FULL DAY CITY TOUR & THE PANAMA CANAL
TOUR DESCRIPTION The Full Day Panama City Tour & the Panama Canal starts out with a fascinating visit to the Miraflores Locks Visitor Center at the Panama Canal. You will then continue to the newly inaugurated Biodiversity Museum which was designed by Frank Gehry and is located on the Causeway Amador. Continue for lunch to the Casco Viejo historical part of town. End the tour with a historical walking tour through the historic center which is home to beautiful restored colonial houses and interesting architecture, beautiful cathedrals and plazas.
PRICE valid through Nov 30, 2023
4+ persons:US$145 per person plus 7% tax
2-3 persons: US$200 per person plus 7% tax
INCLUDED Bilingual naturalist guide, museum and related fees, transportation from/to your hotel in Panama City (please note that a $35 per person roundtrip surcharge based on 2+ persons must be added to day tours beginning and/or ending at Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Canopy Tower, Playa Bonita or hotels near Tocumen Airport)
DISCLAIMER Prices and itineraries are correct at the time of printing, however they are subject to change due to weather or local conditions, availabilities or factors beyond our control.
ITINERARY
This morning you start your city tour at the Panama Canal where you will visit the Panama Canal Visitors’ Center at Miraflores Locks where ships can be seen transiting the waterway on the outdoor lookout terrace.
Then drive through the former Panama Canal Zone managed by the United States from 1903 to 1999. Old military bases have been turned into residential neighborhoods, universities and one of the most important commerce hubs in the region combining airports, container ports and cargo railways that provide support to the Panama Canal operation.
Your next stop is the Biodiversity Museum, designed by the world renowned architect Frank Gehry. As a Smithsonian Affiliate museum, the Biodiversity Museum serves as a gateway to new information about the biodiversity and natural history of the Isthmus of Panama. Scientific experts from both the Smithsonian Institute and the University of Panama oversee the contents of the museum and aim at teaching visitors about eco-awareness, conservation and Panama’s extraordinary natural treasures in various unique exhibition galleries. Did you know that the Isthmus of Panama has more bird, mammal, reptile and plant species than the US and Canada together in just 75,990 Km2 (approx. 29,000 square miles)? In fact, 3 million years ago, the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama changed both the climate and the biodiversity in the planet and played a key role in the creation of the world we know today.
Continue to Casco Antiguo (the old city compound) which dates from the late 1600's where you start with lunch at a local restaurant. At the folk market you will have the opportunity to admire and obtain local and indigenous handcrafts. Casco Viejo is home to monuments to Ferdinand de Lesseps and other Frenchmen instrumental in the ill-fated attempt of the French to construct a canal through Panama became the new Panama City of the times. This part of town was never successfully attacked, being protected by a wall that surrounded the new settlement. You will visit San Jose church with the famous Golden Altar, one of the few testaments to all the wealth that made its way through this city. You will walk along the French Plaza – a monument to the French canal effort and take a panoramic look of the modern city from this vantage point as well as the ships that are anchored in the bay awaiting transit of the canal.
Drop off at your hotel late afternoon.
DETAILS
TOUR SCHEDULE
- 8:00 a.m. Approximate pick up time at your hotel in Panama City
- 3:00 p.m. Approximate return to your hotel in Panama City
This tour runs daily except for Mondays (since the Biodiversity Museum is closed on this day as well as on specific holidays).
Note: post-pandemic the Biodiversity Museum currently still only opens on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. We replace the museum visit with the Old Panama Viejo ruins and museum if you book with us the Full Day City Tour on Tues/Wed/Thur.
Check our SPECIALS SECTION for current "open tours" with already passengers signed up or review our green season Specials!
WHAT TO BRING
- Binoculars (available for rent at Ancon Expeditions of Panama)
- Refill water bottle
- Camera
- Cap or hat
- Sunscreen lotion
- Light clothing
- Light raincoat
- Tennis shoes or sandals
TIPPING
Ancon Expeditions is Panama’s top eco-tourism operator. Our Natural & Cultural History Guides are the country's finest. Due to frequently asked questions from our clients about suggested guide & staff gratuities, we would like to provide you with the following universal tipping guidelines:
- Day tour guide: US$10.00 per person/day
- Tour driver: US$5.00 per person/day
REVIEWS
"The Ancon people were wonderful – we worked with Mauricio. Our favorite tour was the one of Panama City and the Canal and we enjoyed it immensely. Our guide, Ariel, was friendly and incredibly knowledgable. There wasn't a question, big or small, that he couldn't answer! The tour covered multiple highlights, and we learned a great deal about the history as well as contemporary issues and interests. A definite stunner was the Biodiversity Museum, which will be even more awesome when complete."
Mr. Baker, USA
“It was a fantastic tour. Our guide, did a super job.
It was a great experience and would recommend it to anyone.”
Joseph G. Acker, USA
"Hello Nadja,
Just wanted to say thank you ever so much for your assistance with bookings and information for our trip. Both tours were excellent and the guides were exceptionally brilliant. I shall recommend your company to everyone I know.
We are on our way home to cold and wintery England but will return one day for sure."
Dominic Canti, England
“Unfortunately, our stay in Panama City was very short, just for three days… This means that we had to see and learn so many things in only a very short time. I think that the two day tours we took with your company gave us the opportunity to do so, but not only… we got much more than we had expected… MUCHAS GRACIAS!”
Chrystalla Koumi, Cyprus
“The trip met our expectations with respect to the people we met, the hotels, and the meals. It was a great trip. We enjoyed every day.”
Max Wilson, USA
From getting information on the telephone, to choosing a mutually agreeable location to meet, to the sign made up so we could find our guide, to our guide and what the tour encompassed - ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC MELANIE, all 4 of us loved it and believe we received good value for our money. We ate in a small restaurant in Casco Viejo, loved the atmosphere, food & service. No dislikes on the tour, would highly recommend it.”
Mauren Richichi, Canada
“Good Morning Katiana.
First I would like to thank you for all your assistance in getting my tour booked and arrangement for us. I had a wonderful time, learned a lot and was very enjoyable time. Lunch was excellent, nice and cozy restaurant, very well done.”
Nathalie Hains, USA
“We had a great day learning about Panama's history and having a tour of the city.
It was an excellent way to start our trip, and we'd ask for our guides again.”
Lucy Preson, USA
