Gatun Lake: Monkeys & Exotic Wildlife by the Canal
Description
Set out from Panama City in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle bound for Gamboa Marina. Board your riverboat and glide across Gatun Lake, a vital section of the Panama Canal surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. As you cruise, watch for the lake’s most famous residents — white-faced capuchins, howler monkeys, and Geoffrey’s tamarins. With a bit of luck, you may also spot sloths resting in the treetops, colorful tropical birds, or crocodiles sunning on the shore. Your certified guide shares fascinating insights about the canal, its history, and the rich biodiversity of the Chagres River basin, making this more than just a wildlife encounter. End your adventure with a comfortable return ride to Panama City, arriving back at your hotel with unforgettable memories and photos of Panama’s wildlife.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The tour starts with hotel pick up in Panama City followed by a transfer to the Gamboa Marina.
Gamboa is a peaceful rainforest town located at the meeting point of the Chagres River and the Panama Canal. Known for its lush jungle, abundant wildlife, and historic canal infrastructure, it’s one of the best places in Panama to experience nature up close. Visitors can enjoy stunning views of Gatun Lake and the surrounding rainforest.
Once there, you will go on a 15-minute boat ride on the Gatun lake until you observe 3 kinds of Monkeys in a wild. Together with a guide, you will spend about 90 minutes observing the different species of monkeys. After the visit, you will go on a 15-minute boat ride back to the Gamboa Marina followed by a transfer back to your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please note we go to multiples hotels and the pick up time will be Morning tour: between 6:15am and 7am or Midday tour: Between 10:40am and 11:55am 1. Please read all details of the tour description including the $20usd boat fee to be paid at pickup. 2.Customers in the casco viejo and santa ana area need to meet us at the Tantalo Hotel due to heavy traffic which delay the tour. 3. No Pickup available from Dreams, Westin, Costa del Este, El Dorado and Causeway you will have to meet us at the closest pickup location available. 4. No transfer available for the hotels near or in Tocumen international airport.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- May be operated by a multilingual guide
- The duration of the tour includes travel time.
Reviews(2,309)
Fun trip! Picked up at our hotel and had a nice narrated trip to Lake Gatun. The boat captain did a great job and we saw three types of monkeys, an iguana, various birds, some tiny bats and even a crocodile! I definitely would recommend
This is a nice trip for any age. We really enjoyed the boat ride, the tour guide and the monkeys. Daniel was very knowledgeable about the environment and the Panama Canal.
Daniel was very friendly and knowledgeable about Panama and the history of the canal, wildlife etc. Loved his jokes and he made the entire tour cheerful. 10/10 will recommend!
Informative, fun, well accommodated. This was a great excursion and Milton was great in including all of us.
Jenny the tour guide was great
What a fantastic experience! Jenny was an amazing guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable, fun, super nice, energetic, and made the entire tour so enjoyable. You can tell she genuinely loves what she does, and she shared so many interesting facts while making sure everyone had a great view of the monkeys. Brian, our driver, was excellent and even saved a sloth! Hotel pickup was easy and on time, and we really appreciated having the option to be dropped off at Mercado de Mariscos after the tour (instead of back at our hotel). It saved us an Uber and made it easy to continue exploring the city. The tour was well organized from start to finish, and the wildlife experience exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend!
We planned for the early morning outing at 7am on a Saturday and retuened home by 1030am.. We had such a beautiful time, we even forgot it was raining a little! Bring a jacket just in case but the boat does have a cover! Our tour guide was Jenny who has a wealth of knowledge not only about the Canal history but of Gatún Lake's ecosystem. Brian transported us safely to and from the lake and Junito, our boat Captain, kept us safe while on the lake AND coaxed a family of Titis out to meet us. There was another young lady who also assisted in finding animals but unfortunately, I didn't catch her name. Thank you all for a great time!
We had a wonderful time on the monkey tour! Our guide, Daniel, was amazing—knowledgeable, engaging, and a fantastic storyteller who made the experience both fun and informative. Julian, the “monkey whisperer,” was incredible with the wildlife, and Brian, our driver, ensured everything ran smoothly and safely. The entire team was friendly, professional, and made this one of the highlights of our trip to Panama. We highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a memorable rainforest and wildlife experience!
Had amazing time with fantastic team. Highly recommend
Great guide and team. I do wish the boat fee was captured up front with the booking cost though.
