Meet a guide and group at a central location in Panama City, then travel to the Canal-side town of Gamboa in an air-conditioned minivan. Built to house Panama Canal workers in 1911, Gamboa has preserved early 20th-century homes and landmarks and marks the point where the Chagres River flows into the Panama Canal.
Board a covered boat on the Panama Canal, and cruise alongside commercial and private boat traffic making the trip between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Emerge into Gatun Lake, and continue to the islands created by the construction of the Panama Canal: Gatun Lake formed when engineers blocked the Chagres River with Gatun Dam, once the largest earth dam in the world. Watch for wildlife along the shoreline of the Monkey Islands, and try to spot capuchin, howler, and tamarin monkeys in the foliage. Gatun Lake is also home to a diverse range of tropical birds, while coati, agouti, capybara, and iguanas forage in the understory.
At the end of the boat trip, make the return trip to Panama City by minivan, where this tour concludes with drop-off at a central location.
