Panama Canal & El Valle Zip Line 2-Day Combo

This tour begins with hotel pick-ups starting at 7 a.m., nice and early so you can see the wildlife early in the day when they are the most active. Starting this early also allows us to beat the crowds and see more wildlife before it gets really hot. We will follow the Panama Canal north to Gamboa, where the Chagres River meets the canal.

We will begin our wildlife tour on a boat ride through the canal and Gatun Lake. We will see ships passing through and enjoy an up-close look at the abundant wildlife on the shore. At the famous Monkey Islands, we can see tamarins, capuchins, and howlers. Once we finish with our canal and lake boat ride (about two hours), we travel 45 minutes north to the Caribbean side of Panama.

We can see the new Agua Claras Locks working up close at the Agua Clara Visitor Center. Located on the west side of the locks, the Visitor Center allows you to observe traveling vessels from a scenic lookout point and learn first-hand about the many operations of the Panama Canal, the history of its construction, its participation in the world markets, and the importance of its watershed. An observational deck lets you watch the ships pass through the locks on their way to the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean.

Once we finish our visit to the locks, we will cross to the other side of the canal and travel to a scenic, quiet spot beneath the Gatun Dam, where we’ll feast on a picnic lunch at the confluence of the old French West Diversion Channel and the Chagres River. The next stop is a visit to San Lorenzo National Park where we can explore a remote rainforest full of flora and fauna, followed by a tour of Fort San Lorenzo, a 400-year-old Spanish fort on a scenic cliff overlooking the Caribbean. Here we will share stories of the many attacks by pirates and privateers that happened at one of the most historically important places in Panama.

The Fort of San Lorenzo was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980 along with the fortifications of the city of Portobelo. It was part of the defensive system for the transatlantic trade of the Spanish Crown and is a fine example of military architecture of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Once we finish our tour of the fort, we will return to Panama City for hotel drop-off.

After being picked up from your hotel at 7:30 a.m., we will head two hours to El Valle de Antón, where a small village sits in the bottom of an extinct volcano crater up in the mountains. After a short hike to check out the area, we will zip line at the 230-foot El Macho Waterfall. The zip line is not that intense but the views and surrounding environment are incredible to behold as you zip through the trees.

We then visit the Butterfly Haven, where you can immerse yourself amongst the beauty and tranquility of hundreds of living jewel-colored butterflies in their 1,500 sq. foot flight house. We will then travel 40 minutes east up to Altos de Campana National Park, a biological reserve that boasts a spectacular vista of craggy peaks and deep valleys stretching out to the Pacific Ocean.

Enjoy a panoramic vista of the Pacific Ocean from a mountain lookout while we eat a picnic lunch – views stretch 100 miles! We embark on an adventure through the cloud forest where we can view the country’s highland creatures and experience Panama in its coolest climate.

We are huge fans of Altos de Campana because tourists rarely visit and it offers some of the best views and birdwatching in Panama. We will finish the tour with the return to Panama City for hotel drop-off.

Lunch & bottled water are included!