Panama Family Adventure

Your English speaking guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you on a private tour to Panama City and the Miraflores Locks. You will start the tour with a 30 minutes drive to Miraflores to see the huge vessels passing the Panama Canal. The busiest hours are from 9am to 10am and from 2pm to 5pm, so you will be able to see many ships getting lifted or lowered 16 meters in two distinct steps. You will enjoy the view on the Locks from a sheltered terrace and listen to the explanations of your guide. To complete the visit of the Canal you will visit the Museum and Visitor Center at Miraflores which gives you a good idea on the construction of the Canal – a masterpiece of engineering. You will also learn about the history of the canal and its significance for Panama and the entire world trade as well as on the current expansion project. After the visit to the Canal you continue with your guide to the Amador Causeway, a road that connects three Islands in the Pacific Ocean and offers magnificent views on the Canal on one side and on the skyline of Panama City on the other side. Lunch will be served in a Panamanian restaurant on the causeway. After lunch the tour continues to the Casco Viejo, Panama City’s colonial quarter. At the Casco Viejo you feel set back in time as you admire the lovely colonial houses, the narrow roads and the impressive churches. You will get a good idea about Panama’s history by driving or walking through the main attractions of this quarter. If you want to continue the tour you will be taken to Panama Viejo, the Old Panama. Panama Viejo was the first European settlement on the Pacific coast of the Americas. This first Panama City was looted and destroyed by the notorious English bucaneer Henry Morgan in 1671 and therefore abandoned. Today there are only ruins left. Still, the tower of the ancient cathedral is standing and has become a landmark of the town. After the tour you will be taken back to your hotel.

Important Note: Depending on ship traffic in the locks the order of the tour might be inverted to assure that the clients will see ships in the locks.

Important Note: Old Panama is closed on Mondays.

Enjoy a train trip along the historic railway from Panama City to Colón. This 1-hour journey leads you through the jungle and along the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal Railway is one of the great train rides of the world. Along with its colorful history, the railroad follows a picturesque path across the Isthmus of Panama. The line flanks the Panama Canal passing through lush rainforests, cruising alongside the Canal’s locks, through the historic Gaillard Cut and gliding over slender causeways in Gatun Lake. After the beautiful train trip, continue to the port of Portobelo. This port was the gathering point of the Peruvian treasures in the 15th century. The gold and silver was shipped from here towards the cities of the Spanish empire, and in addition, Portobelo was the center of control and inspection of the goods which arrived from Spain. Continue to an Embera Indian Village on Rio Piedra. A fascinating and dense jungle surround you on a short boat trip to the village. Step out of the dugout canoes and enter an Embera Indian village. The people of the Embera tribe, one of seven indigenouis groups in Panama, will welcome you at the pier and give you an idea on how they live today. The village's chief will give you a brief explanation on the history of the tribe, its traditions, cultures, beliefs and handicrafts. A traditional meal of fish and plantains prepared by the Embera women will be served for lunch. In the afternoon, experience a traditional Embera dance and have the opportunity to shop for handicrafts. The sale of local products directly benefits the village and helps to pay the school fees for the children. You can also get a temporary Embera tattoo painted on your arm or leg. Transfer to your hotel.

The aerial tram ride traverses a mile long tract of Humid Forest that lies within the Gamboa Resort’s boundaries. You will observe the forest canopy in some areas and are likely to encounter birds and hear Howler monkeys. The tram ascends 280 feet over half a mile and ends atop a hill. On the following boat tour, before reaching Monkey Island, you will pass by the Panama Canal right beside the huge tankers and container ships. The White-Face Capuchin and Howler Monkeys are the main attractions of this tour. Usually the Captain of your boat brings them some fruit so you can watch them coming down from their trees to get it. If you are attentive you will spot a sloth, always so lazy sleeping in their trees. You will see turtles, timid but brave at the same time, along with the proud caiman and crocodiles that live in the lake.

Duration: 6 hours Includes: Transportation from and to Gamboa Resort, English- Speaking naturalist tour guide, drinking water, lunch
Bring: Sneakers or hiking shoes, long pants, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, camera, binoculars, insect repellent. Important Note: This tour doesn't operate on Mondays.

Choose from a plethera of optional activities (not included) during your stay at Gamboa Resort. Optional acitivities include: Airel Tram, Monkey Island, Birdwatching on Pipeline Road, Chagres River Boat Tours, Panama Canal Fishing, Night Safaris and more!

What are the rainforest animals doing at night? Search for them on a night tour in a Gamboa open air tour bus to find out. It is possible to see tapirs, capybaras, alligators, rare tropical opossums, and two –toed sloths. An extra bonus of this tour is that you will get to know the extent of the resort grounds and learn interesting facts about the area.

Duration: 2 hours
Includes: Transportation from and to Gamboa Resort, English- Speaking naturalist tour guide, Drinking water
Bring: Sneakers or hiking shoes, long pants, camera, binoculars, insect repellent.

Transfer by private vehicle with driver to Playa Bonita in Coronado.

There are plenty of activities to choose from during your leisure time in Playa Bonita. Optional activities include: snorkeling, city tours of Panama, Canal tours, Soberania National Park hikes, sport fishing, whale watching and more! Activities listed may be subject to an additional cost.

There are plenty of activities to choose from during your leisure time in Playa Bonita. Optional activities include: snorkeling, city tours of Panama, Canal tours, Soberania National Park hikes, sport fishing, whale watching and more! Activities listed may be subject to an additional cost.

You will be picked up and transfered from Coronado to Panama City by private vehicle and a professional English speaking driver.