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Panama Canal Day Tour: Transoceanic Journey With Rainforest and Wildlife Exploration
4.7
96 Ratings
Panama
Embark on a day tour to explore the Panama Canal from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This unique tour combines the impressive engineering of the Panama Canal, the stunning beauty of the rainforest, diverse wildlife, and the unforgettable experience of traversing the Panama Canal via Gatun Lake. Enjoy the intimacy of small group sizes.
Embark on a day tour to explore the Panama Canal from both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. This unique tour combines the impressive engineering of the Panama Canal, the stunning beauty of the rainforest, diverse wildlife, and the unforgettable experience of traversing the Panama Canal via Gatun Lake. Enjoy the intimacy of small group sizes.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Pedro Miguel - After pick up from your hotel or accomodation in Panama City, we would take you to an observation area at the pacific side where we will discuss about the history, construction and operation of the original Panama Canal.
- Lake Gatun - After seeing a ship go through the Pedro Miguel locks, we will continue by car to the Chagres…
- Pedro Miguel - After pick up from your hotel or accomodation in Panama City, we would take you to an observation area at the pacific side where we will discuss about the history, construction and operation of the original Panama Canal.
- Lake Gatun - After seeing a ship go through the Pedro Miguel locks, we will continue by car to the Chagres River where we will begin a boat tour in the Gatun Lake, the biggest lake part of the Panama Canal, and pass beside the huge ships going through the Panama Canal in our way to group of islands inside the Soberania National Park, where we will find monkeys and wild animals inside the Panama Canal.
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Agua Clara Locks - We will head to the city of Colon at the atlantic side of the Canal where we will stop to buy lunch at a restaurant of traditional panamanian food.
After lunch, we will continue by car to visit the new expansion of the Panama Canal where we would see bigger ships going through the locks and learn about how these amazing structures work.
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Boat tour in the Gatun Lake and Monkey Island
- Round trip transfer by air-conditioned Van or SUV
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Bottled water
- Boat tour in the Gatun Lake and Monkey Island
- Round trip transfer by air-conditioned Van or SUV
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- An extra charge of USD $30.00 cash per group for pick up from Playa Bonita or the airport area
- Lunch
- An extra charge of USD $30.00 cash per group for pick up from Playa Bonita or the airport area
Additional Information
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Location
Pedro Miguel
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(96 Ratings)
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Scott
Apr 11, 2026
Siri, see it all with Ricardo - We got to see everything that we hoped for there was three of us together private tour. Ricardo did an amazing job. We really enjoyed ourselves. You get to see ships.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scott
Apr 11, 2026
We enjoyed our tour guide - We got to see it all! Boats movie locks lake wild life all while getting a great back story and history
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cyprianh2015
Mar 19, 2026
Panama Canal with Monkey and Sloth Island - Excellent experience. Ricardo was awesome, very safe and pleasant driver. We got to experience another side of Panama that was off the beaten track.
Thank you.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Melanie
Mar 13, 2026
So fantastic to see the locks at both ends of the canal! - Our guide, Fernando, handled every detail of this full-day experience. We saw the Pedro Miguel locks on the Pacific side, took a great sightseeing boat to monkey Island where we saw monkeys, bats, birds, and an iguana. Every part of the trip exceeded our expectations. Our guide called ahead to make sure that we would actually be able to see a ship passing through the Agua Clara locks. That's why we came to Panama!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Theresa_r
Feb 18, 2026
Full day tour of the Panama Canal from Atlantic to Pacific - Very informative tour of Panama Canal from Pacific to Atlantic. We got to see the impressive lock system and ships passing through the various parts of the canal. We also did a boat tour in the canal and Lake Gatun. We saw various monkeys, sloths and native species
Review provided by Viator
Hagarciaj
Dec 27, 2025
Great fun and illustrative trip. Highly recommended! - This was a great, fun and illustrative trip to the Canal, its history and all things Panama. The boat trip to the monkey islands were exciting and had the chance to see them very close and take some amazing pictures. Cesar our guide was attentive, knowledgeable and fun. A highly recommended trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pam_b
Dec 6, 2025
Best way to experience to Panamá Canal hands down!! - Fantastic! All boxes checked! Dan, our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and professional. VIP service all the way.
Review provided by Viator
Tomasz
Jul 26, 2025
If you’re going to Panama and want to really experience the country – not just see it – book Ricardo. - Absolutely incredible guide – Ricardo made our trip unforgettable! 🌴🇵🇦
We couldn’t have asked for a better guide than Ricardo. From the very first moment, his energy, knowledge, and passion for Panama were absolutely contagious. He didn’t just show us places – he brought them to life with stories, history, and a great sense of humor.
Ricardo was incredibly organized but also super flexible – whether it was a last-minute detour, a roadside coconut stop, or a deep conversation about Panama’s culture and people, he handled it all with ease and a smile.
He speaks perfect English, knows all the hidden gems (not just tourist traps!), and treated us more like friends than clients. He made sure we felt safe, inspired, and welcomed at every step. The whole experience felt tailor-made.
If you’re going to Panama and want to really experience the country – not just see it – book Ricardo. You’ll leave with amazing memories and a new friend.
10/10. Gracias, Ricardo – you’re the real MVP!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacationer244930
Apr 3, 2025
Fifty Fifty enthralling and disappointing! - The first part of the tour was a little disappointing since we were expecting to be in a boat and watch the opening and closing of the locks while a ship went by. But we were given a movie to watch and then were moved to the watching platform from where there was not a very good view of the ships being lowered and raised. It was also too hot in the platform to really enjoy the view. After that we were taken on the boat tour on Gatun lake to watch and feed the monkeys which was great. The guide was enthusiastic and told us about the many islands, species and the history. He pointed out many photo points and was patient with us when we were taking pictures. He had also brought some fruits and nuts to feed the monkeys and took care of us till he dropped us back in the hotel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shirley_f
Apr 21, 2025
I am sorry to say that... - I am sorry to say that this tour was just OK, nothing to rave about. Our tour guide ,Luis, was kinda quiet, kinda seemed that he didn’t want to be doing this, and wasn’t the greatest with speaking English. We did a lot of riding with no talking and not explaining where we were or any information. Actually was a bit boring especially for what this tour cost. And we ate a gas station. I don’t like making bad reviews, but , unfortunately this tour wasn’t worth the money.. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Review provided by Viator
