Miami to Panama City

Sunny Florida skies, year-round warmth and sunshine, a buzzing nightlife and a mix of cultures define this cosmopolitan city. Celebrity-drenched South Beach attracts people-watchers and the Art Deco District is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture in the world. Tropical style shopping experience's are readily available from Bal Harbor to Lincoln Road and Coconut Grove. Enjoy authentic Cuban cuisine and culture along Calle Ocho or travel back in time with a visit to the historic Venetian Pool. There is something for everyone in this city dubbed the "Gateway to the America's."

This flower-scented little city/island is a haven for famous writers, former hippies, struggling artists, sun seekers, and tourists from all over the world. They like the relaxed pace, the storybook architecture, the carnival-like street life, and they are drawn to Mallory Square every evening to applaud the sunset. The island, just 2 miles wide by 4 miles long, is one of about a thousand coral islets in an archipelago that stretches 126 miles southward from Miami.

Christopher Columbus discovered the Cayman Islands in 1503 and named them Las Tortugas, because the only inhabitants found were turtles. By 1530, they were known as the Caymanas, meaning "crocodile" in Carib. Although Sir Francis Drake visited the islands in 1568, they did not come under British rule until 1670. The Caymanians are descendants of the English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh seamen who settled the islands and later intermarried with Jamaican immigrants.

Take a scenic drive through the residential area of Manga, and admire the beautiful mansions built in Republican-style architecture at the end of the 19th century. Explore the Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, a fort that was once the most important military structure built in Latin America. Enjoy a boat ride to the Islas del Rosario, 26 coral islands located off the coast of Isla Barú, and continue to the island of San Martín de Pajarales to visit the aquarium. Enjoy a spectacular dolphin and shark show and other marine attractions there. Board the beautiful Spanish Galleon, a replica of a 17th-century sailing ship, for a cruise of the inner bay of Cartagena.

This bustling city is home to extravagant open-air markets that buzz with commerce, fascinating architecture and historical museums. Immersed in palms and vine-consumed Ficus trees is Parque Vargas where sloths can often be seen inching from branch to branch. Enjoy a ride on the aerial tram through the rainforest canopy at Braulio Carillo National Park. Or take a boat ride through the Tortuguero Canals or the Estero Negro Estuary, the rich jungle tapestry all around while watching for colorful birds, monkeys, iguanas, sloths, crocodiles and the legendary iridescent Blue Morpho, the largest butterfly in South America.

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82 km waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade