In the Footsteps of Roosevelt: Voyage through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica with Historian Stephen Beckham.

November 6th - 15th, 2026

9 nights/ 10 Days

Overview

Join a very special tour featuring beloved professor, scholar, and historian Stephen Dow Beckam. Our trip will start with a night in Panama City at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The group will then be transferred to the beautiful small ship Le Bellot for an expedition at sea and in port for 7 nights and 8 days. This special journey is in collaboration with luxury tour provider Ponent Cruises.

FOR RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: (877) 415-0407, or email:  AFFINITYGUESTS@PONANT.COM

See below for rates and more Information.

Itinerary

(B) Breakfast  (L) Lunch  (D) Dinner

Friday, November 6th:

ARRIVE | OVERNIGHT IN PANAMA CITY, PANAMA

Arrive at Tocumen International Airport Panama (PTY), Panama City on November 6, 2026, where you will be met by your driver and transferred to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel (or similar) for an overnight. This evening, join your fellow travelers and Lewis & Clark Faculty Host, Professor Stephen Dow Beckham, for a welcome cocktail reception. Presentation by Historian Stephen Dow Beckham
Dinner will be at your leisure. 

Saturday, November 7:

PANAMA CITY | COLÓN | EMBARK

After breakfast at the hotel, begin your day with a guided walk through Old Panamá, the ruins of the original city founded in 1519 and later destroyed by the English pirate Henry Morgan. Tour the former Canal Zone, where Teddy Roosevelt’s legacy as the driving force behind the construction of the canal is captured in the civic buildings of the district,
including the iconic Balboa Administration Building, and then continue to Colonial Panama (Casco Viejo), a UNESCO World Heritage Site where narrow cobblestone streets, pastel-hued architecture, and lively plazas showcase the city’s blend of old and new. Enjoy lunch before driving across the isthmus to Colón to embark on Le Bellot. (B,L,D)

Sunday, November 8:

SAN BLAS ISLANDS

Spend the day in the San Blas Islands, an archipelago of palm-fringed islets with white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters. The reefs here are perfect for snorkeling among parrotfish, angelfish, and colorful corals. If you prefer, simply stretch out on the beach beneath the palms or go for a swim. The San Blas Islands belong to the autonomous Guna Yala territory, and you may well encounter Guna villagers selling their distinctive molas (intricate, hand-sewn textiles) and other crafts.  (B,L,D)

Monday, November 9:

CROSSING THE PANAMA CANAL

Teddy Roosevelt’s vision of a canal through the isthmus of Panama was made a reality in 1914, saving ships traveling between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans approximately 8,000 nautical miles. Your transit of this engineering marvel begins in Colón, where massive locks raise your vessel over 85 feet to the level of Gatun Lake. As you make
your way across the lake and through the Gaillard Cut, a narrow passage through the continental divide, you are surrounded by wildlife-rich rainforest. At the end of the day-long journey, descend through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks to reach the Pacific. (B,L,D)

Tuesday, November 10:

FUERTE AMADOR, FLAMENCO ISLAND

Today, Le Bellot will be docked on Flamenco Island, located at the tip of the Amador Causeway, which stretches from the southern entrance of the Panama Canal several miles into the Pacific Ocean, and which was built with rock excavated during the construction of the canal. Known for its restaurants, shops, and scenic views, the island provides easy access to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center and also serves as a gateway to the villages of the Emberá tribes who inhabit the dense forests surrounding
the Chagres River to the north.  Presentation by Historian Stephen Dow Beckham (B,L,D)

Wednesday, Nov. 11:

PLAYA MUERTO, DARIÉN NATIONAL PARK

Declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1983, Darién National Park comprises a wonderfully rich diversity of landscapes— mountains, coastal plains, mangroves, and river valleys—which teem with an equally rich diversity of flora and fauna. The park famously supports species of mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects that are extremely
rare in other parts of Central America. The Darién region is also home to a large population of indigenous peoples; in Playa Muerto, you will meet a tiny coastal community of Emberá Amerindians, eager to share their traditions and talk about how they continue to live as their ancestors did, before the Spanish arrived. (B,L,D)

Thursday, November 12:

AT SEA

Enjoy a day at sea, attending lectures and briefings, treating yourself to the amenities on board, or simply relaxing on deck as you cruise the open ocean. Presentation by Historian Stephen Dow Beckham (B,L,D)

Friday, November 13:

GOLFITO, COSTA RICA

This morning finds you in Golfito, a small port town across the Golfo Dulce from Costa Rica’sOsa Peninsula, which has been described as
“the most biologically intense area on earth.”This is particularly the case with marine mammals, as you will discover on a dolphin-watching tour aboard a local catamaran. Look for pods of dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays, and other marine life as your naturalist guide provides commentary. If the weather permits, there will be leisure time, where you
can enjoy and swim in the placid waters of a
local beach. (B,L,D)

Saturday, November 14 :

PUNTARENAS | DISEMBARK | SAN JOSÉ

From Puntarenas, drive across the Pacific Lowlands and through the lush Central Valley into the highlands north of San José to reach Poás Volcano National Park. Here, surrounded by cloud forest, you will have the opportunity to peer into one of the world’s largest active craters and walk among the fumaroles. Descending from the mountains, travel to the Doka Estate Coffee Plantation, a family-run farm on the slopes of the Central Valley, for a traditional Costa Rican lunch and a tour tracing the process that transforms beans into the country’s iconic coffee. Late in the afternoon, check in to your hotel, Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen (or similar) in San José for an evening at leisure and an independent dinner. Presentation by Historian Stephen Dow Beckham (B,L).

Sunday, November 15:

PUNTARENAS | SAN JOSÉ | DEPART

After breakfast at the hotel, disembark and
transfer to Juan Santamaría International
Airport (SJO), San José, Costa Rica, for flights
homeward. (B)

PROGRAM INCLUSIONS

• Comprehensive 7-night cruise aboard the deluxe Le Bellot
• One pre-night at Waldorf Astoria, Panama (or similar) in Panama City, Panama.
• Half day of touring and lunch with transfer to pier for embarkation on November 7, 2026
• One post-night on November 14, 2026, at Costa Rica Marriott Hotel Hacienda Belen (or similar) in San Jose, Costa Rica, dinner on own
• Half day of touring and lunch in Costa Rica on November 14, 2026
• Exclusive Lewis & Clark College hosted cocktail receptions
• One included shore excursion in each port of call led by an expert English-speaking guide.
• Presentations by Historian Stephen Dow Beckham
• Captain’s gala dinners and cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship, including early risers’ coffee & pastry, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner
• Open bar aboard ship, including select wines with lunch and dinner
• 24-hour complimentary room service
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials
• Unlimited WiFi (as available via satellite)
• Airport/hotel/pier transfers and handling of luggage on official arrival & departure days only.
• Port taxes and charges
• Gratuities to shipboard personnel, porters, guides, and drivers on tours.

EXCLUSIONS

• Airfare; airport taxes
• Passport and visa fees and/or immigration reciprocity taxes (if applicable)
• Trip cancellation and baggage insurance
• Medical and
  repatriation insurance
• Meals and beverages other than those specified above;
• Personal expenses (such as telephone, laundry service, hair salon services, a la carte spa treatments, etc.);
• Gratuities to drivers of transfers from/to the airport (note additional charge if transfers outside of official arrival/departure dates).

Historian Stephen Dow Beckham

Stephen Dow Beckham, professor emeritus, well-known scholar, and beloved teacher,is currently on the board of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library. Beckham brings a historian’s perspective to Roosevelt’s legacy of exploration and conservation, offering insights into the Panama Canal era of United States history. Professor Beckham joined the Lewis & Clark faculty in 1977. His teaching has been
recognized with numerous honors, including the Pamplin Professorship of History, Oregon Professor of the Year, the American Historical Association’s Asher Distinguished Teaching Award, and the Earle A. Chiles Award for contributions to understanding the American West.
Among his most memorable teaching experiences were field-based courses such as Indians of the Northwest Coast, taught while sailing in British Columbia; On the Trail of Lewis and Clark, which retraced the explorers’ route, often on horseback, from the Bitterroot Mountains to the Pacific; and an East Africa study program, culminating with a dawn climb of Mount Kenya.

Stephen is equally excited to lead our group of travelers on this special adventure through the Caribbean.

THE SHIP: Le Bellot

The five-star Le Bellot is one in a series of six luxury vessels commissioned by PONANT, making her maiden voyage in 2018. The state-of-the-art ship is equipped with the latest environmental preservation technology and combines PONANT’s understated elegance with a spirit of adventure. In keeping with our company philosophy, Le Bellot is a small-capacity ship—430 feet in length with just 92 staterooms and a crew of 110—and features Blue Eye, the world’s first multi-sensory underwater lounge.

CABIN CATEGORIES & RATES All accommodations aboard Le Bellot are outside staterooms and suites, and feature a private balcony. All cabins include either two beds or a king-size bed, mini bar, safe, spacious closets, climate control, telephone, WiFi access, TV with movies on demand, Bose Bluetooth Speaker, and private bathroom. Here is the Deck Plan for your reference. 

CABINS
O Deluxe Stateroom (Deck 3) Double per person -   $7,620; Solo - $7,990
O Prestige Stateroom (Deck 4) Double per person - $8,180; Solo - $8,550
O Prestige Stateroom (Deck 5) Double per person - $8,450; Solo -  $8,820
O Prestige Stateroom (Deck 6) Double per person - $8,790; Solo - $9,160

SUITES
O Deluxe Suites Double per person - $11,230; Solo $11,600
O Prestige Suite (Deck 5) Double per person - $14,280; Solo $14,650
O Prestige Suite (Deck 6) Double per person - $14,890; Solo $15,260
O Privilege Suite Double per person - $15,490; Solo $15,860
O Grand Deluxe Suite per person $16,780; Solo $17,150
O Owner Suite per person $22,050; Solo $42,480

FOR RESERVATIONS OR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: (877) 415-0407, or email: AFFINITYGUESTS@PONANT.COM

When you call reference the following:

1) In the Footsteps of Roosevelt: Voyage through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica with Historian Stephen Beckham.

2) November 6th - 15th, 2026

3) Lewis & Clark College

Reservations require a Deposit.
• 25% of the tour fare to be taken by PONANT for the initial Deposit.
• Final payment due 90 days prior to departure, or August 8, 2026. Payment due to PONANT.

For Program Information and Questions Contact: 

Andrew McPheeters, Associate Vice President, Community Education & Travel Programs at: mcpheete@lclark.edu

Please review the Terms & Conditions below.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

LEWIS & CLARK COLLEGE | EE071126

COLON •PUNTARENAS | NOVEMBER 6-15, 2026

Compagnie du PONANT, PONANT Group USA, LLC, and PONANT USA, LLC are hereinafter collectively referred to as PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP; or “PONANT” is the tour Operator/Organizer of this cruise and has invited members of Lewis & Clark College (Sponsor) to participate. Please carefully read this information as payment of a deposit represents your acceptance of the following Terms & Conditions, which constitute the sole, legally enforceable agreements between the passenger and PONANT GROUP and the tour’s sponsoring organization.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE: To secure a booking, the guest is required to pay a 25% deposit of the tour fare.Final payment is due by August 8, 2026, or 90 days prior to departure. Checks and credit cards are accepted.

CANCELLATION, MODIFICATION PENALTIES & REFUNDS: All cancellations or modifications must be in writing. Any and all guests not reporting for departure or prevented from reporting for departure or waiving for any reason whatsoever the benefit of services included in the program cannot claim any refund. PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP shall not be required to refund any monies to any guests who must leave the cruise prematurely for any reason, nor shall PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP be held responsible for any costs, fees, damages or causes of action which result from the transportation expenses incurred by guest’s early departure. For any deposited or fully paid booking, cancellation penalties will be assessed as noted below. These cancellation penalties are applicable on all services booked with PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP.
• From confirmation of booking date up to August 7, 2026, (91 days prior to departure):10% of deposit to be kept by PONANT
• From August 8, 2026, (90 prior to departure): 100% of full fare to be kept by PONANT RATES: The prices given at the time of booking are based on economic conditions known on November 4, 2025, and are subject to change. These conditions are, amongst others, the cost of transport and fuel, relevant dues, and taxes for the proposed operation (port taxes, embarkation and disembarkation taxes, entrance costs
to tourist sites), and currency exchange rates relevant to the pricing of these programs.
PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP reserves the right within the legal limits of applicable laws to vary the prices if necessary. All variation of the cost of transport, fuel, taxes, dues, and visa costs will be passed on within the voyage cost. Any change in fare cannot be imposed less than 60 days prior to departure or September 7, 2026. TRAVEL INSURANCE: Passengers shall be responsible for subscribing to cancellation/luggage/assistance repatriation/medical insurance(s).

ITINERARY: PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP reserves the right to withdraw and/or cancel a sailing to make changes in the itinerary whenever, in its sole judgment, or in the judgment of the vessel owner or operator, conditions warrant it.INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS/LIMIT  OF LIABILITY: The passenger agrees that PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College acts as agents and/ or trustees for any person, ground and maritime agents and subcontractors, who provide any service forming, or in connection with, any part of the cruise. Transportation services to the port of departure, transfers to the ship, including, as applicable, hotel room and restaurant bookings or guided tours, are performed by independent suppliers who are not employees of PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP nor Lewis & Clark College. In this respect, PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College acts only as an agent and shall not be held liable for said services or for the acts or omissions of subcontractors or other contractors. PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College shall not be held liable for bodily injury to, or death of passengers, or for loss of, or damage to luggage or other personal belongings, unless it is proved that the carrier has infringed statutory obligations or that it or one of its employees or agents has committed gross negligence. However, in the event the liability of PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College is incurred,
such liability is limited (details available upon request). PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College shall in any case not be liable for failure of an improper performance when the same is due to or caused by the fault of the passenger; the unforeseeable or unavoidable fault of a third party unconnected with the provision of any services to be provided under the contract; unusual and unforeseeable
circumstances beyond the control of PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP and Lewis & Clark College; an event of “Force Majeure” such as a war, threat of war, riots, civil commotion, acts of God, terrorist activities, natural and nuclear disaster, fire, technical problems with transport, closure of ports, strikes and any industrial action, or any other
event beyond the control of PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP or Lewis & Clark College.
RATES: The prices given at the time of booking are based on economic conditions known on August 28, 2025, and are subject to change. These conditions are, amongst others, the cost of transport and fuel, relevant dues, and taxes for the proposed operation (port taxes, embarkation and disembarkation taxes, entrance costs to tourist sites), currency exchange rates relevant to the pricing of these programs. PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP reserves the right within the legal limits of applicable laws to vary the prices if necessary. All variation of the cost of transport, fuel, taxes, dues, and visa costs will be passed on within the voyage cost. Any change in fare cannot be imposed less than 60 days prior or May 20, 2026, to departure.

ACCESSIBILITY & MOBILITY REQUIREMENTS: In reserving a PONANT cruise passengers declare they are aware of the physical and medical demands that may be entailed by our excursions, particularly & non-exhaustively, stepping into and out of a tender (assisted by the crew on board) at certain ports of call where we are anchored and not docked in port. Passengers must be fit enough to both physically and psychologically stay for several days at sea in the closed environment of a cruise ship. Passengers must respect the captain’s and the crew’s orders in case of bad weather or any other incident while at sea or in port. PERSONS WITH REDUCED MOBILITY: Report any physical conditions and dietary or treatment requirements to the PONANT and Lewis &Clark College in writing at the time of booking. PONANT will try to accommodate special needs where possible, but any extra costs associated with special accommodation is the responsibility of the
passenger. For limited mobility, wheelchair users, or conditions requiring assistance, it is required to inform PONANT and Lewis & Clark College in writing as soon as possible, but at least within 30 days (October 6, 2026), before the service starts. Despite these
arrangements, each passenger should be able to be independent or travel with a close family member or friend who can give them whatever assistance they require during their trip. If a person has not been judged suitably fit for travel in complete safety, the company reserves the right to refuse their embarkation. Disembarkation in difficult places or in a tender is subject to the approval of the captain, who will always have the
safety and well-being of the passenger in mind. Should a Lewis & Clark College passenger not be able to participate on the shore excursions, passengers may independently make private touring arrangements at the scheduled ports of call.

ACTIVITY LEVEL DESCRIPTION: This journey features a range of activity levels to suit various preferences and physical capabilities. Most excursions are moderate, typically involving about 1 to 2 miles of walking on a mix of cobblestone, paved, or uneven surfaces, with some stairs or inclines. While some tours are gentle, others are not recommended for guests with limited mobility. These specifications will be shared in an
upcoming mailing in the Shore Excursions Descriptions document. In certain ports of call, we will use a tender to disembark and get to shore and then again to embark back onto the ship – this requires stepping down into the tender assisted by your crew onboard.

JURISDICTION: These terms & conditions are subject to and interpreted according to international regulations and concern the transportation of passengers and their luggage from the time of boarding the ship to the moment of disembarking, as well as at ports of departure, destination, or stopover. PONANT EXPLORATIONS GROUP shall incur no liability outside this period. Without prejudice to required legal regulations, any
actions related either to the interpretation, or execution of this agreement shall be brought before the competent courts of Marseille-France. PONANT is not responsible for omissions, printing and/or presentation errors and reserves the right to make corrections as required.

SHIPS’ REGISTRY: France FL Seller of Travel Ref No ST37706 CA Seller of Travel Ref No 2120712-40

COMPLETE TERMS: For complete Terms & Conditions applicable to these cruises,
please see Particular Terms & Conditions PONANT | https:// us.ponant.com/terms-conditions. By registering for this program, the passenger