Costa Rica & Panama 
Between Two Seas
A Leisurely Voyage of Exploration
The intricate coastline, remote jungle-clad islands, and varied ports of call in Costa Rica and Panama are perfectly suited to CruiseWest’s style of up-close, casual, personal cruising.  Our cruises aboard the 100-guest Pacific Explorer visit remote national parks and jungle-clad islands.  Escorted by expert naturalists, you will hike in the tropical rain forest seeking rare wildlife, and snorkel and swim from pristine beaches.  This region is a naturalist’s paradise, with rare flowers, colorful tropical birds, playful monkeys and abundant marine life.

• Experience a small-ship passage through the Panama Canal
• Visit the Kuna Indians in Panama’s San Blas Islands
• Seek legends of pirates and the Spanish Main at Portobelo
• Explore the impenetrable Darién Jungle, and visit a native Emberá village
• Snorkel amid myriad colorful tropical fish at Isla de Coiba, Panama
• Seek rare wildlife at Manuel Antonio National Park and Corcovado in Costa Rica
• On-board Exploration Leader and English-speaking Costa Rican naturalists and crew

Gems of Costa Rica
Round Trip San Jose, 7 nights  
Wonderful wildlife, sparkling sands
The intricate coastline, remote jungle-clad islands, and varied ports of call in Costa Rica and Panama are perfectly suited to CruiseWest’s style of up-close, casual, personal cruising.  Our cruises aboard the 100-guest Pacific Explorer visit remote national parks and jungle-clad islands.  Escorted by expert naturalists, you will hike in the tropical rain forest seeking rare wildlife, and snorkel and swim from pristine beaches.  This region is a naturalist’s paradise, with rare flowers, colorful tropical birds, playful monkeys and abundant marine life.

Select departures include a passage through the Panama Canal, one of the greatest engineering feats of all time.  Included experiences on these extended voyages include visiting the Emberá Indians of Panama’s Darién Jungle, and the Kuna Indians, who reside on tiny Caribbean keys in the San Blas Islands.  Both cultures create highly distinctive crafts – the Kunas’ famous appliqué molas, and the fine rosewood carving and intricate basketwork of the Emberá.

• 7-night cruise in Costa Rican waters
• Explore Isla de Coiba National Park in Panama
• Seek white-faced capuchins and scarlet macaws at Manuel Antonio National Park, Corcovado Conservation Area and Curú Wildlife Refuge
• Enjoy snorkeling, swimming and beach activities
• Beach barbecue at Isla Tortuga
• Explore pre-Conquest mysteries at Caño Island
• On-board American Exploration Leader and English-speaking Costa Rican naturalists and crew

Mexico's Sea of Cortes 
LaPaz to Cabo San Lucas, 8 days/7 nights  
Explore Baja Mexico's Sea of Cortés  -  The otherworldly landscapes of Baja California and the beautiful Sea of Cortés come as a delightful surprise to visitors who only know Mexico’s mega-resorts. Hundreds of miles of shoreline, mostly roadless and uninhabited, line a sunsplashed sea. Rugged islands accessible only by small ship dot the sea, scalloped by bays lined with soft white sand. On the Baja coast, the few ports include Loreto, with its centuries-old Jesuit mission, and tradition-minded La Paz, lined for miles by a lovely waterfront promenade. You are conveyed to these wonders aboard the 102-guest Spirit of Endeavour. The ship’s launches zip you right to island beaches with nary a footprint in sight. The water invites you in, to snorkel among sergeant majors, rainbow wrasse, and puffer fish. Set your paddle to the water, to kayak into sea caves, or around the next headlands. The beaches here give way to tangled thickets of exotic cacti.

Snake & Columbia Rivers
Round trip Portland, 8 days/7 nights 
A Voyage through Time and Legend
A voyage on the Columbia and Snake Rivers is an adventure rich in history. From the buckskin-clad members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition to Indian petroglyphs on canyon walls, from blue-coated U.S. Cavalry to the Conestoga wagons of the Oregon Trail, history left many echoes all across this magnificent American landscape. On this cruise, you will savor fine wines in Washington’s Wine Country, walk up-close to waterfalls in the Columbia River Gorge, and travel deep into Hell's Canyon by jet boat. Cruising over more than 800 miles, you will transit eight major sets of locks and dams – twice. Shore excursions are included at every place you stop.

• Transit the locks of eight major dams
• Meet a Nez Perce poet and storyteller
• Tour Lewis and Clark’s Fort Clatsop
• Tour Multnomah Falls and Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River Gorge
• Visit the burgeoning Washington Wine Country
• Cruise by jet boat deep into Hells Canyon
• On-board Exploration Leader
• Special guest speakers or a Kodak Ambassador photography expert will join select sailing

AARP members receive Ship Board Credits.

Savings on other Itineraries and/or sailing dates are also available.

Daily itineraries are described in The Americas Experience booklet.  
Land touring may be added before or after any cruise itinerary.
Some groups may qualify for Early Booking and/or Final Payment discounts.  
Book early to obtain your preferred itinerary and cabin accommodations!

All prices are per person, double occupancy including tax/port charges/fees.
Not included:  Airfare, gratuities, travel insurance, optional sightseeing tours. 

A deposit will hold your reservation.  Final payment is due 70 days before departure.  
CruiseWest and Van Zile Travel reserves the right to withdraw any special savings at any time.

    
Please contact
Brad at Van Zile Travel
(585) 244-8300 
or toll free at (866) 511-7277