On an eye-opening stop in Panama, Smithsonian Journeys changed my mind about cruising.

Ship Tip

Smithsonian Journeys cater to passengers interested in absorbing lectures about maritime history and biodiversity.

We boarded in Colon, Panama, and will finish in Costa Rica.

A portrait of an indigenous person of Panama near Darian National Park in a floral head crown

Credit:Pam LeBlanc/Travel + Leisure

After spending a day in the San Blas Islands, we motored through the Panama Canal.

Along the way, we listened to commentary.

France started construction of the canal in 1881 and the United States took over in 1904.

Two people walk the beach in Darian National Park

Pam LeBlanc/Travel + Leisure

More than 25,000 workers died from accidents and disease before it opened in 1914.

Exhibits highlight work being done to protect amphibians from a fungus that dries their skin.

I admired a tangerine-coloredPanamanian golden frog, now functionally extinct in the wild.

Scientists here also work with shipping authorities to channel boat traffic through designated lanes, reducing collisions with whales.

But todays meeting with theEmbera tribein the Darien National Park is the trips highlight.

Most women dont wear tops; men wear strips of fabric tied at the waist.

Government officials recommend traveling in the park only with a guide.

This is the part of travel that sticks with me.

Ive never been a big fan of cruises, but this one changed my mind.