Kayak the Guna Yala Islands and Raft the Chagres River in Panama

Touch down in Panama City, meet your host at the airport and transfer over to your hotel in either the old quarter or Via Argentina neighbourhoods. Explore the city on your own steam (if there’s time) before getting together with your guides in the evening to chat through the adventure ahead.

Early start today as you leave the city at 6 am to head to the Guna Yala archipelago northeast of Panama City. You'll reach the Caribbean Sea after a few of hours driving and board a boat to cross to your basecamp in the islands - this could be any of the 360 islands in the archipelago.

No two trips are the same as your host will have scoped out the best islands to stay on ahead of each departure based on sea conditions and interactions with the indigenous communities. Set up camp and hit the water for an intro to sea kayaking, before paddling to nearby islands and coral reefs for your first snorkel.

Wake up on your island paradise, have a swim and tuck into breakfast on the beach. Pack down camp and jump back in the kayak for a proper paddle today as you explore the archipelago further. Your guide will lead the way to the best islands for paddling, snorkelling and to eventually camp on later tonight. You'll generally camp on islands that are inhabited by Guna people, giving you a chance to meet the guardians of the islands and gain a glimpse into their unique lives.

Another day of kayaking, swimming and snorkelling. Again, your guide will choose the best islands to visit based on the reccy they do before each trip. You'll have the chance to meet more Guna people and see the famous traditional artistry known as Molas - an intricately woven and colourful textile art form that makes up the traditional clothing of Guna women.

One last taste of island life as you grab a final swim before breakfast, take down camp and head back to the mainland where a 4x4 will be waiting to take you deep into the jungle of Chagres National Park. A short hike takes you to the village of San Cristóbal where you'll camp close to a small river with some fantastic pools to swim in. Here you will experience how local people, known as Campesinos, live based on subsistence agriculture. Fall asleep to the sounds of the jungle, a big day awaits tomorrow.

After breakfast, you'll hike deeper into the national park alongside horses carrying the expedition gear. Reaching an opening at the Chagres River around noon you'll hop in a raft and float past pristine jungle and rock formations, eyes open for wildlife on the banks. This part of the river, characterized by currents alternating with stillwaters, is considered Class II to III. Most of the time the water is crystal clear making for perfect swim stops on the calmer stretches. Late afternoon you'll meet your host's Embera friends - indigenous people living in the forests of Chagres and Darien. They will carry you further downriver in their wooden canoes equipped with outboard motors. Set up camp on the banks of the river shore either at a sandy beach or at an Embera Village depending on recent rainfall and the height of the water.

Continue downstream in canoes with your Embera friends, before driving north to the Panama Canal, stopping at Agua Clara and Gatun Lake, which provides the water to operate the Panama Canal locks that raise or lower ships 85 feet to or from ocean level. Drive on to Gatun Dam spillway, jump in an expedition kayak and tackle the final stretch of the Chagres River before it meets the Atlantic Ocean.

The area is a protected forest rich in tropical fauna. You'll see Fort San Lorenzo, a fort built by Spanish Conquistadores in the 1400s to seal off the Chagres River to pirates heading for Panama City. Toast a successful expedition before heading back to Panama City for celebratory beers, dinner and your first proper bed for the best part of a week.

The adventure comes to an end after breakfast as your host takes you back to the airport in Panama City in time for your onward flight.