If you visit Panama without seeing the Panama Canal, did you really visit Panama? When doing research, I was on the fence between just taking a couple hours to go the museum, or taking a half-day to truly experience it. I’m so glad I landed on a tour! Not only was it surreal to be cruising next to monster cargo ships, but I feel like I got to truly experience Panama. There are no words to describe how it felt to be in the middle of the jungle having monkeys eat peanuts out of your hand. It was such a highlight of my Panamanian adventure! Here is my experience doing a Panama Canal boat cruise with Almiza Tours!
Read More: 7 Reasons Your Next Trip Should be to Panamá
Booking the tour
While there were a ton of different tour companies to choose from, I’m very glad I landed with Almiza Tours. At the time of booking, they had the highest rating and the most reviews, which was an easy way to distinguish between the many options. Almiza Tours offers a few different options, but I landed on the Lake Gatun Wildlife Tour. The tour was about 4.5 hours round-trip and being out on the water was a nice way to beat the mid-day heat. I feel like this “half-day” experience was plenty, and I walked away feeling very fulfilled and didn’t feel like I missed anything. If you’re tight on time and only have a few hours, I’d highly recommend this tour.
Hotel Pick Up
Included with the tour was a complementary hotel pick up and drop off if you’re located within Panama City. Since I was staying in Casco Viejo, a smaller van had to do my pickup (since the streets are narrower and hard to maneuver with large vehicles). The night before, the company will send you a message with pick up details. This will include the estimated time of pick up, the driver’s name, vehicle make, and license plate number. I really liked having all of these details as it made me feel very secure and safe! The driver was about fifteen minutes late picking me up, but otherwise the pick up was smooth and easy. We drove to a parking lot off of Avenue Balboa in Panama City where we met the bus to continue on with our adventure!
Read More: How to Spend One Day in Casco Viejo, Panama City
Bus ride to Gamboa
Once the group is all loaded up in the bus, we made our way up to the town of Gamboa. The bus was very comfortable and had powerful air conditioning. There was room for about 20 people, but the tour caps at 12 so there was plenty of space to stretch out. The drive to Gamboa is about 45 minutes, but along the way your guide will point out things we pass and give you history about Panama, the city, and the canal. The guides speak fluent English so you can feel free to ask questions!
For the middle chunk of the drive, you’ll be driving right next to the canal. Try to sit on the left side of the bus for the best views! You’ll drive right past the Miraflores Locks , and will likely see a few cargo ships passing through the canal! Along the way, the bus will also stop at a fruit stand to pick up some fresh mangoes to feed the monkeys. More on that soon!
Riding on the Panama Canal
Once you arrive at the docks in Gamboa, you’ll make your way off the bus and down onto a long speedboat. You’ll then start the cruise out to Gatun Lake, the Chagres River, and Monkey Islands! The total ride is about twenty minutes, but you’ll be entertained the whole time. The dramatic, lush rainforest will surround you on all sides. You’ll truly feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere!
You’ll then pass by cargo ships making their way through the canal. These things are HUGE. I sat in awe of them, wondering how something like this can float! We got as close as we could to them as we could and it was mesmerizing to see them stacked so high with shipping containers. I also loved reading the sides of the ships to see where they were all from. Knowing I was here, on the Panama Canal, passing by huge shipping vessels is a moment I will never forget!
Monkey Islands
After a cruise through Lake Gatun, you’ll make it to the first “Monkey Island”! The first island is home to the white-faced monkeys (or cappuccino monkeys, as they are also called). We pulled our boat right up into the brush that overhung the island and our guide made noises to call them over. We each had a couple of peanuts in our hands and they would come right up to us and grab them. Be very, very careful with all of your belongings though! While they’re primarily interested in food, it would be wise to keep everything in a bag and keep it secure. They have a history of snatching things like sunglasses, or accidentally knocking things into the water like phones and cameras!
Next, you’ll move to a second island where you will meet Titi monkeys! These monkeys keep their space a bit more, and we lined the sides of the boat with mangoes for them to eat, rather than having them eat out of our hands. This was just fine, as they still got right up close to you! The Titis were a bit bigger than the white-faced monkeys, so it was okay to have them keep a bit of a distance!
Finally, the last species you’ll see are the Howler monkeys. These ones don’t come up to the boat at all, but you’ll be able to watch (and hear!) them from the boat. You’ll probably hear them before you see them, as these guys are LOUD! At first, I thought it was the boat making the noises, before our guide pointed out the huge group of them hanging in the trees and screaming. It was truly surreal, and so much fun to see them in the wild! A million times better than a zoo, that’s for sure.
The Return
After a jam-packed afternoon, you’ll make your way back to the marina and into Panama City. Along the boat ride, the guides will point out tons of wildlife as we come across them. We saw everything from baby crocodiles, to bats, to iguanas. The guides are really good at pointing them out, as most of them are camouflaged! They also have a laser pointer that they use to help guide your eye. Some animals can be really hard to see!
The bus will take the same route back, so try to sit on the same side of the bus for different views. Or, if you want to soak up more sights of the canal, the right side of the bus would be best. Then it’s back to your hotel where you can rest up! Don’t forget to tip your guides- they work very hard to make this a memorable experience!
Read More: Top Tips for Visiting Panama City, Panamá
Traveling soon? Check out my Travel Tips page to help you score good deals on flights, packing tips, tools to help you plan, and more!
No Comments