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Panama Canal Boat Tour: Explore Rainforest Wildlife
4.7
207 Ratings
Lake Gatun
Embark on an exhilarating boat tour through the Panama Canal and explore the rich biodiversity that surrounds it. This stunning experience takes you through lush rainforests, where you can spot animals such as monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, iguanas, birds, and more.
Embark on an exhilarating boat tour through the Panama Canal and explore the rich biodiversity that surrounds it. This stunning experience takes you through lush rainforests, where you can spot animals such as monkeys, sloths, crocodiles, iguanas, birds, and more.
Duration:
3 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Lake Gatun - We will pick you up at your accommodation in downtown of Panama City to go by car to the Chagres river, highlighting several points of interest on the way there, where we will take a boat and get into the Panama Canal. We will pass by huge ships and experience the scale and importance of this magnificent marvel of engineering. Inside…
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Lake Gatun - We will pick you up at your accommodation in downtown of Panama City to go by car to the Chagres river, highlighting several points of interest on the way there, where we will take a boat and get into the Panama Canal. We will pass by huge ships and experience the scale and importance of this magnificent marvel of engineering. Inside the Canal, at the Gatun Lake, we will arrive at a group of islands in a protected area in order to see as many species of animals as possible, among them monkeys, crocodiles, birds, iguanas, sloths and others.
You will identify animals and develop your vision to spot them.
This is an extraordinary and memorable experience, completely outdoors and that you will enjoy a lot!
Note: This tour is going outdoors (jungle and a lake) therefore there is not access to a toilet, it is suggested to use the bathroom before pick up time that will be informed the night before the tour.
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Boat tour
- Round-trip transfer from downtown Panama City and Casco Viejo
- Bottled water
- Driver/guide
- Boat tour
- Round-trip transfer from downtown Panama City and Casco Viejo
What's Not Included
- pick up from Playa Bonita has additional cost of USD $30 cash per group (no per person)
- pick up from Playa Bonita has additional cost of USD $30 cash per group (no per person)
Additional Information
- This tour is going outdoors (jungle and lake) therefore there is not access to a toilet, it is suggested to use the bathroom before pick up time that will be informed the night before the tour.
- This tour is going outdoors (jungle and lake) therefore there is not access to a toilet, it is suggested to use the bathroom before pick up time that will be informed the night before the tour.
Location
Lake Gatun
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
(207 Ratings)
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1 star
Nproteau59
Feb 27, 2025
Great Experience - We thoroughly enjoyed our excursion. Fernando was very knowledgeable and courteous. We got to see capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, a crocodile, a huge iguana and many birds.
There were a few large ships on the water that we got to get very close to.
The group size was just perfect. Gave us opportunities to all converse with our guide.
We especially appreciated that the operator communicated with us the morning of our pickup to advise that they were running a few minutes late. The door to door service was a welcome addition to the tour.
All in all I would say it was a very enjoyable morning and well worth the cost.
Review provided by Viator
Frederic
Feb 24, 2025
Well Worth It - It was a great experience. A half day is enough for this tour. Beautiful scenery and the monkeys were entertaining. If you like nature and being on a small boat in a lake It's well worth it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Neil_g
Feb 19, 2025
Great trip - We saw many islands and several kinds of monkeys. The monkeys ate out of our hands. We also saw sloths and lizards.
Review provided by Viator
Jkhtbaj
Feb 18, 2025
Great experience - Easy to book. Picked up at hotel. Driver was great and attentive on the boat. Ensured we saw all 3 types of monkeys. Well worth the trip! Enjoyed being in the Panama Canal as well.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Annie_m
Feb 16, 2025
Monkeys and sloth - Great fun to be able to travel on the Panama canal. Scenery is just as good as seeing the monkeys. Alex is an excellent guide, he knows where all the monkeys are living. Saw a sloth too.
Review provided by Viator
Runakob2025
Feb 15, 2025
Great Experience - Tour guide was amazing!!! Very friendly. He made sure we were comfortable and safe!!! I would recommend this tour for everyone who visits panama
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nbb350
Feb 9, 2025
A fun afternoon trip! - The car ride from Casco Viejo to the boat launch along the Canal wasn't very long and the car was air conditioned and comfortable anyway. There was only one other couple in the mini van with us. Miguel, the driver, stopped along the way to pick up "monkey bait"... Bananas!
Once at the boat launch, we immediately got into a boat and headed out into the Canal. Life jackets were provided. The boat has a canopy top, so there is ample shade. The seat cushions are thin though, so the ride can be bumpy - especially when the boat passes a Panama freighter with its big wake! Even though it was ~91°F at the boat launch, we were totally comfortable in the boat with the breeze.
As we approached the first island, we could see the monkeys waiting for us! Of course, the first monkey on the boat was also the greediest - he bit my finger! Thankfully he was only about the size of a squirrel and had blunt teeth, so he didn't even break the skin. We all laughed.
We visited a few more islands - some with monkeys willing to take banana from us, some with monkeys only willing to watch us warily from a distance. We also saw an iguana and quite a few birds along the way.
Total time round trip from our hotel was almost exactly as advertised: 3.5 hours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Fijiforlife69
Feb 7, 2025
Awesome time - The trip was amazing, seeing the wildlife was amazing, the boat rides were amazing, the entire visit was an awesome time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Otdan11
Feb 5, 2025
Afternoon boat ride to monkey island. - Picked up on time. Van ride was informative with the driver having videos on an iPad for the 45 min ride. Boat ride was cool. Had monkeys come on boat and eat out our hands. Was about 4 hrs in total. Driver was knowledgable and friendly [Dan?] Would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dt887
Feb 4, 2025
Enjoyable afternoon seeing monkeys - Pick up was prompt. Car ride was about 45 min from our hotel. Driver was knowledgeable and had videos to keep us busy on an iPad. We had some white face monkeys and other monkeys come on our boat and eat out of our hands. Trip lasted about 3.5 hours and we were back by 5 pm.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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