Panama
Rainforest Explorers: The Best of Panama With Your Grandchild
Program No. 23614RJ
Search for tropical wildlife with your grandchild in Panama while meeting members of an Indigenous tribe, venturing through the jungle and voyaging along part of the canal together.
Enroll with Confidence
We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more
Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
10 days
9 nights
26 meals
9B 8L 9D
2
Casco Viejo, Panama Canal Museum, Free Time
Panama City
10
Program Concludes
In Flight
At a Glance
Did you know that Panama has over 975 different bird species, more than the U.S. and Canada combined? And that’s just one reason why this country is perfect for every wildlife lover. On this exciting adventure with your grandchild, journey into the jungle and rainforest to search for awesome animals like sloths, monkeys and iguanas. Along the way, get a temporary tattoo from an Indigenous tribe, learn cool pirate history and spot marine life through your snorkeling mask as you make lifelong memories in this tropical paradise.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Walking up to three miles daily over uneven terrain; getting in and out of canoes/kayaks/motorboats; ascending/descending an 86-step canopy tower; snorkeling; some city walking and intermittent standing.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
Best of all, you’ll…
- Experience a partial transit through the legendary Panama Canal and search for wildlife as you pass through its many lakes and locks.
- Take your learning nice and slow at a sloth sanctuary, where you’ll get up close and personal with these gentle creatures.
- Enjoy a boat ride to an Emberá village — one of seven local Indigenous tribes — to play fun games and learn about their traditions.
General Notes
Program is intended for grandparents and grandchildren ages 9-12 & 13-15. If you have grandchildren 16 and over, or a family with mixed ages, please see "Rainforest Explorers: The Best of Panama With Your Family (#23615)".
Featured Expert
All trip experts
Abdiel Luis
Abdiel Luis studied tourism and hospitality management at the Universidad Interamericana de Panama. He is a licensed guide and has been leading educational groups since 2003. Two of Abdiel's favorite subjects are history and geography, and he particularly enjoys using his knowledge in these areas to enhance his groups' educational travel experience.
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Abdiel Luis
View biography
Abdiel Luis studied tourism and hospitality management at the Universidad Interamericana de Panama. He is a licensed guide and has been leading educational groups since 2003. Two of Abdiel's favorite subjects are history and geography, and he particularly enjoys using his knowledge in these areas to enhance his groups' educational travel experience.
Patricio Roca
View biography
Patricio Roca is a Panamanian expedition leader with expertise in environmental education and sustainability. Before beginning his career leading groups in 2000, he was an operations specialist in the U.S. Army. He is bilingual in English and Spanish and majored in elementary education at the National University of Panama. Patricio regularly volunteers to help with environmental projects such as tropical reforestation and beach clean-ups. In his free time, he enjoys adventure activities such as trekking, rappelling, and swimming.
Cristian Moreno
View biography
Cristian Moreno began his career as a naturalist expedition leader in 1995. As a boy, he enjoyed camping and learning about ecology, conservation, and survival techniques while a member of a Pathfinder’s Club. He holds degrees in metallurgic civil engineering, tourism and hospitality management, plus graduate degrees in higher education and human resources management. Cristian is a certified interpretive guide and a birder trained by the Audubon Society of Panama. He is also a PADI rescue diver and emergency responder.
Abdiel Aizpurua
View biography
Abdiel Dario Aizpurua began his career as a Panamanian naturalist in 2000. He received his training and certifications from the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute at Barro Colorado, Panama. Abdiel also holds a degree in tourism and hospitality management from the Universidad Interamericana de Panama. When he's not on the road, he likes to spend quality time with his family and friends. He is the father of two charming girls who he proudly calls his princesses.
Alexis Guevara
View biography
Alexis “Alex” Guevara is a certified Panamanian expedition leader and a birding enthusiast. After training in environmental stewardship and accounting at the Instituto Profesional Técnico de Metetí, he earned a scholarship to study natural resources and technology at Mt. Hood Community College, Oregon. There he received his first formal training in ornithology and became hooked on birds. In addition to leading educational groups throughout Panama and Costa Rica, Alex has worked as a resident naturalist at eco-lodges and as a consultant on environmental impact studies.
Ella De Gracia
View biography
Ella “Ellita” de Gracia is a certified Panamanian expedition leader and a Panama Canal expert. She worked as a bilingual executive assistant upon completing her business degree. After much reflection, she returned to college to study tourism and hotel management. In addition to leading educational groups in Panama, she has also worked as an expert for the Panama Canal Authority, providing live narration onboard transiting cruise ships. Ella enjoys cooking, outdoor adventure activities, traveling, and volunteering.
Suggested Reading List
(21 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Rainforest Explorers: The Best of Panama With Your Grandchild
Program Number: 23614
The Birds of Panama
Built for the field, with range maps, illustrations and descriptions on facing pages, this Zona Tropical guide covers 900 species.
An Adventure in Tropical & Temperate Rainforests
For kids 7-11/Grades 2-6. Learn about some of the world's main rainforests and investigate the plants and wildlife that reside in each. Enjoy hundreds of full-color photographs of unique rainforest animals and plants while discovering important facts about this important type of forest.
The Captain and the Enemy
Graham Greene returns to classic themes of mystery, deceit and espionage in this accomplished short novel, his 23rd and last book, set in Panama.
National Geographic Panama
Award-winning travel writer and photographer Christopher Baker introduces the history, nature and attractions of Panama, thoroughly illustrated in National Geographic’s style
What Is the Panama Canal?
For kids 8-12/Grades 3-7. What is the Panama Canal, why was it built, and how? Long before the invention of modern modes of transportation, ships traveling from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean had to undergo a perilous journey past the tip of South America. Many ships lost their battle with Cape Horn's notoriously strong winds, violent storms and treacherous currents. By creating a navigable shortcut through Panama, travel was made safer and faster. A one way trip from New York City to San Francisco that once had been ~13,000 nautical miles was cut by more than half with the creation of the Panama Canal.
Emperors in the Jungle, The Hidden History of the U.S. in Panama
A history and expose of U.S. military adventures and incursions in Panama, from the building of the Panama Canal, to a decades-long Army program of chemical weapons testing, and an analysis of the 1989 invasion.
Slothlove
Readers of all ages are destined to fall in love with sloths after viewing the 96-pages of beautiful and “awww” inspiring images peppered with interesting anecdotes. Sam Trull is a zoologist and talented photographer with works featured on BBC Earth and BBC One, Huffington Post, Good Morning America, and the Washington Post—to name just a few! She is involved in wildlife conservation efforts and is a co-founder of the Sloth Institute Costa Rica.
A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama
This Nova program, narrated by David McCullough (The Path Between the Seas, CAM32), covers the epic 30-year construction of the Panama Canal. With historic film footage, rare archival photographs and commentary.
Portrait of the Panama Canal, from Construction to the Twenty-First Century
Featuring 60 color and 10 archival images, this photo-essay includes contemporary and archival photographs of the Panama Canal as well as a short history.
Latin America in Colonial Times
This scholarly primer considers the history of the continent from the arrival of the first Conquistadors in the 16th century to the dying embers of empire 300 years later, giving equal weight to the histories of the colonial rulers, the African slaves brought over to work in the New World and the indigenous groups whose lives and lands were forever changed by conquest.
How Wall Street Created a Nation: J.P. Morgan, Teddy Roosevelt, and the Panama Canal
An intriguing look into the treachery, behind-the-scenes financial wrangling and Roosevelt-era dollar diplomacy that resulted in both the Panama Canal and the establishment of Panama as an independent nation.
A Brief History of Central America
A good overview of the region’s economic, political and social history through the 1980s by a professor at the University of Costa Rica. Well-written, informative and concise.
Lonely Planet Phrasebooks: Latin American Spanish
This portable phrasebook provides a useful mix of everyday phrases, words and expressions used in different Spanish speaking countries in Latin America. Learn the nuances of the Spanish language as it is spoken in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile.
Redeemers, Ideas and Power in Latin America
Jose Marti, Octavio Paz, Eva Peron, Che Guevara and Hugo Chavez all get a chapter in this illuminating history of political thought in modern Latin America. 12 thinkers in all.
Panama Wildlife Guide
This handy 14-panel fold-up card features expert color illustrations of dozens of birds, mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
Panama Adventure Map
With natural areas, attractions and two inset maps of Panama City. 1:475,000.
The Tailor of Panama
Set in Panama, this thriller by master storyteller John Le Carre includes spymasters, corrupt officials, arms manufacturers and other unsavory types.
The Building of the Panama Canal in Historic Photographs
These archival photographs tell the story of the people who built the Panama Canal, the engineers who designed it and the changes wrought on the landscape through its construction.
The Path Between the Seas
A great story, admirably told in vivid, page-turning detail, this is the one book to read on the creation of the Panama Canal.
Madrugador: Early Birder (Spanish & English Edition)
For kids 8-12/Grades 3-6. Perfect for the budding naturalist or birder in your family... This book contains a guide for identifying 16 of Panama's most common birds. Background information on bird species and accompanying illustrations provide a nice introduction to birding.
The Monkey's Bridge, Mysteries of Evolution in Central America
Opening this absorbing account of the history and biogeography of the Central American isthmus with the tale of Columbus, Wallace weaves his own travels in the region with a crisp overview of exploration, nature and evolution. Natural history buffs and ecologically minded travelers will appreciate this valuable resource.