Panama Canal New Expanded Locks & Monkey Island Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
This tour begins with a convenient pickup from your city hotel or Playa Bonita, followed by a drive to the Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center, where you’ll experience the expanded Panama Canal in operation since 2016 and watch massive Neo-Panamax ships transit the locks. We then visit the historic Gatun Locks (1914), offering a perfect blend of modern and original canal engineering.
On the return, we stop for refreshments before boarding a boat at Gamboa Dock to explore the Panama Canal watershed, where you can spot monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and other wildlife in their natural habitat and rainforest canopy, while enormous ships pass directly in front of you.
The experience lasts approximately 7 hours and delivers a truly unique combination of history, engineering, and nature.
Additional Info
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
This tour lasts approximately 6 to 7 hours, depending on traffic conditions.
Animals are observed in their natural habitat without affecting their natural behavior or environment.
This tour does not include animal interaction—wildlife is viewed respectfully from a distance.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Agua Clara Locks
Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center, the most impressive visitor center along the Panama Canal, where you will witness the new expanded canal in operation since 2016, including the passage of massive Neo-Panamax ships.
Gatun Locks
Gatun Locks, in operation since 1914, offering a fascinating contrast between the canal’s original engineering and today’s modern expansion—two generations of canal history in one tour.
What‘s Included
Air-conditioned transportation
Bottled Water
Panama Canal Locks Entrance Included Agua Clara & Gatun
Professional Guide
This tour can be done even on rainy days.
Lunch or Dinner
Boat Ride fee Cash Only
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Options
From City Hotel only/Not Dream
Desde Hotel de Ciudad: Por favor, estar en el lobby de su hotel, AirBnB o apartamento. No include recogida en Dreams Playa Bonita
Pickup included
From Playa Bonita Westin/Dream
From Dreams or Westin: Please be ready the lobby as this is a shared tour we can only wait 3-5 minutes.
Pickup included
Reviews
8 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
City tour
johannamZ2485YM,,Feb 27, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I am so thankful. Great experience. Rafael, our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We had a last minute 8hr layover and they were kind enough to schedule us although they were sold out. Very good company. Excellent communication.
Encounter with history, technology and culture
AlexandraR565,,Feb 5, 2024
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00The visit to Vasco Viejo was fantastic, from the streets with colorful houses to the restoration of old buildings, it was a moment of encounter with history and culture. The visit to the Canal was also very rewarding with the observation of the locks in operation and the passage of a large cargo ship.
Great experience
C9826LPpatriciac,,Jul 26, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Both Rafael and Enrique very professional, friendly, they make us feel like family member! Tour was great, very informative and lots to see. We highly recommend them.
Do it if you have a long layover
johannbA7295JN,,Jul 11, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very nice tour. Our guide Edwing, was very friendly, professional and helpful. He was very informative, spoke English exceptionally well and made us feel comfortable and safe. Highly recommend this tour if you have a long layover in Panama. Overall no regrets, well worth it. Thanks
Best Tours in Panamá
E2079OWantoniac,,Jun 21, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00From the time we used Rafeal from Viator transfers to using them with layover tours the eight of us had nothing but positive things to say. He was very personable and knowledgeable. He took his time with us and gave us great service and he was very informative. I would definitely recommend layover tours if you are visiting Panama. They are easy to communicate with and their prices are very reasonable. Thank you all for being great to work with!
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Operated by R&E Transfer Panama