The time spent off of the boat was mainly at national Parks or nature preserves. So I didn't get a good feel for the cultural differences or similarities. The first day hike was pretty hot and humid with plenty of water and mud crossings. But we did see a variety of monkeys.
Our second day we went to a small island that was a part of a National park in Panama(Isla Coiba National Park) and snorkeled in pristine water along a coral reef with tons of fish. I saw 3 white-tipped reef sharks and found it to be quite unsettling.