Panama Canal: Mexico, Costa Rica & Belize

Miami is one of the world’s most popular holiday spots. It has so much to offer; from its countless beach areas, to culture and museums, from spa and shopping days out, to endless cuban restaurants and cafes. Miami is a multicultural city that has something to offer to everyone.

Things To See, Do & Taste In Miami:

• See:  Miami Art Deco Historic District - Noted for its concentration of over 800 Art Deco buildings all within one square mile.
• Do: Everglades Airboat Tour.
• Taste:  Key Lime Pie – Florida’s most famous treat. Made of lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk sometimes cooked in a pie or graham cracker crust.

Begin exploring the capital by strolling along the waterfront Harbour Drive to Elmslie Memorial United Church, named after the first Presbyterian missionary to serve in Cayman. Its vaulted ceiling, wooden arches, and sedate nave reflect the religious nature of island residents. In front of the court building, in the center of town, names of influential Caymanians are inscribed on the Wall of History, which commemorates the islands' quincentennial in 2003. Across the street is the Cayman Islands Legislative Assembly Building, next door to the 1919 Peace Memorial Building. In the middle of the financial district is the General Post Office, built in 1939. Let the kids pet the big blue iguana statues.

Cartagena's magnificent city walls and fortresses, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, enclose a well-restored historic center (the Cuidad Amurallada, or walled city) with plazas, churches, museums, and shops that have made it a lively coastal vacation spot for South Americans and others. New hotels and restaurants make the walled city a desirable place to stay, and the formerly down-at-the-heels Getsemaní neighborhood attracts those seeking a bohemian buzz. The historic center is a small section of Cartagena; many hotels are in the Bocagrande district, an elongated peninsula where high-rise hotels overlook a long, gray-sand beach.When it was founded in 1533 by Spanish conquistador Pedro de Heredia, Cartagena was the only port on the South American mainland. Gold and silver looted from indigenous peoples passed through here en route to Spain and attracted pirates, including Sir Francis Drake, who in 1586 torched 200 buildings. Cartagena's walls protected the city's riches as well as the New World's most important African slave market.

Gatun Lake is a man made freshwater lake to the south of Colón, Panama. It carries ships 33km of the way along the Canal. It was created by building the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River from 1907-1913. It is also the name of the most famous of the canal's locks - the Gatun Locks, which are located at the entrance into the canal from the lake. 

Cruise ships sail into the lake on half and full Panama Canal transits. It isn't a port itself, but some ships stop here, where shore excursion tender boats take guests out to explore the lake and area more from a moored point in the lake, before continuing the canal transit.

Local wildlife often be seen from the ship while in the lake. 

The provincial capital of Colón, beside the canal's Atlantic entrance, is named for the Spanish-language surname of Christopher Columbus, though the Americans called it Aspinwall in the 19th century.. The city was founded in 1850 by Americans working on the Panama railroad and named Aspinwall for one of the railway engineers. Following completion in 1855, Colon gained in importance, which was furthered by the plans for an isthmian canal. During the time of the French canal attempt, a fire in 1885 burned the city nearly to the ground and left thousands of people homeless. Colon was rebuilt in the architectural style then popular in France. Buildings from that era plus the ones constructed by Americans between 1904 and 1914 are still in use today, although the majority is on the verge of collapse. In addition to its importance as a port, Colon boasts the world’s second largest duty-free zone, known as Zona Libre, which is contained in a huge fortress like, walled-off area with giant international stores. However, most of the merchandise is sold in bulk to commercial businesses throughout the country.

Christopher Columbus became Costa Rica's first tourist when he landed on this stretch of coast in 1502 during his fourth and final voyage to the New World. Expecting to find vast mineral wealth, he named the region Costa Rica ("rich coast"). Imagine the Spaniards' surprise eventually to find there was none. Save for a brief skirmish some six decades ago, the country did prove itself rich in a long tradition of peace and democracy. No other country in Latin America can make that claim. Costa Rica is also abundantly rich in natural beauty, managing to pack beaches, volcanoes, rain forests, and diverse animal life into an area the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. It has successfully parlayed those qualities into its role as one the world's great ecotourism destinations. A day visit is short, but time enough for a quick sample.

Measuring 33 miles long and 9 miles wide, this little island offers big rewards.  Known for it’s stunning natural beauty, glass-clear aquamarine seas, and vast marine life, Cozumel will always be a popular cruise ship port of call and firm favourite amongst scuba divers – owing to it’s multiple diving spots across 600 miles of coral reef.

Venture off the beaten path to find deserted, windswept beaches and wild, vibrant natural parks, or head directly across from the docks to Plaza Central, the heart of San Miguel - Residents often congregate here in the evening, especially on weekends, when free concerts begin at 8pm.

Most of the island's restaurants, hotels, stores, and dive shops are concentrated downtown and along the two hotel zones that fan out along the leeward coast to the north and south of San Miguel.

Things To See, Do & Taste In Cozumel:

• See:  Mayan Ruins of Tulum - One of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.  Sat on a seaside cliff alongside turquoise waters.
• Do: All Terrain Xrail Expedition – A journey into the heart of Cozumel's jungle.
• Taste:  Cochinita Pibil - Slow roasted pork usually served with pickled onions on tacos or tortas (also known as Torta de Cochinita Pibil or Taco de Cochinita Pibil).

Miami is one of the world’s most popular holiday spots. It has so much to offer; from its countless beach areas, to culture and museums, from spa and shopping days out, to endless cuban restaurants and cafes. Miami is a multicultural city that has something to offer to everyone.

Things To See, Do & Taste In Miami:

• See:  Miami Art Deco Historic District - Noted for its concentration of over 800 Art Deco buildings all within one square mile.
• Do: Everglades Airboat Tour.
• Taste:  Key Lime Pie – Florida’s most famous treat. Made of lime juice, egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk sometimes cooked in a pie or graham cracker crust.