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Panama City Nature & adventure

Our most recommended Panama City Nature & adventure

From Panama City: Panama Canal and Monkey Island Tour

1. From Panama City: Panama Canal and Monkey Island Tour

Spend half a day exploring the Panama Canal while learning about its history and creation. See the famed Miraflores Locks in action and take a scenic boat ride on the Chagres River. Get picked up at your hotel or other location in Panama City, and journey to the Panama Canal Visitors Center for a detailed explanation about how the canal and famous Miraflores Locks work. Visit the museum to learn more about this important water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Drive by Miraflores Lake and the Pedro Miguel Locks as you make your way to the Chagres River. Climb aboard for a scenic boat trip across artificial Gatun Lake. Marvel at the surrounding landscape of the biggest and most important lake in the Panama Canal. Watch as large ships pass through the canal to get a sense of the magnitude of this masterpiece of engineering. Arrive at a group of islands to see different species of animals and monkeys. Return to Panama City and get dropped off at your hotel.

Panama City: 4-Day Island Hopping San Blas Adventure

2. Panama City: 4-Day Island Hopping San Blas Adventure

Discover what local life is like in San Blas on this 4-days island hopping tour. Get to know the beautiful islands of this Central American paradise, and enjoy the white sand beaches and turquoise ocean. You may choose the standard transportation option which allows for a maximum of 6 passengers per vehicle, or choose the upgraded transport option to travel in a little more comfort with a maximum of 4 passengers per vehicle. Day 1 Pickup from selected hotels in Panama City begins at 5:20 AM. After pickup, you will stop by a supermarket in case you want to buy snacks or drinks. Then, head to the San Blas hills. The journey takes about 2.5 hours and is followed by a 30-minute boat ride to pelicano island where you will sleep and have lunch and dinner. Pay a visit to a natural swimming pool and explore the pool on a paddle board. Visit the island in front of Ucusubi to go snorkeling and sample some fresh local lobster for dinner during lobster season. Day 2 After breakfast, visit a local Guna community and learn about this tribe's culture and rich history. Next, take a hiking tour in the San Blas jungle up to a waterfall. As you hike, pass a local cemetery, and spot monkeys, sloths, many birds, and iguanas. Come back to Ina Island for lunch and then take your boat to the 2nD Island Aguja. Relax and discover this island at your own pace. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. Day 3 After breakfast, take a boat to Perro Chico island where you will sleep. You will first visit Perro Grande Island where you can kayak all around and visit another natural swimming pool. Once in Perro Chico, take your snorkel gear and visit the sunken boat which is just in front of the island and full of tiny colored fishes. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included. Day 4 After breakfast, take a boat back to Panama City. Breakfast is included.

From Panama: 3-Day San Blas Islands Tour

3. From Panama: 3-Day San Blas Islands Tour

Enjoy a unique adventure in the San Blas Islands. Swim in crystal-clear natural pools, admire the blue ocean, and visit islands including Ucusidup, Pelican, Aguja, Perro grande, and Perro Chico on this multi-day trip. After getting picked up from your hotel in Panama, begin your adventure with a boat ride to the islands. Stay in a private cabin on Pelican Island (where scenes from the 3rd series of the Netflix series Money Heist were filmed). Paddle boards are available for your use. Take a paddle board and head out to a tiny island called Ucusubi which has one of the best spots for snorkeling in San Blas. On the 2nd day after breakfast, visit a Guna Community, and experience daily life at a school and health center. Then take your boat to the 2nd Island, Aguja. Explore the scenic sandy beaches and sleep in a private 2-person hut. On your final day, after breakfast, your guide Naidi will pick you up early in the morning. Take a tour to snorkel in the sunken boat at Perro Chico island, and explore Perro grande island with kayaks and paddle boards. After lunch, say goodbye to the islands and arrive at your hotel around 6 PM.

From Panama City: Monkey Islands Tour on Gatun Lake

4. From Panama City: Monkey Islands Tour on Gatun Lake

Travel to the Gamboa Marina in an air-conditioned tour vehicle with a guide and the rest of the tour group, before a transfer to a riverboat for a ride on the Chagres River, one of Panama's largest rivers, and head for Monkey Island. Observe the different species of monkeys that live on the island, from white-face monkeys, howler monkeys, and Geoffrey´s tamarinds, while taking some time to snap photos, and learn interesting facts and information about the different species from a knowledgeable guide. Return to the marina and to Panama City, and end the tour with drop-off at the hotel.

From Panama City: Gamboa Rainforest Guided Tour with Lunch

5. From Panama City: Gamboa Rainforest Guided Tour with Lunch

Explore the Panamanian rain forest while gliding smoothly through treetops on an aerial tram. Learn the jungle's most interesting facts from a naturalist guide. Watch colorful birds flying around you.  Take a boat ride through the Panama Canal, observing marine life. End your tour with a delicious lunch. Board a tram bound for a 280-feet peak surrounded by leafy jungle. While going up to the observation tower, enjoy fabulous views of the Chagres River, the Embera indigenous community, and much of the Soberania National Park. Gamboa is home to many natural labs including a butterfly farm, an orchids center, and a frog pond. See around 20 species of butterflies native to Panama at the Butterfly House. Get up close to the sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary. This sanctuary hosts a rehabilitation and training program for injured, sick, and orphaned sloths. Enjoy a scenic boat tour along the Panama Canal's waterways. Observe the fascinating tropical wildlife of Gatun Lake and the surrounding forest. Get a chance to spot crocodiles, caimans, sloths, monkeys, and a host of birds with the help of your guide.

From Panama City: Chagres Rainforest and Embera Village Tour

6. From Panama City: Chagres Rainforest and Embera Village Tour

Explore Chagres National Park on a day trip from Panama City. Enjoy a traditional canoe ride on the Chagres River and hike to a preserved waterfall for a swim. Have lunch in an indigenous Embera village and find out about their culture. The day begins with a transfer by car from your hotel or residence in Panama City to the Chagres National Park, one of the most important forest and water reserves in Panama. Enjoy a traditional canoe ride on the Chagres River, followed by a half-hour walk through the jungle, walking on mud, water and slippery rocks to a beautiful and pristine waterfall that’s hidden from civilization. Take a refreshing some free time at the waterfall to swim, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Then, walk back to the canoe and continue to visit a real Embera indigenous community that will welcome you to enjoy lunch, traditional music, and dances in a hut. Afterward, learn about the culture and way of life of this tribe via a conversation with the chief or one of the leaders before returning to Panama City.

Panama: Panama Canal, Colón Rainforest and San Lorenzo Fort

7. Panama: Panama Canal, Colón Rainforest and San Lorenzo Fort

Explore the Panamanian rainforest and walk in the footsteps of the Spanish settlers of the early 19th century. Learn the history of the pirates, visit the new lock system for tankers and cargo ships, and see various forest wildlife. Benefit from pick-up at your hotel in Panama City, and then journey by air-conditioned vehicle for approximately 1 hour as you make your way to Colón. First visit the Agua Clara Canal expansion to spend about 1 hour learning about the new canal system, built to support the passage of supertankers and large cargo ships as they pass along the Panama Canal. After the Canal visit, cross the new Atlantic bridge heading to the rainforest, and then get back to nature as you explore the ecological paradise by minibus. Discover the home of different species of mammals, reptiles and amphibious species. Observe the amazing wildlife in their natural habitat, and enjoy plenty of stops to take souvenir photos.  Next, go to the historic monument of San Lorenzo Fort, renowned for preventing attacks by the real pirates of the Caribbean for almost 75 years. Learn the history of the fort, now in ruins after the Spanish largely abandoned it in the mid 19th century. Later, continue the ride into the rainforest to find more animals, and as an option, you can take a 20-minute walk with a machete along a jungle trail to experience the rainforest like the Spaniards 500 years ago.

From Panama: Gamboa Zip Line Experience

8. From Panama: Gamboa Zip Line Experience

Head to the Gamboa community for this exciting zip line experience. Elevate to the top of trees through a series of cables and get an unbeatably clear view of the rain forest’s greenery and landscapes as you make your way through 10 zip line platforms. To start, get picked up from Panama City before taking an approximately 1-hour drive to Gamboa. Meet the zip line instructor and get a basic zip lining lesson before starting your adventure. Completing the 10 zip line platforms takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. After enjoying your time in the rain forest, get dropped back off in Panama.

Panama City: Embera Indigenous Village Experience

9. Panama City: Embera Indigenous Village Experience

Following pickup from your hotel, you will travel to Alajuela Lake where you will board a piragua, a traditional indigenous canoe. From there you will head to the Mono Waterfall where you can swim and refresh yourself. Following that, head to Tusipono Embera, a small traditional village located on the bank of the Chagres River in the middle of the rainforest. There the Emberas will show you their traditions, including their way of dressing and how they elaborate their handcrafts. They will then perform their traditional dances and music, before you are provided with some time to interact directly with them. You'll finally enjoy a local lunch as prepared by the Embera community, before being returned to your tour starting point.

Panama City/Portobelo: Catamaran Trip w/Snorkeling and Lunch

10. Panama City/Portobelo: Catamaran Trip w/Snorkeling and Lunch

Explore the beauty of the Blues Veins lagoon and the white sands of Playa Drake Beach on this tour from Panama City or Portobelo. Sit down for a delicious lunch on a catamaran.  Choose to be picked up from the comfort of your accommodations in Panama City or to make your own way to Portobelo. Hop aboard a speedboat that will connect you to the catamaran. Feel the wind in your hair as you soak up some sun on the way to your first stop at Blues Veins. Make your way to the interior lagoon aboard a dinghy. Disembark at a secluded beach where you can take a walk or snorkel through the coral in the crystal-clear waters.  Head back to the boat to eat a lunch of local products with a variety of dietary options. Continue to Playa Drake Beach where you can make the most of the sea by swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, and paddle boarding.  Return to you Portobelo where, depending on the option you select, you can be dropped-off at your accommodation in Panama City, or you can drive back to your accommodation. 

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What people are saying about Panama City

Overall rating

4.2 / 5

based on 154 reviews

The excursion can be very recommended, never felt rushed, our guide Elida was informative, helpful and attentive (thank you Elida), outside buffet lunch overlooking the canal the perfect culmination of a perfect day. The sloth sanctuary, well that was meh...but the butterflies were beautiful and the tiny frogs a sight to behold - If you take this trip to see the canal, its vegetation, islands and monkey population, you will not be disappointed. Lunch and view from the observation tower provide the perfect vistas.

our guide was very good. he was prepared with food for the monkeys which helped us see them much better than other tour companies on the water and he even provided us with water for the day. very informative and thoughtful guide. safe and smooth driver. very good experience

Great trip to the locks and the monkey island was surprisingly fun too. I think this trip is a bit overpriced but all excursions in Panama air expensive… would still recommend going to this one!

Very nice day tour with a ride on the canal to the free-roaming monkeys, a ride on the Aerial Tram and the Observation Tower and a visit to the sloth clinic.

Exceptional! Very pleasant trip, excellent tour guide and drivers. Totally respectful for the animals and nature. Speaking English