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(2,370)
My experience was wonderful great communication very informative. My guide did everything possible to make us feel comfortable and learn about Panama which I love will recommend to anyone. Great experience
Beyond our expectations, our guide (Daniel) was incredibly knowledgeable and fluent in English and Spanish- he even gave us a song at the end! The boat trip across Gutan Lake was incredible, beautiful scenery and an up-close experience with the wild monkeys, along with other wildlife (crocodile, birds) It was also impressive to see the ships along the canal (again up close!)
We had SO much fun on our Monkey Island tour!. Our tour guide, Maribel, was wonderful—so knowledgeable, engaging, and full of interesting information about the wildlife, the Panama Canal, and the history of Panama.. We got to feed the monkeys and even see bats and iguanas! Riding through the Panama Canal and across Gatun Lake was a great experience and Maribel had everyone sing Happy Birthday to me which made the experience even better! Definitely a highlight of our Panama adventure! Highly recommend!
This tour was wonderful. The guide gave us an entire dissertation on Panama'The rich tapestry of history captivated us completely, immersing us in its fascinating narratives and timeless lessons. Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly recommend this extraordinary experience to anyone seeking to explore the depths of our past..
A great tour with our AMAZING tour guide Jenny, she was very knowledgeable about the history and very engaging. we saw the ships passing through the canal and some really cute monkeys. 10/10 would recommend!!!
Excellent!! We saw 2 sloths, the 3 species of monkeys, a crocodile, and typical birds. The guide was incredible! Despite the tour being in English, he was attentive to our children by speaking to them in French. Wow! Thank you!
This was lovely morning tour which was made extra special by the guide Daniel. He has a lovely personality and made sure that we all enjoyed the morning. We saw all 3 monkeys and various other animals like iguana, bats and crocodile. Lots of opportunities for great photos as the monkeys came on the boat. We even got some history lessons and serenaded by Daniel:)
Monkeys seen very quickly, fed to be approached, not very interesting. Too touristy for our taste. Very nice guide, however.
The guide makes the tour great. It was a fascinating and enjoying experience. It was far better than I expected. The monkeys actually come on the boat
Milton (tour guide) was amazing. We saw all of the expected monkeys. Felt safe and cared for throughout!
