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Panama City Family-friendly activities

Our most recommended Panama City Family-friendly activities

Panama City: Money Heist and San Blas Islands Day Trip

1. Panama City: Money Heist and San Blas Islands Day Trip

Be collected from your accommodation in Panama City to start the day trip. Drive 2.5 hours to San Blas Port, Carti, and then take a local Panga boat to the first of the San Blas islands. First arrive at Pelicano Island, made famous by the Netflix series Money Heist. Enjoy a light breakfast of fresh fruit and coffee and take some time to sunbathe with hammocks. Towels will be provided. Then take the paddleboards and your snorkel gear and go paddle to Ucubusi Island where you will find one of the best reefs to snorkel in San Blas. Discover a variety of colorful fish species. Afterward, enjoy a lunch of fresh fish, rice, and salad. After lunch, head to the natural swimming pool. Chill out on a bank of sand in the middle of the ocean where you can walk or swim around to find your starfish. Finally, visit a local community where you will see how the locals live. You can try the coconut bread made on the island, and see how molas are made by the grandmas on the island. Sail back towards the port and return to Panama City in the evening. 

Panama: All-Inclusive Taboga Island Catamaran Cruise

2. Panama: All-Inclusive Taboga Island Catamaran Cruise

Explore the serene waters of Panama on an all-inclusive day tour on a Mega catamaran. Dive into the water for a refreshing swim before moving to the Island of Taboga for a beach and town visit. Enjoy morning snacks, lunch, and an open bar. After reaching Taboga, sail to the backside of the island to a secret spot where a bay with beautiful natural views is waiting for you. Jump off the boat and enjoy your first swim (there are also stairs to access the water if you do not want to dive in). After some fun in the water, climb back onto the boat to drink a cold beer. Rest in the boat's nets or dance with the crew while you sail towards the town side of the island. Dock so you can head to the beach and visit the small village of Taboga. Spend time on the beach relaxing or learn about the historical landmarks the Island has to offer. After your beach and town visit, hop back aboard for lunch with chicken, veggies, rice, vegetable salad, potato salad, and oleo pasta. Sip on drinks from the open bar like rum, vodka, Seco Herrerano, local beer, mixers, and cocktails. If the wind conditions are right, open the sails and continue the party as you cruise along the open water.

From Panama City: Panama Canal and Monkey Island Tour

3. 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.

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: Chagres Rainforest and Embera Village Tour

5. 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 City: Private Airport Layover Tour

6. Panama City: Private Airport Layover Tour

Using your flight number and airline name, a driver will track your flight until it lands. After landing, the driver will be waiting for you outside with a sign highlighting your name. The driver will assist you to the car with your luggage. Once in the car, the driver will head to the Miraflores Visitors Center at the Panama Canal, where you will see the ships going through the Miraflores Locks on their way from one ocean to the other. The tour will be designed for you to visit the Panama Canal during the busiest time of the day, so you can watch the process from a terrace. After leaving the Panama Canal, the guide will take you to the Amador Causeway, a road that connects 3 islands, where you will have the opportunity to see the Biodiversity Museum designed by Frank Gehry. The following destination will be the Old Town (Casco Viejo) of Panama, where you can appreciate the beauty of colonial buildings and handcrafts shops while walking the quaint, narrow roads. After the Old Town, see the modern downtown of Panama City on your way back to the airport.

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 Day Tour

9. Panama City Day Tour

A day of fun in cosmopolitan Panama City. See the town that the world built and of course, its famous canal. Usually, your first stop will be Miraflores Locks and the Panama Canal. Miraflores Locks and the Panama Canal is your next stop. Here you will watch the ships maneuver the canal's locks, learn more about the canal at the museum. You will visit an artisan market for the best Panamanian-made souvenirs before heading to the Amador for lunch (not included). Then you will take a short nature trail walk in the Punta Culebra's open-air musuem, which is owned by the Smithsonian Foundation of Panama. Save the best for last with a walking tour of the old town: Casco Viejo. Marvel at its spectacular architecture and learn about the history of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will be back back in your hotel around 16:00, unless you stay in Casco to soak up the rest of the afternoon on your own.

Monkey Island and Indian Village Tour

10. Monkey Island and Indian Village Tour

Leave the city behind in the morning and head to the Chagres River where you will board a boat for a 2-hour tour of Lake Gatun (once the largest manmade lake in the world) and the Panama Canal. Explore the ins and outs of the nearby bays, search for wildlife, and visit the famous Monkey Island, home of the amazing white-faced monkeys. Also, keep an eye out for turtles, crocodiles, caiman, tons of bird life, and all kinds of other surprises. Return towards Gamboa, pass the dock, and head upstream to the Indian village. Unlike most Indian village tours, this one is authentic. Learn about the local culture, history, and crafts. Then, hike along a short trail to see the plants that grow in this area and how the locals use them (practical, artist, or medical uses) and see dance that is part of their custom. After visiting the village, return to Panama City and stop along the way for lunch and arrive at your hotel in the late afternoon.

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What people are saying about Panama City

We had a 8 hour layover and decided to do the private Panama Tour. Our tour guide was Esteban, who was AMAZING!! He provided us a wonderful and unforgettable experience! We never felt rushed, he made the experience so enjoyable! He was extremely knowledgeable, friendly, kind and went above and beyond to make sure we had a beautiful experience and we did!!! Thanks, Esteban!

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 with the Caramaran! All was very well taken care of. Good drinks, good food, nice swim and the island visit was very nice too. The crew really makes sure you are enjoying yourself too. Would highly recommend it!

Excellent experience. Our guide was on time. All including the villager always taking care of everybody during the trail trip to the waterfall. Embera people were very instructive about their culture.

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!