Panama Canal Eco Cruise and Embera Village Combo Tour

Summary

Receive a morning pickup from select Panama City hotels, after which you’ll transfer to the town of Gamboa to meet up with your boat guide, captain and vessel alongside the Panama Canal. Cruise the waters of this world-famous waterway aboard a well-equipped covered boat, passing alongside cargo ships heading to and from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Your eventual destination is Gatun Lake, where you’ll have time to investigate the numerous islands and rich wildlife that populates its shores. Make a stop while on the lake at the Monkey Islands, allowing you to observe local howlers, capuchins, and tamarins. You’re also likely to encounter a rich collection of tropical birdlife, plus capybaras, iguanas, crocodiles, and many more creatures. At the end of your boat ride, travel to the nearby Chagres National Park for your indigenous village encounter. You’ll eventually reach Puerto Corotu, a city along Lake Alajuela, where a local group of the Embera tribe will be waiting to transport you to their village aboard a dugout canoe. You’ll then be served a simple lunch of plantains, fried fish, and fruit by your hosts, and have time to purchase authentic indigenous handicrafts or get a temporary tattoo created by an Embera artist. Then hop back in your canoe and for the return trip to Panama City, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel.

Tour info

Duration
8 hours
Group Size
Pricing (From)
Commentary
Meeting Point
Dropoff location

Why take this tour?

This unique tour of the Panama Canal and its watershed takes you through the modern operations of the canal and a visit to a remote indigenous village on the banks of the Chagres River.  An exciting boat ride down the canal will introduce you to the transiting ships as well as the abundant wildlife on its shores, followed by a canoe ride on the upper reaches of the Chagres River and a visit to the indigenous Embera Village of Embera Drua. This is not a TRANSIT tour, we wont travel by boat inside the locks.

What’s included?

  • Panama Canal boat ride (90 minutes)

  • Chagres River canoe ride

  • Bottled water

  • Lunch

  • Professional guide

  • Hotel pickup and drop-off (select hotels only)

  • Transport by air-conditioned minibus

  • Tour is guided in English only

  • Entry/Admission - Monkey Island

  • Entry/Admission - Colon

  • Gratuities

  • Due to heavy traffic, no free pickup from hotels located near Amador Causeway, Clayton (City of Knowledge) Playa Bonita. Separate transportation for the an extra charge

  • Playa Blanca, or Rio Hato, Metromall or Tocumen Airport need to arrange own transportation

  • This is not a TRANSIT tour, we wont travel by boat inside the locks.

Things to know

Before you book

  • Duration: 8h

  • Mobile tickets accepted

  • Instant confirmation

Cancellation Policy

    For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.

Operated by:

Panama Day Trips- Canal Eco Tours

About operator:

Small tour company with unique tours of the Panama Canal and beyond. Learn the history and fauna of the rain forest as we travel from the Pacific to the Caribbean while visiting the hidden gems up and down the Panama Canal.

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