Highlights of Panama

Group excursion with English speaking narrator on board.

 

This excursion is without any doubt a world -class highlight, and a must for anyone interested in experiencing this engineering marvel first hand!

 

Group transfer to the marina at Flamenco Island, where you will embark on your journey.

 

A specialized guide on board will give you detailed information on every step of the lockage process. After passing under the beautiful Bridge of the Americas your ship will go through the Miraflores Locks and soon after, arrive to Pedro Miguel Locks. Then, you will enter what is known as Culebra Cut or Gaillard Cut. This is a spectacular part of your journey as Culebra Cut goes through the hills of Panama’s central mountain ridge! This section of the canal is full of history, it was the most difficult part of the construction and thousands of lives were lost there… The vessel serves a typical lunch buffet, soft drinks and water during the transit. You shall see Contractor’s Hill (so called because of the amount of small subcontractors who worked there during the French period) and Gold Hill (where there was a brief and unsuccessful gold rush during the same period). It is quite common to see large crocodiles lying in the sun on sandbanks!

After Culebra Cut, your ship will meet with the mighty Gatun lake, which was until 1936 the largest manmade lake of the world. Your final destination will be the town of Gamboa, Panama Canal’s maintenance and dredging port, where you will disembark. A shuttle will provide a 30 min transfer back to Panama City and then back to your hotel.

 

**Pick up time is communicated to us by the boat company one day before the tour, we will contact you at your hotel.

 

Duration 05:30 hrs.

Included: boat.

Private full day tour with English speaking guide

 

Pick up at your hotel after breakfast and drive to the province of Colon,on the Caribbean side.

 

Once in Colon we will drive to the impressive Gatun Locks, and cross the Canal just behind the huge iron gates to reach the small road that will take us to San Lorenzo. This picturesque road to the ruins leads, at first, through secondary vegetation, then through dense rainforest. Howler monkeys are most commonly heard and seen, together with agoutis and coatimundis.

It is only at the end of the road that you’ll meet the majestic fort of San Lorenzo, proudly facing the Chagres River and the Caribbean Sea. A gorgeous scenery indeed that hasn’t changed much since Bradley and his pirates took the fort more than 300 years ago! We will take our time to enjoy the breathtaking sight of the thick rainforest reaching the Caribbean Sea and to visit the ruins before coming back to Gatun. Just before our arrival to the locks we will pass over a bridge that

crosses what remains of the old French canal project. After passing Gatun locks you will visit Agua Clara Panama Canal Center above the brand new gigantic set of locks that allows the huge ”Post Panama” ships to go through the Canal.You will enjoy a great view from the high mirador.

You will be back to Panama City by the end of the afternoon.

 

Duration 08:00 hrs.

Included: entrance fees, private guide, private transportation, room and breakfast.

Private full day tour with English speaking guide

 

After breakfast our vehicle will take us to the town of Portobelo. The name ”Portobelo” was given to the beautiful bay by Christopher Columbus, who sailed to this area during his fourth trip. Portobelo grew to become a strongly fortified town. As a point of transshipment and exchange for the colonial merchandise Portobelo was famous for its annual fairs. Portobelo’s Spanish fortification ruins are of great historical interest and were designated a UNESCO world heritage site. A boat offers us then a very interesting tour around the bay and we finish at a secluded beach for a relaxing time before heading back to your hotel.

 

Duration 07:00 hrs.

Included: boat tour, entrance fees, private guide, private transportation, room and Breakfast.

Private full day tour with English speaking guide

 

After a road transfer of about an hour heading north from Panama City you will reach the shores of Lake Alajuela. The rest of the trip to the Embera village will be done in local dugout canoes on the lake then on the Chagres or Pequeñi River. Navigation time will depend on the lake water level, which is much lower during the dry season (January to May), making the boat trip longer at that period of the year. The Emberas, proudly adorned with their best body paintings will show us some of the elements of their graceful culture, the beauty of their dances and their remarkable handicrafts. They will also invite you to share their traditional dish of fish with plantain in a banana leaf. One of your hosts will take you around the village to show you some of the plants they still use for their traditional medicine. In the afternoon return by boat and by road to Panama City.

 

Duration 07:30 hrs.

Included: boat tour, entrance fees, private guide, one bottle of water, private transportation, Panamanian lunch, room and breakfast.

Group excursion with English speaking guide on board

 

The Panama Canal is a unique ecosystem. This excursion takes you on Gatun Lake to observe the local flora and fauna from a boat that will come as close as possible of the forested sides of the Canal. Your day of adventure will start with a road transfer from your hotel to the town of Gamboa, the maintenance and dredging port of the canal. In Gamboa you will embark in fast launch and start navigating on Gatun Lake admiring the fascinating flora, fauna, and the ships transiting the Canal. Monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, iguanas and conspicuous birds such as anhingas,

jacanas or snail kites are very frequently seen. Eventually our journey will take us off the beaten path to a secluded part of the Panama Canal, in the heart of Gatun Lake’s rainforest where a Jungle boathouse is anchored. There, you will enjoy a delicious Panamanian style lunch with refreshments. After lunch, you may take part in a variety of other activities like swimming, fishing, hiking or kayaking. In the afternoon group transfer back to your hotel in Panama City.

 

Duration 07:30 hrs.

Included: boat tour, entrance fees, local English speaking guide, kayaking, shared transportation, Panamanian lunch, room and breakfast.

Private tour with English speaking guide.

 

The visit starts with a drive to the colonial quarter, also known as Casco Antiguo lying at the foot of Ancon Hill. This is where Panama City was rebuilt after the destruction of Panama Viejo. This beautiful little area has several attractions that you shouldn’t miss: the famed flat arch or Santo Domingo Church, the beautiful gold – plated altar of San Jose Church, the Cathedral Square, the

Presidential Palace and other numerous colonial churches and monuments. After a stop for lunch, short transfer through the modern part of the city will take us to Miraflores Locks. Ships must pass these imposing water elevators to navigate in and out the Panama Canal and it is a fascinating and unforgettable show to watch the steel giants going through the locks, where the biggest of them, called Panamax, only have 2 feet between their hull and the side of the chambers! Return to the hotel after the visit.

 

Duration 07:30 hrs.

Included: entrance fees, private guide, private transportation, room and breakfast.

Private transfer with Spanish speaking driver to Tocumen International Airport.

 

Duration 01:00 hrs.

Included: departure transfer.