Panama Canal Cruise - from Miami - 129237

Miami is a city at the South-East coast of the US state of Florida. The "Coconut Grove" district was the heart of the settlement in 1884. Today, the city is dominated by elegant boutiques and pavement cafés. Often, free street concerts are held in the side streets - usually reggae or jazz music. The city has numerous high-rise buildings, hotel complexes, areas with palm trees, shopping centres, cultural and recreational facilities. Sights include: the Southeast Financial Center - the tallest building in Florida at 55 storeys high; Dade Country Courthouse; Metro Dade Cultural, a cultural centre that houses Miami Dade Main Library; the Centre for Fine Arts and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.

Cartagena was founded in 1533 by Pedro de Heredias, a Spaniard and companion of Columbus, as a naval port. The historic old town and the harbour are listed and have been a World Heritage Site since 1984. Due to the flourishing trade in gold from Peru, silver from Bolivia and emeralds from Muzo, the city developed quickly and magnificently. Today, mainly oil coffee and platinum are exported and the city has been able to make a name for itself as one of the most beautiful colonial cities of South America. Sights include: the Gold Museum, the cathedral dating from the 16th/17th century and the San Felipe de Barajas fort with its amazing system of tunnels.

The San Blas islands are on the Caribbean side of Panama. The island group comprises 365 islands, only a few of which are inhabited. The islands lie in an autonomous region and have been ruled by the Kuna native Indians since 1938. There are no mosquitos, perhaps one of the reasons the native Indians chose to settle here. They go out to fish for crustaceans in special wooden boats, called "Cayucos". Unlike the other tribes of the Caribbean, the Kuna are dressed top-to-toe at all times, usually in colourful traditional costumes. For tourists, the San Blas Islands represent a beautiful, untouched diving area that people are reluctant to leave on account of its sandy beaches in sheltered coves and its warm, turquoise-blue waters.

In the middle of Central America lies the tropical region of the Panama Canal with its lush vegetation and rainforests. The Panama Canal is a technical masterpiece and one of the most important waterways in the world. It takes just a day to travel along the canal, but visitors are sure to remember the trip for many a long year.