For the first time since 2014, Star Clippers will be calling on ports in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, as well as Panama and its famed canal, starting November 2022 as the Star Clipper sets sail for Central America. Sailings range from seven to 14 days (for Panama Canal crossings), with pricing starting at $1,560 per person based on double occupancy. For a limited time, guests residing in North, Central and South America can take advantage of an early booking promotion on all Central American sailings.
A pair of seven-day sailings round trip out of Puerto Caldera call on favorite Costa Rican towns as well as ports in Panama or Nicaragua, depending on itinerary. The port town of Quepos, Costa Rica, located near the magnificent Manuel Antonio National Park, allows guests the opportunities to encounter monkeys, sloths, and nearly 450 species of birds that call the park home. The beaches on idyllic Isla Tortuga are ideal for snorkeling or taking a dip in the turquoise waters. In San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, the beaches offer incredible surfing, and guests can glimpse the Mirador del Cristo de la Misericordia statue at the northern end of the bay—one of the largest statues of Jesus in the world.
Two sailings between Balboa, Panama, and Costa Rica offer a deeper dive into Panama’s unique environment. The uninhabited Isla Iguana is a wildlife reserve located on Panama’s Pacific coast where guests can watch the colorful frigate birds fly in formation and visit expansive coral reefs containing more than 500 marine species including rare olive ridley sea turtles. Travelers looking for their “deserted island” moment will love Isla San Jose in the Pearl Islands, a 44 kilometer slice of paradise.
With more than 800 miles of coastline and spectacular coral reefs, Costa Rica offers incredible opportunities for snorkeling. Star Clippers water sports program allows guests to borrow snorkeling equipment for the duration of the sailing.
Two Panama Canal sailings at the beginning and end of the season allow guests to experience the awe-inspiring feat of engineering firsthand. These 14-night journeys travel between Bridgetown, Barbados, and Balboa, Panama with ports of call in Aruba, Grenada and Columbia, among others.
For more than 25 years, Star Clippers has been introducing travelers to the thrill of modern tall ship sailing to remote ports in the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. The company operates three of the world’s largest and tallest sailing vessels: Star Clipper and Star Flyer are traditional clipper ships with modern amenities carrying 170 guests, while the 227-guest Royal Clipper holds the Guinness World Record for being the largest and only five-masted, full-rigged sailing ship in service today. All three ships have expansive teak decks, swimming pools, informal dining, convivial tropical bars on deck and piano lounges.
Star Clippers, 800-442-0551, www.starclippers.com