Explore Chagres National Park on a day trip from Panama City. Enjoy a traditional canoe ride on the Chagres River and hike to a preserved waterfall for a swim. Have lunch in an indigenous Embera village and find out about their culture. The day begins with a transfer by car from your hotel or residence in Panama City to the Chagres National Park, one of the most important forest and water reserves in Panama. Enjoy a traditional canoe ride on the Chagres River, followed by a half-hour walk through the jungle, walking on mud, water and slippery rocks to a beautiful and pristine waterfall. Take a refreshing some free time at the waterfall to swim, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Then, walk back to the canoe and continue to visit a real Embera indigenous community that will welcome you to enjoy lunch, traditional music and dances in a hut. Afterward, learn about the culture and way of life of this tribe via a conversation with the chief or one of the leaders before returning to Panama City.

Spend half a day exploring the Panama Canal while learning about its history and creation. See the famed Miraflores Locks in action and take a scenic boat ride in the Panama Canal. Get picked up at your hotel or other location in Panama City, and journey to the Panama Canal Visitors Center for a detailed explanation about how the canal and famous Miraflores Locks work. Visit the museum to learn more about this important water passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Drive by Miraflores Lake and the Pedro Miguel Locks as you make your way to the Chagres River. Climb aboard for a scenic boat trip across artificial Gatun Lake. Marvel at the surrounding landscape of the biggest and most important lake in the Panama Canal. Watch as large ships pass through the canal to get a sense of the magnitude of this masterpiece of engineering. Arrive at a group of islands to see different species of animals and monkeys. Return to Panama City and get dropped off at your hotel.

Getting There At 8:00 am your friendly, bi-lingual guide will pick you up from your Panama City hotel. Sit back and relax in our comfortable, air-conditioned car while gazing at the various sites we will pass on our 40 minute drive to our tour starting point in the Chagres National Park. The Embera tribe lives in remote areas of the rainforest, and the only way to reach them is by boat. However, the journey is part of the adventure, and you'll get to see some of the stunning scenery that Panama has to offer. The Boat Ride At the port of the Chagres River, an Embera Indian will take you and your guide in a traditional boat called "piragua" on a 20 minute ride upstream to the Mono waterfall, where you can take a refreshing plunge (note: only available during the Dry season months from December through April. During the Wet Season months we may not be able to visit the waterfall due to strong currents). As you make your way through the rainforest, you'll be surrounded by lush greenery and the sounds of wildlife. The boat ride is a great opportunity to take in the sights and sounds of the jungle and to snap some incredible photos. Meeting the Embera People Once you arrive at the Embera village, you will meet the Tusipono Embera Indian tribe that has managed to reject our modern, technological ways of life and maintained its simple traditions. Once you step off your boat, you will be greeted by the friendly and welcoming Embera people. They'll introduce themselves, and you'll have the chance to ask questions and learn about their way of life. The Tour After our little hike and a delightful refreshing dip under the waterfall, we will continue to the Embera community. The tour will take you through the village, where you'll get to see how the Embera people live, work, and play. You'll see how they build their homes, cook their food, and make their crafts. You'll also get to witness traditional dances and music performances. One of the highlights of the tour is the chance to see the Embera people's intricate body art. The Embera people have a long tradition of using natural pigments to create intricate designs on their skin. You'll be able to see some of these designs up close and learn about the significance of each one. For a small fee, you can have the Embera design a body painting for you. The paint will be a temporary remembrance of your visit to the Embera tribe and will slowly fade away after a few days.

Experience a relaxing northbound cruise on the Panama Canal aboard the glorious Pacific Queen. Enjoy a complimentary lunch while admiring the breathtaking landscape passing slowly by you.  Pass through the Culebra Cut, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and the engineering marvel of the Miraflores Locks. Learn how the locks are controlled to allow ships to pass through, while tucking into your lunch. Feel the waves beneath your feet as you admire scenic views of the Puente Centenario, the Chagres River, and the brilliant Bridge of the Americas, connecting North and South America. Wave goodbye to the Pacific Queen but hold onto the memories, as you disembark at Gamboa before returning to Panama City.

Ride a canoe up the Chagres River, and visit the traditional Embera village on a full-day tour. Learn about their traditional food, see their lively dances, and immerse yourself in their fascinating traditions.  Start with a pickup and a 1-hour drive from Panama City to the Chagres River, the largest river in the Panama Canal watershed. Board a motorized canoe for a 20-minute trip along the river, then stretch your legs on a short walk around the community. Return to the canoe for the 45-minute ride to an Embera village, who have traditionally lived and worked at the edge of rivers, and are known throughout Panama for their distinctive songs, dances, and costumes.  The Embera tribe originates from the Darien region in Panama and the Choco region of Colombia. They have lived in this area for centuries, long before the first Spanish explorer set foot in the new world.  You’ll have 2 hours to explore the village, get to know some local people, and learn about life in the community. Sit down for a traditional lunch, then watch a dance that depicts the Embera's relationship with the natural world.  Before departing the village, shop for traditional handicrafts and souvenirs made by the local people. Head back down the river by canoe, and board the vehicle for the return trip to Panama City.

Travel southbound through the Panama Canal during this 6-hour tour from Panama City. With your local guide, board a bus for a 45-minute journey to Gamboa, home of the Panama Canal Dredging Division. Meet your vessel, the Pacific Queen, for a trip through the Gailard cut, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and the Miraflores Locks. Admire scenic views of the Centennial Bridge, the Chagres River, and the Bridge of the Americas. Eat a complimentary lunch on board during your journey. Disembark at the Flamenco Marina in Panama City. - Journey southbound through the Panama Canal - Travel on a small vessel to see the workings of the locks up close - Navigate through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks - Box Lunch is provided onboard the boat.

Explore the Panamanian rain forest while gliding smoothly through treetops on an aerial tram. Learn the jungle's most interesting facts from a naturalist guide. Watch colorful birds flying around you.  Take a boat ride through the Panama Canal, observing marine life. End your tour with a delicious lunch. Board a tram bound for a 280-feet peak surrounded by leafy jungle. While going up to the observation tower, enjoy fabulous views of the Chagres River, the Embera indigenous community, and much of the Soberania National Park. Gamboa is home to many natural labs including a butterfly farm, an orchids center, and a frog pond. See around 20 species of butterflies native to Panama at the Butterfly House. Get up close to the sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary. This sanctuary hosts a rehabilitation and training program for injured, sick, and orphaned sloths. Enjoy a scenic boat tour along the Panama Canal's waterways. Observe the fascinating tropical wildlife of Gatun Lake and the surrounding forest. Get a chance to spot crocodiles, caimans, sloths, monkeys, and a host of birds with the help of your guide.

Travel to the Gamboa Marina in an air-conditioned tour vehicle with a guide and the rest of the tour group, before a transfer to a riverboat for a ride on the Chagres River, one of Panama's largest rivers, and head for Monkey Island. Observe the different species of monkeys that live on the island, from white-face monkeys, howler monkeys, and Geoffrey´s tamarinds, while taking some time to snap photos, and learn interesting facts and information about the different species from a knowledgeable guide. Return to the marina and to Panama City, and end the tour with drop-off at the hotel.

After collection from your hotel in Panama City you'll head directly to the canal to see the Miraflores Lake, the Pedro Miguel Locks and finally, the journey continues by car until the town of Gamboa, in the middle of the Panama Canal. There, at the edge of the Chagres River, you'll take a trip by boat to the Gatun Lake - the biggest and most important lake in the Panama Canal. There you will share space with large ships during the journey through the Panama Canal until you arrive at a group of islands to find 3 monkey species who live there plus a variety of wildlife including birds, turtles, crocodiles, sloths and more. After the trip, you will go back to the Panama City and enjoy the view of the tropical rainforest and the canal on your way back to the hotel.

Between 6:30am and 7:00 am, your personal guide and driver will meet you at your Panama City lodging (Please wait in the lobby of your lodging starting at 6:30am. We start our tour earlier than others to see more monkeys before their bellies are full from other visitors feeding them). As you commence the 40 minute drive, you will have the chance to see the old, colonial American neighborhoods, which served as homes for the Canal construction families and we will pass the famous Culebra Cut. As we arrive at the shores of Lake Gatun you will be greeted by the dense rainforest and all its intriguing sights and sounds. We will embark with our boat into the Chagres River, which will lead us into the artificially created Gatun lake, which is a hotspot for biodiversity, giving you the chance to spot wildlife such as the coati, howler monkeys, squirrels and sloths, as well as beautiful birds like the toucan and parrots. Our path takes us mostly parallel to the Panama Canal and into Soberanía National Park on our way to the Gamboa Public Docks, where the Chagres River meets the Panama Canal. A couple of minutes into the boat ride, we enter the Canal and take a quick ride past the Dredging Division's facilities and along the shipping lane (and past a large ship or three) toward the Monkey Island area. Needless to say, thanks to Panama’s abundant biodiversity, a bit of luck, and your boat captains’ uncannily sharp eyes will give you plenty more to look for, so keep that camera handy at all times. As we land on the Monkey Island, listen for the different primate sounds and the rustling in the trees as monkeys jump amongst the branches. Prepare for monkeys to come up to you and inspect your clothes, hats and bags. Being surrounded by these magnificent creatures will be an unforgettable experience and give you many photo opportunities. Next up, we will visit the Sloth Sanctuary, which is located inside the Gamboa region, nestled within the lush rainforests of Panama. As you arrive at the sanctuary, you will immediately be surrounded by the sights and sounds of nature, creating a serene and tranquil atmosphere. Upon entering the sanctuary, you will be greeted by knowledgeable and passionate staff who will provide you with an introduction to the world of sloths. They will share interesting facts about these slow-moving creatures, their behaviors, and their importance in the ecosystem. We will also visit the Butterfly House, the Orchid gardens and a Frog Exhibition, all located within walking distance from the sloth sanctuary. On our last stop we visit the Butterfly House where we will observe the endemic butterflies that live in the Panamanian rainforest such as the colorful Blue Morpho Butterfly. We will also visit the orchid and frog exhibitions. At 12:00pm, we start to make our way back to our tour starting point and back to Panama City.