Panama Canal Tours

Panama Canal Tours

María del R. Martínez / The Panama Post


Voyages combine history and ecology Tourists are offered a partial and complete visit through the strip of the Canal

Whoever comes to visit Panama can´t leave without knowing one of its architectural marvels, the Panama Canal. To do this, some local companies offer partial or full tours through the waterway.
Among the companies providing this service are Panama Marine Adventures and Canal & By Tours.

Panama Marine has two ships, the Pacific Queen, with capacity for 275 passengers and the Discovery, for 24 travellers; both give the tourists a full and partial visit through the Panama Canal.

Canal & By Tours has the "Isla Morada" (Purple Island) ship with capacity for 105 people and the "Fantasía del Mar" (Sea Fantasy), for 500 people.

Voyages

Myrian Goncalves, cruise director of the Pacific Queen, said that the complete tours for this year are already sold out and there are only five available dates for 2010, out of 40.

The Pacific Queen, is the pioneer ship of the company dedicated to do partial or complete trips through the Canal.

Partial crossings are made every Saturday and the cost is US$ 115.00 per adult and US $ 65.00 for children under 12. These prices include full lunch, sodas, water, and a bilingual guide.
Tourists are met at the Amador Causeway at 9:30 am, specifically in the Flamenco Island, and from there they take a bus to Gamboa and then board the ship.

The South crossing starts, which is a journey through Corte Culebra, the Centennial Bridge, the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks, and the Bridge of the Americas, that ends by returning to Flamenco Island. This trip takes from four to five hours.

Although no one has the opportunity to complete the crossing, this tour gives visitors an idea of how the Panama Canal operates.

The full tour is done on the third Saturday of each month. The complete expedition is priced at US$ 165.00 for adults and US $ 75.00. for children under 12. The trip takes between eight to nine hours.

Tourists are also met at Flamenco Island, at 7:00 am. This is a complete crossing through the Panama Canal, once it ends in Colón tourists take a bus that will bring them back to Flamenco Island in Amador's Causeway.

On its part, the Discovery is the only mini-cruise existing at national level which makes tours to widely learn about nature, ecology and the history of the Panama Canal and surrounding areas. It takes seven days on board, all inclusive.

The boat leaves from Flamenco Island in the Pacific, goes to the Perlas Archipelago and from there to the province of Darién. Then it travels through the Gatún Lake, travellers sleep there one night and then go to Barro Colorado, the Chagres River, indigenous areas, San Lorenzo and Portobelo.

This tour costs US$ 4,000 per person. The Discovery is a boat with capacity for 24 passengers; it has 12 double occupancy cabins, a kitchen, a chef and the food is gourmet.

The US$ 4,000 include water equipment such as kayak boats, and the sodiacs which are small boats for touring the islands. The majority of its customers come from the United States, but now European tourists are increasing.

Another option

Another alternative to take tours through the Panama Canal and even the Bay of Panama, is the company Canal & By Tours.
Their boats (Purple Island and Sea Fantasy) leave from various terminals; among them, the docks of Playita de Amador and the Division of Dredging of the Panama Canal in Gatún Lake.

Every Saturday they offer partial crossings. Adults pay US$ 115.00 per person, and US$ 60 for children younger than 12 years of age.
For the complete crossing, adults pay US $ 165.00 and children younger than 12 years of age US$ 75.00.