Panama Canal Tours

Panama Canal Tours

The Panama Canal, nearing its 100th year anniversary, is Panama’s most popular tourist attraction. The best way to experience the canal is in a cruise. During your transit, you will have the unique opportunity to see the Canal up close in operation. You will transit with the big ships and see the tug boats in operation and of course, the locks themselves. You can feel the sensation of going up or down to get from one ocean to the other.

A once in a lifetime adventure and experience, whether it be a partial or full transit, Ivantours looks forward to transiting you through the Panama Canal.

We offer both partial and full transits through the Panama Canal. Depending on your time schedule, you can select the most appropriate option.

Our boats hold record Canal transits, and are pioneers in the Canal water shed tourism industry. All cruises comply with the most stringent PCC safety requirements; both in their operating systems as in their passenger safety equipment, such as rescue devices, communication equipment, auxiliary boats and rafts, life vests and more.

PANAMA CANAL TOURS. SCHEDULES 2012

Panama Canal Tour . Partial Transit Tour

Duration: 5 – 6 hours approx.

Our tour starts at the Flamenco Resort and Marina at 9:30 a.m. 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. We enter the canal at the north end of the Gailard cut, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and geological value. The Pacific Queen will travel the Cut’s 13.7 kilometers on the way to Pedro Miguel Locks. As you transit the Cut you will be able to appreciate the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides. In this area you will also be able to observe the work in process for the Panama Canal expansion project.

Before reaching the Pedro Miguel Locks at the southern end of the Cut, you will be able to view the new Centennial Bridge which crosses over the Canal. Next, the Pacific Queen will enter Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel is lowered 9 meters in one step. You will then enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel from Miraflores Locks, the latter being the final set of locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean. At Miraflores Locks the vessel is lowered 18 meters in two distinct steps.

Once in the Pacific Ocean the vessel will sail to the beautiful Flamenco Marina where passengers disembark. On the way to Flamenco, you will pass under the Bridge of the Americas, and later, you will be able to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline.

Tour includes:

Bilingual guide/narrator.
Full lunch.
Soft drinks and water (all you can drink).
Transportation by bus from Flamenco Resort & Marina (Amador Causeway) to Gamboa where the tour starts.

Price: Adults $130 USD. Children (under 10) $90.What to bring: Comfortable clothes and shoes, hat, sun block, sunglasses, camera, umbrella or raincoat and money for souvenirs.

Panama Canal Tour. Full Transit Tour

Duration: 8-9 hours approx.

Our trip departs from the Flamenco Marina at 7:30 a.m., and you will travel from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean on the same day. Once in the Pacific Ocean, you will be able to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline before passing under the Bridge of the Americas.

The vessel will then transit through the first set of locks, the Miraflores Locks, where it will ascend 18 meters in two distinct steps. Next, the Pacific Queen will enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel Locks from Miraflores Locks. The vessel will transit through Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel ascends 9 meters in one step.

After exiting Pedro Miguel locks, the Pacific Queen will travel through the Gaillard Cut, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and geological value. As you transit the Cut you will be able to appreciate the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides. In this area you will also be able to observe the work in process for the Panama Canal expansion project.

You will enjoy a trip through Gatun Lake, which was formed by erecting the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River. During your transit through Gatun Lake you will pass the Smithsonian Research Station at Barro Colorado. You will also experience the Gatun Locks, which are the only set of locks in the Atlantic sector. In Gatun Locks, the vessel will be lowered a total of 26 meters in three distinct chambers. Upon arriving at Colon, you will disembark at Pier 6, where transportation back to Panama City will be provided.

Tour includes: