I can't say enough about how fun and fascinating this tour was. Briant is an amazing, kind and knowledgeable tour guide who made us feel like good friends immediately. Luckily, our tour group ended up being just my boyfriend and I plus Briant's son so we really felt special. The drive out to the lake is long, but it's interesting to see the Panama farm country. The lake is gorgeous and the boat ride is lovely. The cave experience was out of this world!! The bats, the frogs, including getting up close with a poison dart frog, the fish, and all of the "small" spiders were just cool and Briant can find all sorts of things even in the dark. I was so nervous about swimming through a black cave with bats flying overhead, but it was thrilling!!

Some practical information: Briant recommends hard toed shoes (like sneakers) due to the risk of stubbing your toes on the rocks. I wore some quality aqua socks with slip resistant bottoms and felt totally fine.

The hike is definitely moderately challenging. Lots of rocks to navigate and a little bit of climbing was necessary to get to the lagoon.

No real need for bug spray due to all of the bats eating the critters.

Bring a waterproof camera. Beautiful scenery but you will be swimming.

Thanks for everything, Briant! Let us know if you ever come to Dodger Stadium!

We have been travelling with friends over the New Year’s holiday for several years. We've been to Vegas, done cruises and done the beach thing, but this year we endeavoured to do something a little different.
In our search for "off the beaten path" natural tours we came across the tours offered by Eco-Adventures through Xplora. We booked the trip in the Spring (months before travelling). About a month before heading on the trip, we finalized the details with Briant and Lita and got our “what to pack” info...and did a little shopping.
We arrived in Panama (29 Dec) at the tail end of the rainy season...literally, I think the rainy season ended that day. What this meant was that many of the lakes and rivers were at very high levels.
We did the 9 Day Eco adventure tour. We did caving, visited the Kuna natives in the Caribbean Sea, watched a ship traverse the Miraflores locks, travelled to Santa Fe and did moderate hiking to a waterfall, swimming, lunch at an organic farm, a night hike to a small lagoon in the rain forest to see the “night life”, visited a beach resort on the Pacific coast to relax for the day, then to Boquete for some rafting and other activities. The activity level was moderate, so not too difficult for a person doing regular light to moderate exercise.
Our goal on the trip was to do some “off-the-beaten-path” activities and experience as much of the Panamanian culture and lifestyle as we could. This trip gave us that and more. We managed to get to both coasts (I know, not that difficult in Panama), and visit several communities in a rather natural setting.
Briant was an informative guide. He did his best to answer the questions we posed and provided details on every stop of the tour. There were times when I think he could have been more informative, but I think it was generally appropriate given the situation of each visit.
I’d strongly recommend this trip for someone wanting to experience Panama culture other than what you see at a resort or in the city. It was interesting, challenging, a little dirty and exciting. There were only two things I wish I had that I did not bring...a dry bag and a spare pair of hiking shoes. The dry bag would have been very useful to keep things dry during the caving and boat rides. We did a lot of stuff where there was mud and water. One pair of shoes would have been good to keep dry while the others used for the wet and dirty jobs.
Go visit Panama!

A huge bouquet goes out to Briant for a fantastic time in Panama. All the details were so carefully planned out - we experienced a great time learning about the rich culture of the Kuna Yala people and the Panama Canal. Whitewater rafting was amazing. Guide was very sensitive to the level of skill and adventure desired. Huge highlight was the hike to the waterfalls, the organic farm and the San Blas islands - beauty to behold. Briant does an excellent job of organizing to ensure a great time.
- Sharon & John from Canada