North American Epic | section 11

Rainforest Recce
Section 11 of our North American Epic. This last section begins in Granada, Nicaraqua. The route winds south along the coast of the beautiful Nicoya Penninsula, Costa Rica and into Panama. Crossing the famous Panama Canal and pulling into cosmopolitan Panama City, the end point for the North American Epic 11 and for the North American Epic.

Highlights

Costa Rica’s amazing rainforests & birdlife
Manuel Antonio National Park
Western Panama’s tropical mountain paradise
Cross the Panama Canal

Details

Type	Tour bike
Duration	14 days
Level	Moderate
Support	Guided
Total distance	789 mi / 1270 km
Group size	Min.10 max. 45
Lodging	Hotels
Bicycle	Bring your own
Month	December
Start	Granada
Finish	Panama City
States or country	Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama
Airport start	Augusto C. Sandino International Airport MGA
Airport finish	Tocumen International Airport PTY

Starting from $ 3.150.00

*Please note the prices are subject to change depending availability *

Itinerary

Bicycle

Lodging

Included / not included

Pricing / Tour dates

Conditions

Information

Itinerary

Rainforest Recce
The last section of the North American Epic begins in Granada, a beautiful city of architectural gems and friendly people. Spinning out of town, the riders will be able to spot the striking Ometepe Island, its twin volcanic peaks emerging from Lake Nicaragua before crossing into the tour’s penultimate country, Costa Rica. A night in the hill top town of La Cruz will provide for some stunning views over the Pacific Ocean. The route winds south along the coast of the beautiful Nicoya Penninsula.

The cyclists now cycle inland towards the Golfo de Nicoya and a ferry ride back to the mainland where they pedal south through a string of beach resorts. Closer to the border with Panama the route turns inland and weaves up into the Talamanca Mountain Range and through coffee and sugarcane plantations before arriving in the Panamanian town of Volcan for a well-deserved rest day and a chance to climb up Volcan Baru, the country’s highest peak.

The last stretch of this section takes the riders down off the high plateau, dropping over 1200m in the first 30km. Cyclists now spin east through the rolling countryside with the gorgeous green Chiriqui Highlands on one side and vast agricultural fields on the other. They will pedal past historic religious buildings in Santiago and make one last stop on the beach at Playa Blanca before crossing the famous Panama Canal and pulling into cosmopolitan Panama City, the end point for this section and for the North American Epic.

* This is a general itinerary. Tour itineraries are subject to change based on the group, available accommodations and other unforeseen circumstances such as the weather, local conditions, government intervention, that may affect the quality of the trip and/or safety of the participants. Please view this itinerary as an outline as to what to expect on this tour.

Bicycle

Bring you own bike
For this tour, we recommend a touring bike with 35-40c tires.
Bring your own bike
Make sure you bring a bicycle that is appropriate for your tour, and in excellent working order. If you intend to use your current bicycle, it needs to be fully tuned, cleaned and ready to go. Ideally, get your bike shop to do an overhaul of your entire bike three to four weeks before your departure. Have them inspect, and if necessary replace, the drive train, pedals and bottom bracket for wear.
Choosing a bicycle for long distance touring
This is the most common question we get asked by people contemplating a bicycle tour with us. For any cycle tourist – whether in a group or going solo, and cycling the smooth cycleways of western Europe or thru the rugged back roads of South America – choosing an appropriate bike for the tour is no easy task
Three Basic Types To help you make the right choice, we have broken down your options into the three most suitable options.
1. Mountain Bike with Front Suspension A ‘hard tail mountain bike’ is the most versatile choice for any bike tour. It provides suspension and relative comfort for the off roads, and with a thinner set of tires it provides a decent ride on paved roads. The drawback is that it will be a little slower, a little heavier, and a little less efficient than other bikes on pavement. Having locking front suspension is useful, as you can ‘lock out’ on the smooth roads and engage the suspension on the rougher roads. This bike is the most common choice on tours crossing rugged terrain.
PROS: versatility, durability, and comfort
CONS: less efficient on smooth roads, less mounts for panniers, more complicated parts
2. Cyclocross or Touring Bike Cyclocross bikes are becoming more and more popular among cycle travelers, as they combine the ruggedness of a mountain bike, with the speed and efficiency of a road bike. These are quite similar in style and form to classic touring bikes. While cyclocross/touring bikes do accommodate wider off road tires they do not have suspension, and riders may be seriously challenged on the rougher off-road sections. Touring bikes, moreso than cyclocross bikes will have excellent mounts for racks and extra water bottles. Both these bikes are a good choice for places with better roads or on any tour where speed is more important to you than comfort.
PROS: efficient on the smooth roads, while still rugged enough for the rougher roads
CONS: no suspension, less comfort
3 Hybrid Bicycle This bike has the same wheel size as a cyclocross bike, but with straight handlebars instead of road style drop bars. Hybrids sometimes have front suspension and suspension in the seatpost. Hybrids are designed more for comfort and leisure than for performance, and have more of an upright sitting position. This is a very popular style of bike for European cycling trips, that also works well in other places.
PROS: comfort, good mounts for racks and bottles
CONS: not always designed for rugged terrain
Consider your Riding Style: What type of rider are? Do you like to sit upright to have a full view and worry little about speed? Or do you like to be tucked into an aerodynamic position and go as fast as you can, and as efficiently as you can? This will help you narrow down your options very quickly.

Lodging

North American Epic | section 11

14 Nights in hotels
11 riding day, 2 rest days
Note:
We advise booking at least 1 additional night at tour accommodation before the tour, to be able to attend rider briefing and have assistance from tour bike mechanic in setting up your bike.

Included:

Accommodation the night before first cycling day and the night of last cycling day are included in entry fee.
14 nights hotels
Most dinners, Most breakfasts, All roadside lunches.
Experienced chef
Vehicle to carry your bags
Experienced tour leader
Sweep rider
GPS tracks & route notes
Bike mechanic
Medic
Local support
Pre-tour information bulletins

Not included:

Flights and transfer to and from the tour
Night after the tour
Bicycle
Visas and related costs (requirements vary by rider’s nationality) are not included.
Gratuity guides

Pricing / Tour dates

Tour price 2025: $ 3150.- pp Single fee, double occupancy rooms on hotel nights, we pair each rider with others of same gender.
It is also possible to combine this section with adjacent sections
Tour date 2025:
09 Dec – 21 Dec, limited space available
Next North American Epic will not take place until 2028!

Conditions

Deposit $300.00
The deposit payment for a tour must be paid within two weeks after the booking is confirmed.
The remaining payment is due 90 days before the start of the tour.
For tours that are booked within 90 days before the start of the tour you will pay 100% of the tour price

Information

Some long and tough days with shorter less challenging days mixed in. Environment (sometimes including wind and heat) and terrain (including some significant climbing) are more of a factor. Some unexpected challenges may creep in from time to time.

Gear / equipment:
Two duffel bags (max 110L each)
Basic spare bike parts
Tent and camp gear

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