Gatun lake wildlife expedition and Miraflores locks private tour
Description
Discover the incredible Panama Canal with the expertise of certified tour guides. Start your visit at the Miraflores Visitor Center, where you'll witness canal operations firsthand and enjoy an exhilarating 45-minute IMAX 3D movie that explores the history and engineering marvels of the canal. After this engaging introduction, your adventure continues with a wildlife safari expedition on a boat ride through Gatun Lake, where you’ll have the chance to spot monkeys and various other animals in their natural habitat. Book now for an exceptional experience with us!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Come and enjoy this engineering wonder that changed the whole maritime industry forever, brought to this world by the United States and Panama, in our Miraflores visitor center, where you can see the Panama Canal in full action.
This is an extraordinary experience of Monkey Watch and Gatun Lake Wildlife, a must for any nature enthusiast! Experience the breathtaking beauty of Gatun Lake as you immerse yourself in the vibrant rainforest teeming with wildlife. As we navigate the lake, watch for the giant ships gliding by on their journey through the Panama Canal. Get ready to encounter not just monkeys and sloths, but also remarkable creatures like crocodiles, toucans, iguanas, turtles, and various exotic birds. This tour is the perfect adventure for everyone, promising an unforgettable experience you won’t want to miss!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The guide will be meeting you in the lobby of the hotel, Airbnb, or building, holding a sign with the company's logo and the lead passenger's name
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(7)
We had a great day on the Monkey Cruise Canal Tour with Jorge Salazar! We saw lots of beautiful wildlife on boat tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and made sure that we were comfortable all day with nice drinks available and lunch and bathroom stops in lovely places. The canal was amazing, and we learned lots of history along the way. We Highly recommend.
Thank you so much for your kind words about this great experience and for choosing Panamanian Adventures as your go-to tour company in Panama! We truly appreciate your support!
Well our driver Jose was ready with answers to all our questions. We however wanted to point out that this adventure doesnt pay for anything than his time driving you to the canal and to the boat dock. Again a real nice guy, but 155 dollars only pays you to be driven. We still had to pay another 94 dolllars to go to the canal and to go on a boat. I liked him, but this was a bit spendy. It was in the write up what was included, just review before you commit.
Thank you for your review and for your kind words about Jose. We are delighted to hear that he was able to answer your questions and help make your day enjoyable. We also appreciate your comments regarding the tour pricing and inclusions. Our goal is to provide complete transparency, and as you mentioned, the tour description clearly outlines which expenses are included and which entrance fees are paid separately. This allows guests to choose the experience that best fits their interests and budget. We understand that travel costs can add up, and we appreciate your feedback. At the same time, we are pleased that you found Jose knowledgeable and helpful throughout the experience. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts, and we hope to welcome you back to Panama in the future.
Pros: Ricky was very kind! Communicated in advance, pick up was smooth. A proud Panamanian and great guy. He was sweet with my kids. Also, this was the only such tour included find that was willing to do an airport pickup, which made this excursion possible on our 24 hour layover. We appreciated the flexibility. Cons: This is the price for a driver/guide, but you will spend $500 easy, because you need to purchase the boat tickets and the Miraflores tickets in addition to pay for this tour. We just spent 10 days in South America with some amazing guides, and comparably- this didn’t meet the value. I’m honestly still not sure what we paid for. Essentially what we got was a (lovely!) private driver who knew the tricks to save us time at the locks (held our spot in line, told us to buy the tickets online ahead of time). But this isn’t a tour where we learned a lot, outside of the IMAX at the visitor center. Also, we asked to stop for lunch (communicated this in advance that we would need to), and we stopped at a gas station mini market for food. This was an 6 hour private tour and we really should have stopped at a restaurant (after all- it’s paying for a private tour so your family can be accommodated)! Finally, re: wildlife- no one’s fault (Ricky felt terrible!) but we didn’t see many animals. We also didn’t learn much about their habitats, predators, etc. just went around in a boat to see them. Go in the early morning if you can and you’ll have better luck. And- please note that you aren’t supposed to feed them! The guides frequently have you feed the monkeys bananas to coax them down. They are WILD! This is bad for them and for us.
Great tour - Highly recommend to see the Canal and surrounding area.
Thank you so much for your kind words about this great experience and for choosing Panamanian Adventures as your go-to tour company in Panama! We truly appreciate your support!
Carlos Alberto was an amazing guide. He is very knowledgeable, speaks a decent English, and was very professional. Highly recommend him
Jorge was fantastic - gave us history and great perspective on Panama. Our boat excursion was amazing seeing all sorts of wildlife. And our tour of Miraflores locks and watching the operation was a great experience.
Superb time with César. We visited the lake, checked out the monkeys, went to the visitor centre, and capped it off with a lunch. Great time with a great guide, thank you!
Thank you so much for your kind words about this great experience and for choosing Panamanian Adventures as your go-to tour company in Panama! We truly appreciate your support!
