
Travel Health Insurance
We do require that you have a travel health insurance for this tour, to cover for medical emergencies, cancellation/interruption insurance is optional. Check if your regular health insurance covers out of country, if so then you don’t need to purchase a separate insurance unless you want cancellation/interruption to be covered as well. We can recommend www.insuremytrip.comor www.squaremouth.com (Hines Tours are not affiliated with either of these sites in any form). Here you should be able to find a travel medical health insurance for 9 days in Panama for about $25-35.
Vaccines
No vaccines are required for your visit to Panama flying in from the US, but the CDC does recommend some vaccines. Please consult with your doctor before leaving and please take your time and read more about the CDC’s recommendations here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/panama
Cancelation Policy
MULTI DAY FLYING TOURS Cancellation Fees per person applies for ANY reason for cancellation, no tour credits are given. Please get a travel cancellation insurance with a "cancel for medical reasons" benefit, allowing you to claim a refund if you need to cancel your trip due to an unexpected illness or injury before departure.
40 days or more before departure - Loss of deposit
20 – 39 days before departure - 50% of tour price
19 days or less before departure - No refund or tour credit.
(We reserve the right to change the departure time or return arrival time with up to 6 hours from the original planned itinerary. This would only happen if the airline changed the itinerary, or if we must find another airline because the original airline changed the itinerary with more than 6 hours difference.)
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