London – Panama City

Early morning flight from London to Panama 

City; currently via Madrid and Guatemala City. 

We arrive in the evening and transfer to the hotel.

Panama City – La Fortuna 

Forest Reserve 

This morning, after a detailed briefing, we 

leave early and head to the Panama Canal. We drive 

approximately 6 hours stopping regularly to savour 

the magnificent history and incredible landscape. 

Miraflores is one of four great locks that allow ships to 

pass from the Pacific to the Caribbean. We can watch 

as vessels – some carrying up to 4000 containers – 

pass through the lock gates. From the Canal we drive 

across scenic Panama to the Fortuna Forest Reserve, 

stopping for lunch en-route. Our journey takes us 

through rainforest and banana plantations, and finally 

up into the mountains to the foot of Volcan Baru, an 

extinct volcano where we reach our camp. 

   La Fortuna Forest 

Reserve – Almirante 

After all the excitement it’s great 

to start pedalling! Our start is inspiring, with spectacular

views of the Caribbean Sea below us, as we descend 

through dense primary rainforest: listen out for howler 

monkeys! The road is steep in places and there could 

be animals on the road, so be wary! As we descend 

from the mountains, the humidity and heat will 

become very noticeable. We reach the small village 

of Mali and continue towards the coast through forest, 

passing other small settlements on the way. Once on 

the coast, we head north along an undulating road 

where we will catch glimpses of the Bocas del Toro – 

a collection of small islands and a hide-away of pirates 

in the past! We continue to our simple camp with a 

local bar just south of Almirante.

   Almirante – Cahuita 

(Costa Rica)

Today, we set off early and head 

towards Costa Rica. Cycling along the coast to 

Almirante, tackling several hills on the way, we climb 

to a great look-out spot before heading through a 

flatter area of banana plantations towards the bustling 

city of Changuinola. From its rough streets we cycle 

the final 14km to the border. This is a busy crossing 

with plenty of activity. We pass through Panama’s 

border controls and walk our bikes across the 

dishevelled bridge to Costa Rican immigration. 

After completion, we continue our ride along a variety 

of roads, through small busy villages and tropical 

plantations. The final part of our day takes us along 

the coast to our hotel on the Caribbean Sea.

   Cahuita – La Fortuna 

Today, we enjoy a fairly flat 42km 

ride along the coast to Lemon. This 

section is wonderful, with palm trees and beaches 

along the coast interspersed with villages and dense 

jungle. We could have a drinks-stop on the beach as 

we go and may even have time for a quick dip! On 

the outskirts of Lemon we load up in vehicles and 

drive through amazing countryside to La Fortuna 

and the foot of the amazing and smouldering Arenal 

Volcano, where we spend the night in our hotel. 

   La Fortuna – Santa Cecilia

After breakfast, we drive for around 

1 hour to the start of the day’s ride. 

From San Rafael we head along reasonable tarmac 

roads through flat cattle country until we arrive at the 

bustling town of Upala. It is low lying and pretty hot 

and humid. From here we head towards the small 

town of Santa Cecilia. The cycling is gentler and 

we enjoy the scenery around us as we pass through 

traditional villages and lowland jungle with fantastic 

trees as we go. The tarmac gives way to a rough dirt 

road, which is tough cycling but lasts only around 10 

kilometres before reaching our camp near the village. 

   Santa Cecilia – 

   La Virgen (Nicaragua) 

   We head along the last 10km of rough 

road to the small town of Santa Cecilia, where we 

meet tarmac again and continue to the Pan American 

Highway - an exciting landmark. From here we head 

along smooth roads north to La Cruz and then onto 

the Costa Rica-Nicaragua border. We then continue 

for around 25km to our lake shore camp beside Lago 

Nicaragua. In front of us, Volcans Concepcion and 

Maderas rise to 1610m and 1394m respectively.

   La Virgen – Granada 

   Our final ride takes us north along 

the Pan American Highway, enjoying 

its smooth road surface and views of the lake and 

volcanoes. We are heading for wonderful Granada, 

the most beautiful of Central American cities. Its 

wonderful churches, museums and squares, combined 

with its lake-side position, make it a great place to 

finish and relax in our hotel after the huge achievement

of completing this ride. 

Free Day

Today is free to explore the churches, museums

and plazas of Granada, or to enjoy a horsedrawn ride around its streets or just to relax by the 

pool with a cool beer. In the evening, we come 

together and enjoy our celebratory meal. 

 

Depart for UK

We depart Granada for Managua for our flight 

back to the UK.

Arrive UK