Panama November 8-16, 2008 - Advanced (Class IV/V)
  

Day 1: Arrive in Panama City. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Panama City.

Day 2: You will be transported from your hotel in Panama City to the airport to catch an early flight to David, the provincial capital of Chiriqui. From there, we will make a quick stop at the lodge, outfit our boats and do a warm up run on the Witches section of the Rio Chiriqui. This section is class III/IV with one large class IV rapid at the very end.

Day 3: We get up early and drive about 20 minutes to the Rio Cochea. This river starts out as a small creek and gradually picks up volume over the next ten miles. It is a continuous class IV run in a deep gorge.

Day 4: Time to step it up. We head to the Frijoles section of the Rio Chiriqui. This run is a classic steep boulder garden. We will do plenty of scouting. There are a few class V rapids on this section, but they are walkable.

Day 5: Time for something different. We head to the Rio Piedra. This river defines continuous. Depending on the put-in, you may drop over 2000 feet in about 12 miles. At some points on the run, you can look downstream and see the Pacific Ocean off in the distance.

Day 6: Time for a short day. We head to the Rio Caldera in Boquete. For those looking for a challenge, we put in above town and run a very continuous class IV+ creek. For those wanting to take it easy, we put in further downstream on the class III/IV section. It is roadside and close to home.

Day 7: We head to the Rio Chiriqui Viejo to do the Palon section. This is classic big water Class IV whitewater. It is gorgeous and continuous.

Day 8: This is our last day of paddling. We will do the class IV section of the lower Rio Los Valles. The section is short, but it is full of steep and challenging class IV boulder gardens. After taking out, we head back to lodge, pack our bags and catch an afternoon flight back to Panama City. (You will be transported from the domestic airport to your hotel).

Day 9: You will be transported from the hotel in Panama City to the  airport for your return flight home.

Location
We will be in the highlands of western Panama in the Chiriqui Province (bordering Costa Rica and the Pacific Ocean). The trip is based out of the small mountain town of Boquete, famous for raising coffee and flowers. Boquete is located on the slopes of Volcan Baru (the highest point in Panama at about 11,400 feet). The area receives over 100 inches of rain each year, with nearly all of that falling during the rainy season from May until December. In addition to the abundant rainfall, the temperature varies from the mid 80's during the day to the mid 50's at night. There are an abundance of rivers to run during the rainy season. To date, we have catalogued over 35 runs in the Chiriqui province alone, with over 20 being class IV or harder.

Food and Water
Panama has excellent food and water quality. You can drink the tap water anywhere you will be on our adventure. We also feel very comfortable eating uncooked vegetables, etc. The meals during the trip will be a combination of eating out at restaurants in Boquete and the surrounding areas and meals prepared back at the lodge.

Gear
Our outfitter (Boquete Outdoor Adventures) will provide the kayaks on our trip. Guests should provide their own PFD, skirt, helmet, paddle and any other personal gear. We encourage you to bring a throw rope and any other rescue gear you normally carry. For those who want to travel light, rental gear is available (PFD, skirt, helmet and paddle) for $20 per day.

Kayaks Available
BOA has over 35 boats in our fleet. Most of the newer boats are river runners and creek boats since this is mostly what we will be doing. Some of the boats available are: Dagger Mambas (8.0 and 8.5), Nomads (8.0 and 8.5), GTs, GTXs Liquid Logic Jefes (medium and large) Prijon Imbudos Pyranha Burns (Medium and Large) We also ship about 5-7 new boats each year to keep the fleet as up to date as possible.

Travel Information
Traveling in Panama is safe and easy. Compared to most of Latin America, the roads and transportation system are in amazingly good shape. In addition, the food and water is safe to eat and drink just about anywhere in the country. To travel to Panama, you will need a passport. In addition, we recommend that you visit the US Center for Disease Control website (http://www.cdc.gov) to see what vaccinations are recommended before you travel. You will be in the provinces of Panama and Chiriqui.

Please check with your airline for baggage restrictions. They often impose curfews on larger bags (such as paddle bags) during this time of the year. In addition, the local airlines limit bags to 25 pounds per person for checked baggage.