Panama Canal Partial Transit - Official Operator
Recommended by 93% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Panama City, Panama
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Journey through the Panama Canal's Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks aboard the Pacific Queen. Depart Panama City, then board a boat for a trip through the canal's impressive locks. Entering through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks, observe the impressive feats of engineering that make this passage possible. Learn about the canal's construction and consistent maintenance through your guide's informative commentary. Cruise back to your departure point, admiring views of Panama City's skyline before disembarking in Gamboa.
- Cruise northbound through the Panama Canal aboard the Pacific Queen
- Pass through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks
- Learn about the canal's history and construction from your guide
- Lunch and all-you-can-drink soda and water are included
What's Included
- Coffee and/or TeaCoffee station
- Lunch
- Professional bilingual guide
- Sodas and water (all you can drink)
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Transportation to/from the meeting point
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Panama Canal Tours Pacific QueenWF6H+JM3, Panama City, Panama
Located behind the Duty Free, next to the PANAMA sign. Please Note: The exact check-in or pick-up time will be confirmed the day before your tour via email. Please make sure you check your inbox.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 04/01/2026 - 12/19/2026
Saturday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
- 12/20/2026 - 12/31/2026
Thursday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
Saturday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
- 01/01/2027 - 03/31/2027
Thursday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
Saturday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
- 04/01/2027 - 12/22/2027
Saturday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
- 12/23/2027 - 12/31/2027
Thursday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
Saturday : 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM
Itinerary
1
Panama Marine Adventures
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Bridge of the Americas (Pass By)
2
Panama Canal
Admission Ticket Included
Centennial Bridge (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Please Note: The exact check-in time will be confirmed the day before your tour via email. Please make sure you check your inbox.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 180 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
This was a very educational trip that was appropriate for any age group. The staff for the tour and also the crew of our boat were outstanding! Our narrator was also outstanding. He explained things as we were passing them and gave us tons of information! This trip is a must for anyone who comes to Panama!
Reviews
4.7
based on 253 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Our partial transit from Miraflores to Pedro Miguel was a spectacular; entering from the Pacific side, we watched the historic Miraflores Locks lift the massive ship in front of our boat into the canal system. Navigating the narrow channels with mere inches to spare was an absolute engineering marvel. Cruising through the canal offered beautiful views complemented by good onboard breakfast & lunch. The onboard narration about the operation of the lock system and the canal’s history was excellent while we watched the massive gates and the electric mules operate at the same time. It was the perfect blend of history & engineering.
(Even though we only did the partial crossing, we hired a car to drive to Colón to the Agua Clara locks and Gatun locks, the drive through the National forest was beautiful and seeing the ships enter the Caribbean Sea on the other end made the trip worthwhile)
An excellent day with an early start. The boat was very comfortable and the tour guide very informative and helpful. This is the best way to experience the canal and worth every dollar. Breakfast and lunch included plus free non alcoholic drinks. Highly recommended.
Magnificent! An engineering feat. A must visit when you visit Panama. Vincent our guide was knowledgeable and shared generously. Love it.
I have read books, watched documentaries and been to the Panama Canal visitors center countless times. When I passed through the locks, the magnitude of the science was astounding. I also have a great deal of admiration and respect for the Panama Cana Authority and how it requires sovereignty. Wow! Our tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely well informed, very personable and was everyone’s new best friend before the tour ended. Shout out to all of the staff. They were warm, and also very personable. Breakfast and lunch were more than substantial. One of my friends is a vegetarian and was able to enjoy lunch, as well. All around thumbs up!
This was a very interesting "behind the scenes" tour of the canal. It does not stop at the visitor center, which should be visited separately. The communication about this trip was very good with a confirmation of the exact starting time the day before. The tour provided everything it promised -- breakfast, a trip through five locks, lunch, narration in English and Spanish and a bus ride back to the start, which in itself was a vibrant tourist area. Nothing to complain about. I would recommend this trip to others.
What a thrill to travel through the Panama Canal on the Pacific Queen. The whole tour was excellent. Good communication on logistics, great boarding process, nice tour boat, generous meals offered. The best part of the tour was Iann our guide. He was professional, friendly and exceedingly knowledgeable about the canal operations, the ships that use it and the complex history of building and maintaining the canal. This is a must-do tour. Don’t just see the canal from land, sail through the locks!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your wonderful review! We're so happy you enjoyed the canal transit and that Iann helped make the experience extra special with his knowledge and enthusiasm. We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you back to Panama in the future! 🚢😊
The tour guide Edwin was the best tour guide I ever experienced. He provided both English and Spanish throughout the entire experience, he was always positive, upbeat. Every detail was exciting to hear about in the way he articulated details. An absolute pleasure the entire tour. Best ever tour guide!!!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Edwin made such a lasting impression. His enthusiasm, professionalism, and ability to engage guests in both English and Spanish truly make him exceptional. We'll be sure to share your compliments with him. Thank you for traveling with us! 😊👏
A great trip. Very hospitable and informative information about the life and history of the canal. Good food too. The crew was kind and respectful.
My late Grandfather migrated from Barbados to help build the canal. He would always tell me that one day I should take a tour. I finally got a chance to and learning how this amazing canal was built, how it runs now and how it’s maintained is like no other. Everyone should have this on their bucket list!
Operators were prompt, very pleasant. Knowledgeable and accommodating. Ian was excellent! Food was very good. Latianna kept in touch from beginning of booking to end of tour. Pacific Queen crew were all professional and made sure the boat was returned to dried seats and the water was pushed off of the decks after the sudden thunderstorm passed. Going through the canal was truly amazing to actually feel and see the waters rise to allow the ships through. Each landmark, the history of the canal and the current projects were explained by Iaan completely. It was worth the money. Go for it!
This is an easy, comfortable way to experiece the canal for family members of all ages. We spent all of our time on the upper deck where viewing was best, but the airconditioned areas on the lower decks also offered good viewing. Breakfast and lunch were basic but both were quite good and made with fresh ingredients. Our tour guide was very knowledable about all aspects of the canals history and current operations. On the whole, an excellent experience.
We had such a wondrrful time with Yesenia, our tour guide. The canal of Panama is a bery intresting history. Thank you for a wonderful time.
This was a very educational trip that was appropriate for any age group. The staff for the tour and also the crew of our boat were outstanding! Our narrator was also outstanding. He explained things as we were passing them and gave us tons of information! This trip is a must for anyone who comes to Panama!
If you’re only going to be in Panama City once, this is worth doing. You get to experience the engineering of the locks first-hand. For me it was the bucket list item I didn’t know I needed. I took an amazing time lapse of the water coming up and of our boat leaving the canal. Take the tour.YOLO.
Nice to see how the canal works . The weather was great. There was plenty of food. The guide was open for questions.
Tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Great experience, highly recommend. And here's at lest 17 more characters to satisfy the revire requirements.
We really did enjoy this tour! It was a really unique experience! The downside is just that they try to squeeze as many people on the boat as possible, so it was a little overwhelming trying to get around the boat and see things. The tour was awesome though, and the guide on the boat was very informative!
Wonderful and informative experience with full knowledge of the Panama Canal. We had a great breakfast and nice ride down the canal. We also watched other vessels come through. Great experience.
Really cool experience. Boat wasn't at full capacity which was nice. The narrator, Patricio, was great and easy to understand in both Spanish and English. The crew was great and the weather was perfect.
Great boat ride. Informative, interesting, safe, good food, facilities were clean, upper deck is wonderful views but waterline views with conditioning was neat too
Great experience with friendly and knowledgeable guide. Really well organised and well worth the money.
Great experience from the boat side. Highly recommend it.If you are thinking about it . Book it.. you won’t regret
Well organized, good communication. Unfortunately had to wait for late people!
Very informative. So glad we did it.
Nice easy tour, informative and comfortable. Breakfast was basic and lunch was tasty. The narrator was very good.
This was an ideal trip for those that only have half a day. The boat was comfortable, plenty of space. And the guide José was extremely informative and entertaining……in English and Spanish!!
From start to finish this tour was well organized, had a knowledgeable guide who was well spoken, and offered delicious food —-a wonderful experience!
Interesting and informative leaving you with a new perspective on how products make it to us fir consumption.
It was a great experience, with magnificent views. It was worthy waking up so early, as you get to enjoy the sunrise at the sea. The explanations on the Canal well documented and interesting. Our guide kept our attention all the time without being exhaustive. Astonishing to share the levels with huge boats! You get to enjoy a complete breakfast and lunch on board. Also everything clean and well maintained including the toilets. Would definitely recommend it! Also ver relaxing
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We really appreciate your kind words! It’s great to hear you enjoyed the views, the tour, and the comfort on board. Thanks for recommending us!
Even the insanely early start became worth it when we watched the sun come up on New Years Day just as we were about to enter the Canal. Our guide did such a good job explaining what we were doing and seeing. The ship was clean and comfortable, and breakfast and lunch were good enough for our somewhat picky grandchildren to enjoy.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Thank you for the lovely review! We’re so glad the sunrise, the guide, and the comfort on board made the early start worthwhile—and that even the grandchildren enjoyed the meals!
It was well organized and commentary was with details. Loved it. The crew were helpful. I would recommend if you want to see the engineering of water ways.
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$155.10
per personWas $165.00
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Panama Canal Partial Transit - Official Operator
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