Panama City

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Ocean to Ocean Panama Canal and Jungle Tour

Panama City, Panama

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From $114.75

$135.00 Save $20.25

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

8 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans during this full-day tour of the Panama Canal. With your local guide, explore the canal by sea and on foot, viewing the ships passing through the locks and the variety of plant and animal life on the canal's shores. Explore Gatun Lake, home to howlers, capuchins, tamarins and mami more animals. Stop at the Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center to get an overview of the canal's history through informative displays and exhibits. Explore San Lorenzo National Park and Fort San Lorenzo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and enjoy a picnic lunch. All activities, entrance fees, lunch, and round-trip transportation from Panama City hotels are included.

Eat a picnic lunch in San Lorenzo National Park
Explore the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific
See the native animal and plant life surrounding the canal and Gatun Lake
Visit San Lorenzo National Park and Fort San Lorenzo

What's Included

Panama Canal boat ride (90 minutes)
Bottled water
Lunch
Professional guide
Hotel pickup and drop-off (select hotels only)
Transport by air-conditioned minibus
Entrance fees

Gratuities
Due to heavy traffic, no free pickup from hotels located near Amador Causeway, Clayton (City of Knowledge) Playa Bonita. Separate transportation for the an extra charge
Playa Blanca, or Rio Hato, Metromall, Arraijan or Tocumen Airport need to arrange own transportation
This is not a TRANSIT tour, we wont travel by boat inside the locks.

Meeting and Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

06:30 AM

Pickup details

Pickup from centrally located Panama City hotels in the following areas: • El Cangrejo • Obarrio • Punta Pacifica • San Francisco • Punta Paitilla • Avenida Balboa • Bella Vista • Casco Viejo • Marbella • Financial District • El Dorado • Bethania

What To Expect

Your ocean-to-ocean adventure begins with an early morning pickup from centrally located Panama City hotels.

Cruise along the Panama Canal, tracing the path of transiting ships between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Navigate through the impressive Agua Clara Locks and gain insights into the canal's history, operations, and global significance at the visitor center.

Continue to San Lorenzo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to delve into the rich history of Fort San Lorenzo perched on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean. Enjoy a freshly prepared picnic lunch amidst the remote rain forest. After, return to Panama City to end the tour.

Panama City (Pass By)

Panama Canal

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Lake Gatun (Pass By)

Agua Clara Locks

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Fort San Lorenzo

1 hour • Admission Ticket Included

Panama City

1 hour • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
The tour starts in a very remote area and there will be no access to public restrooms around 9am
Near public transportation
Vegetarian and vegan option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
A minimum of 2 people per booking is required.

Minimum age is 3 years
If you will be staying at a hotel area that is not on the list, please contact your local operator prior to booking your tour
Most travelers can participate
This tour is in ENGLISH only, we cannot run the tour in 2 languages without the tour quality being compromised.
Not recommended for travelers with walking problems or other serious medical conditions.
No Wheelchair accessible
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

1,203 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 1,203 reviews

Monkeys, Canal, Amazing Scenery

Sarah_P, Apr 2024

Michael V. was an excellent tour guide. We learned a ton and saw really neat wildlife. Perfect way to see a ton of great things in one day.

Great team

Melanie_F, Apr 2024

There was a great vibe from the people on the trip. It rained all day and our Tour Guide John really kept our spirits up. They ran, punctual, professional, and personable trips.

Perfect way to spend a day in Panama.

Jeffrey_P, Apr 2024

Without a doubt this was one of the most organized, entertaining, and informative tours we've ever been on. The agenda was well put together, timely, and incorporated enough time at each location without having too much downtime. Paola, our guide, put together a fantastic presentation which conveyed both historic and contextual information. Given that she probably gives this tour multiple times a week, her presentation was still full of energy and enthusiasm. Moreover, she was able to answer pretty much any question that our group asked of her and had additional references as well. When we started looking for tours during our vacation we were looking for an experience that incorporated the Panama Canal (certainly) but also wanted to learn more about Panama and to see more of the country. We were willing/able to spend an entire day learning and exploring, and this tour delivered. The preliminary texts/emails were timely and informative, the morning pickup was right on time, and our agenda kept us ahead of other groups. We saw a variety of animals during our time on the Canal and had a great time observing Panamax ships both in the Canal and in the Locks. Time spent at Fuerte San Lorenzo was really interesting as well. Paola even provided umbrella's to keep off the tropical sun. Lunch was excellent and consisted of chicken, rice, beans, plantains, salad. The company has it made by a local restaurant on the day of so that it is fresh and tasty. No stale sandwiches here! Understanding timing is key for this experience. The operators will be on time and they want to start early. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, when it gets hot outside the animals move around less. So they try to get out before the animals settle down. Next, as the morning moves along there are a lot of other boats/tours seeing the sights. If you want to not be surrounded by other boats you need to get out early. Next, traffic in Panama City is heavily congested during prime commuting times. If you want to spend more time seeing the sights and less time sitting in traffic, then getting going earlier in the day is key. Even then, it's likely that there will be some traffic slow downs at the end of the day. General Feedback is that people should be ready to go early in the morning in order to have the best experience, and don't make early dinner plans in case there is traffic.

Fantastic full day adventure in Panama!

Michael_K, Apr 2024

This was the best tour we did on our trip. Each part of this tour, the boat ride, canal visit and the fort was fantastic and everything was exactly as described. You won’t be disappointed. John was the best tour guide. He was very knowledgeable and passionate about his country and excited to show it to us.

Best Tour Guide

JorgeL_G, Apr 2024

We really enjoy this tour and John know so much and shares with us from history of the canal to where u could go and eat. He really made his trip unique. Didn’t sloth due to may be the heat but everything else is as described in tour

Coast to coast worth participating in.

Annette_P, Apr 2024

Jon was sensational. He knew so much about the canal and Panama in general. He shared this information in an interesting manner. So many anecdotes. Timing to see the operation of the locks was perfect. Our only negative was that the brochure overstated the amount of wild life we would see and the opportunity to explore on foot . Lunch was delicious.

Look no further! This is the BEST tour!

Jaclyn_H, Apr 2024

This was by far THE BEST tour we have ever done! John (the best tour guide) and Manuel (the best driver in Panama) were hands down amazing! From the day before communication, morning of pickup, bus ride, boat ride, and lunch. John was extremely knowledgeable about everywhere we went, even history on the bus starting the tour. There was never a dull moment, giving recommendations for around Panama (food/drink/drivers/safety), he had a iPad that showed pictures of everything. Lunch was AMAZING, you think with tours it will be a prepackaged box lunch..not this! Locally made Panamanian food was the best food we had on our trip. Hands down recommend this to anyone with a pulse!

Adventures in Panama

Jennifer_L, Apr 2024

Our tour guide Mike was very informative. He made our adventure interesting with his knowledge of the surrounding area, animals and canal.

Highly recommend this tour

Sarah_M, Apr 2024

John was an amazing guide, very knowledgeable and able to answer questions on Panama and the sights. Everything was so well organised, it was one of the best tours ever!

Panama Canal

Anna_G, Apr 2024

The tour guide, John, Knowledge and awesome storytelling of the Panama Canal made our trip enjoyable.

Great day in Panama… delightful trip

Susan_W, Apr 2024

Great trip, diverse. Wonderful boat ride, canal visit, Fort San Lorenzo. Lovely lunch. Attentive informative and funny guide.

Canal

Ken_A, Apr 2024

Watching the Panama Canal go through its process. John was an excellent guide, he was knowledgable on all topics

Well planned and operated.

George_S, Apr 2024

The tour guide, driver and bus were excellent. Our boat trip to islands to find wildlife and lunch were very enjoyable.

The air was so fresh to...

Jermaine_G, Apr 2024

The air was so fresh to breathe in during the rainforest stop. Tour guide John was great and the provided lunch was delicious!

Lakes, Monkeys, Canals, and Forts! Great all-in-one day trip experience from Panama City

Mark_P, Apr 2024

Our family agreed this was the best day of our week stay in Panama. We had Mike/Michael as our guide and he was very personable and knowledgeable. During one full day, we were able to spend time on Gatun Lake in a small boat -- passing ships navigating the canal and seeing monkeys on the shore; watched a ship move through the canal locks at the Atlantic Ocean side; and visited a UNESCO world heritage site at Fort Lorenzo. The lunch provided was very yummy too.

excellent tour

jay_a, Apr 2024

We left at 6am, which sounds crazy, but it was a good idea for better wildlife viewing, fewer tourists, and less traffic. Panama has terrible traffic jams. We were on a small bus with about 15 people total. We went to a boat ride in Gamboa that took us up the Panama Canal. We saw crocodile, howler monkeys, Capuchin monkeys, tamarin, sloth, blue morpho, Jesus Christ lizard, iguanas, capybara and several birds. No mosquitoes. We passed several huge ships within the canal. One was loaded with 18wheeler tankers, which looked like matchbox toys compared to the ship that they were stacked upon. Then we went to the Gatun locks Agua Clara visitor center to watch the canal in action. Very cool. If you have any appreciation for engineering, it is awesome. We also went to Fort Lorenzo on the Caribbean. A Spanish fort from 1598 from where the conquistadors walked to Peru to conquer Incas and steal gold and carry the gold back here to Panama. The route around Cape Horn was not discovered until 1616. We had a Panamanian lunch included of rice n beans, spicy chicken, plantains, and coleslaw. It was very good. A Very good tour and worthwhile. No problems or screw ups.

Great way to see and experience history.

Robert_F, Apr 2024

Mike was a great guide. The timing at the canal to see a ship passing through was fantastic. Could not recommend enough. Worth every penny.

Great trip to see and learn a ton

Gareth_P, Apr 2024

Overall great trip to see and do a ton of Panamas top highlights. As someone that has travelled a lot, John is by far one of the best tour guides I’ve experienced. Extremely knowledgeable and well prepared, including slides, he definitely made the trip fantastic.

Well done

John_H, Mar 2024

Our guide John was enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. He made the excursion a 10. The history of the canal was presented in a well understood manner. Thoroughly enjoyed this excursion

Most historical based...

Antoinette_S, Mar 2024

Most historical based tour that I ever been on. Guide Pauola was extremely knowledgeable and had good energy. Alexis was also a great driver. They make a wonderful team.

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