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Panama Layover Tour: Emberá Village Experience
4.9
83 Ratings
Colon
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the rainforest and the rich indigenous culture of the Embera tribe on this eco tour from Panama City. Explore the village, enjoy traditional food and dances, and shop for unique handicrafts.
Immerse yourself in the beauty of the rainforest and the rich indigenous culture of the Embera tribe on this eco tour from Panama City. Explore the village, enjoy traditional food and dances, and shop for unique handicrafts.
Duration:
7 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Chagres National Park - Chagres NP is the most easily reachable national park from Panama City, making it an ideal nature-filled day trip for families.
- Indigenous Embera - The Embera, historically referred to as the Chocó or Katío Indians, are an indigenous group from Panama and Colombia. In the Emberá language, the term ẽberá can mean…
- Chagres National Park - Chagres NP is the most easily reachable national park from Panama City, making it an ideal nature-filled day trip for families.
- Indigenous Embera - The Embera, historically referred to as the Chocó or Katío Indians, are an indigenous group from Panama and Colombia. In the Emberá language, the term ẽberá can mean person, man, or indigenous person, depending on the context. Approximately 33,000 individuals in Panama and 50,000 in Colombia identify as Emberá.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Seasonal fruits (pineapple, banana, orange)
- Lunch
- Bottled water
- Seasonal fruits (pineapple, banana, orange)
- Lunch
What's Not Included
- No Waterfall Walk (due to safety concerns we do not visit it)
- Entrance fees
- No Waterfall Walk (due to safety concerns we do not visit it)
- Entrance fees
Additional Information
For those with a layover of at least 8 hours in Panama, arriving before 10:00 AM, this private tour offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the country’s natural beauty and cultural heritage in just a few hours. The guide will greet travelers at Tocumen Airport and drive them for about an hour to Corotú Dock, located near Chagres National Park. Here,…
For those with a layover of at least 8 hours in Panama, arriving before 10:00 AM, this private tour offers a wonderful opportunity to explore the country’s natural beauty and cultural heritage in just a few hours. The guide will greet travelers at Tocumen Airport and drive them for about an hour to Corotú Dock, located near Chagres National Park. Here, participants will embark on a traditional Emberá canoe for a 20–25 minute journey through the vibrant rainforest. Upon reaching the Tusipono Emberá village, guests will be warmly welcomed and treated to a traditional lunch, cultural dance performances, and a display of artisan crafts. After spending 2–2.5 hours in the village, travelers will be returned to the airport with ample time to spare, typically by 4:30 PM or earlier.
- We do not visit the Walterfall because of safety concerns. Many accidents occur because of the slippery path and rocks.
- On this tour, you will be with other people as it is a shared tour.
- Please note: There is an additional fee of $35 for adults and $25 for children, payable in cash only on the day of the tour to your guide.
- Meeting point is Herrera Plaza near American Trade Hotel 10 mins away from any city hotel
Location
Chagres National Park
Carretera Madden,
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
4.9
(83 Ratings)
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Blanca_m
Jun 11, 2025
The trip was... - The trip was expectaucular , the view , the ocean the boat was smooth regardless of the wind and the personnel were very professional
Review provided by Viator
Aryeh_s
May 28, 2025
Met and exceeded all my expectations - The guide Raphel was so imformative and helpful. Ot was such a pleasure to go on this trip to see the indiginous tribe.The excursion was famtastic
Review provided by Viator
Sierra_j
May 13, 2025
Once in a lifetime experience - First you take a hour long drive through the countryside and learn about the area. When you get to the water you take a canoe to the tribe where you’re welcome. Learn about the history of the tribe in their native language also in English in Spanish, get a chance to eat fish and plantain and fruit and learn dances. This was an amazing experience. Thank you Levy😁
Review provided by Viator
Navigate29248301427
Apr 22, 2025
A great ending to my Panama trip! - I really enjoyed learning about the Embera history and culture. The food was great! My tour guide lead me throughout the experience and he was very knowledgeable and personable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kingtut204
Mar 25, 2025
Once in a lifetime experience! - The Emberra people were genuine, down to earth and incredibly welcoming. Our guide Saul was informative, insightful and lots of help. I wouldn’t do anything differently.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terri_p
Mar 24, 2025
It was a fun day on the... - It was a fun day on the water in a motorized canoe! We learned about the Embere people and ate an excellent lunch.
Review provided by Viator
Devi_r
Mar 11, 2025
Great tour! Highly recommend! - The experience was exactly as described, we were looking for an option of this tour that didn't include the waterfall hike and this was it! We got picked up at our hotel and drove to the Chagres River where we took a very nice trip in a motorised canoe down the river and to the Embera Village. We were welcomed by members of the village and learnt about their history and way of life. The lunch was delicious along with the fruits that we were treated to. The music, dancing and crafts by the Embera people were all fantastic. We encourage you to support them by buying crafts or getting a temporary tattoo. Levy is a great and knowledgeable guide and we truly enjoyed every moment of the tour! Highly recommend! ❤️
Review provided by Viator
Margie
Mar 1, 2025
A wonderful visit to the (Embera Express Tour) on the chagrin River … the best!! - Not knowing what I was going to observe for this morning tour I was totally surprised that during the ride to the Embera village our driver and host, Rafael, gave us a very informative history of the different tribes still active, and the Panama Canal, and much about the country’s history. Upon arriving at to the village, we were greeted with a warm welcome by a women dancing and a man playing a drum…We were given a tour of all the native homes, the wildlife, flowers, and fruit and then we gathered in this big open room to learn about the different tribes and rituals, especially of the Embera people. The highlight of the day was watching several native dancers by manyin the tribe, and at the end of their performance, we were invited I grown-ups and little ones to dance, and everybody was celebrating. That was followed by a beautiful lunch wrapped up in a banana leaf plant of fish and tostadas and an abundance of fruit for dessert!! Our group had a lot of fun together and all of us could not have been more different. I highly recommend RNK tours and our tour guide Rafael who was absolutely WONDERFUL!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Margie_t
Mar 1, 2025
A wonderful visit to the (Embera Express Tour) on the chagrin River … the best!!! - Not knowing what I was going to observe for this morning tour I was totally surprised that during the ride to the Embera village our driver and host, Rafael, gave us a very informative history of the different tribes still active, and the Panama Canal, and much about the country’s history. Upon arriving at to the village, we were greeted with a warm welcome by a women dancing and a man playing a drum…We were given a tour of all the native homes, the wildlife, flowers, and fruit and then we gathered in this big open room to learn about the different tribes and rituals, especially of the Embera people. The highlight of the day was watching several native dancers by manyin the tribe, and at the end of their performance, we were invited I grown-ups and little ones to dance, and everybody was celebrating. That was followed by a beautiful lunch wrapped up in a banana leaf plant of fish and tostadas and an abundance of fruit for dessert!! Our group had a lot of fun together and all of us could not have been more different. I highly recommend this tour company and our tour guide Rafael who was absolutely WONDERFUL!!
Review provided by Viator
Camilarz1787bz
Feb 23, 2025
Visit to Emberá tribe - Really recommended. Our guide (Rafael) was very friendly and throughout the tour gave us historical details about the country and the indigenous community, both in English and Spanish. The beautiful canoe ride. Finally we shared with the Emberá families lunch, typical dances and we could appreciate their craftsmanship. I recommend taking this tour
Review provided by Tripadvisor
