Panama Canal Partial Tour - Southbound Direction
Overview
Available languages
6 hours
Mobile ticket
• Be the protagonist in your Panama Canal Tour
• Navigate through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks.
• Enjoy the action of the Panama Canal's operation.
• Get indulge in history dating more than 100 years old!
• Experience the Panama Canal in the comfort and spacious M/V Pacific Queen.
• The M/V Pacific Queen offers two areas for better comfort: opened and air conditioned decks
• Meet our Captain Claudio and the Panama Canal's pilot in our open Bridge.
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Please Note: The exact check-in time will be confirmed the day before your tour via email. Please make sure you check your inbox.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Sodas and water
Professional guide
Lunch
(available for purchase)
What To Expect
Panama Marine Adventures
Our check in point is at Flamenco Marina, located on the last island of the Amador Causeway. It is right next to the Panama sign and behind the Duty Free Shop. Our tour starts at the Flamenco Resort and Marina. Passengers board motor coaches for a 45-minute ride to the town of Gamboa where the Panama Canal Dredging Division is located. Once in Gamboa, passengers board the Pacific Queen to start the water portion of the tour.
Centennial Bridge
Panama's Centennial Bridge is a major bridge crossing the Panama Canal. It was built to supplement the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas and to replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway. Upon its opening in 2004, it became the second permanent crossing of the canal.
Options
Panama Canal Partial Tour - Southbound Direction
Reviews
473 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
A wonderful excursion...
ANGELEDUARDO D,
Nov 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00A wonderful excursion from start to finish. Well organized, an incredible trip through the canal being privileged protagonist. Luck helped us to coincide in the same locks with a huge boat where we could see the canal drive very closely. Recommended 100%
Great trip
Barbara P,
Nov 24, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00We enjoyed the trip on the canal. The bus ride was nice and the interpreter on the boat was knowledgeable and entertaining. The lunch was good too
Lovely Panamá Canal Tour
Samantha P,
Nov 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was an amazing experience!! The tour guide was super knowledgeable, shoutout to Luis. Going through the locks was awesome and really cool. Even though it’s labeled as a partial tour you should block out the whole day for it incase the locks take a bit. The drive wasn’t bad, AC buses. The boat is great, 2 floors are indoor with AC and the third has great views of everything. The lunch was delicious, chicken with rice and vegetables and a yummy chocolate chip cookie. It was great to have water throughout for free as well.
Good tour but can be combined with Imax or visit to Miraflores Visitor center.
alexrotta,
Nov 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00It is a very good educational tour. We took the southbound tour, lasting 6 hours. They pick you up from hotel and take you via shuttle to Gamboa dock and then take the ferry back to Panama city. Other than going and taking a cruise, there is no other first hand way to experience how the canal works. You are sharing the locks with one big ship and will get to experience everything. It is slow paced but that is not unexpected due to the nature of the tour. The ferry is old but decent size. AC works. Food is ordinary. They should combine this tour with the visit to Visitation center and to watch the IMax movie and or museum to have a complete experience. If you are doing North bound tour (which is conducted every Saturday unlike the southbound tour which is on Sunday), you start very early at around 6 and can finish by Noon. But southbound tour starts at around 10 and then your whole day is occupied. But I am overall glad that we took this tour.
Not to miss experience in Panama
Joseph T,
Nov 12, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experience passing through three locks. Very educational, and the service on the ship was great. They provided a good lunch.
Panama Canal Tour
Kyle B,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour would recommend! Tour guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. The food was good as well.
Amazing! Not to be missed
Robert F,
Nov 3, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was an excellent tour. Very well run, informative, excellent team that got you from the start to finish with comfort and excellent information. Would recommend it 100%. Worth the price and more. For ease, if taking a taxi or uber to the meeting point, put the Amphora Duty Free Shop as the location.
Ken
Kenneth L,
Oct 26, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Beatufull experience with the big cargo ship in the slotts. nice vieuw of the Canal and friendly staff
Best way to see the canal
DavKat,
Oct 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great tour. Really the best way to see the canal. As other reviews have noted, the directions to the meeting point could be better but Flamenco Marina is not huge and "the Panama Sign" is on Google maps. Once there easy to find and otherwise great. The operation was professional. Bus to the launch point was clean, modern and air conditioned. The boat is nice with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating options. Lunch was what you'd expect (chicken, rice, veg, cookies) but everyone mentioned that it was fairly tasty (I went back for extra plantains). Most of all...WHAT A GREAT WAY to experience the Canal! Going through the locks takes time (the boat always goes along with a "real" ship so we have to wait) but the experience is so cool. The guides are very good (though they might talk pretty much the whole time). Be ready for weather. For us it was hot and windy but you could always go inside to get out of the sun and enjoy air conditioning. This was the high point of my visit to Panama.
This was a wonderful and...
Sandra H,
Oct 8, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00This was a wonderful and interesting tour. Loved learning about the lock system of the canal and being able to be a part of it. I would highly recommend. Just keep in mind it is a full day but we’ll worth it.
From US$155.00
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Operated by Panama Marine Adventures