Panama Canal Partial Transit Tour from Panama City

Panama City, Panama

5 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

You don't have to get on a cruise ship to pass through the Panama Canal. Aboard the Pacific Queen tourist boat, you'll travel through two locks on the Panama Canal. Experience the sensation of rising and lowering through the locks and to see this engineering marvel at work. Onboard commentary explains the history and importance of the Panama Canal.

Pass through the Panama Canal without getting on a cruise ship
Feel what it's like to rise and lower through a canal lock
Pass under the Bridge of the Americas
Views of the Panama City skyline from the marina

What's Included

Lunch
Professional guide
QR Code IS A MUST AND BOOKING HAS TO BE 48 HOURS PRIOR TO THE TOUR

Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Amador Causeway
Calz. de Amador, Panamá, Provincia de Panamá, Panama
Last iisland on the causeway, Office is at the entrance of Felipe Motta

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Panama Canal

5 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Stroller accessible
Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately

Near public transportation
Infants must sit on laps
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 45 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Wendy_T

Wonderful Tour. A lifetime experience with my mother and best friend. The tour guide spoke in several languages that made it so interesting to all. Awesome!

Reviews

3.6

based on 14 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

December Recent Trip 2025

Savita_C, Dec 2025

The company didn’t inform us on a timely manner about a change for a very early morning tour. When we should up at the location there was no reason given and we had to just wait for them to board us. There was no effort to provide any vegetarian lunch option. Also as shown in the Tour Picture above there was no music or any group that performed.

Panama Canal Partial Tour

Hemant_R, Dec 2024

The reason for my AVERAGE review: We booked this tour with Viator, were given the Booking Reference # and the confirmation, which indicated a pickup time of 10:00 AM at a certain meeting point. When we arrived at the stated meeting point at 9:15 AM, there was no one to be found. We tried to contact the local tour company who would not pick up the call. Much later we came to learn that the tour had departed at 9:00 AM!! We decided to go on our own.

Response from Host, Dec 2024

It is difficult to book this tour or any tour when we never received any written or email notification. We are sincerely sorry that this kind of error happened and hope that you still enjoy the cruise on your own.

Partial transit tour

MaryBethH, Jun 2024

Ian was incredibly kind and so knowledgeable about the history of the canal. He took time to answer questions from individuals in addition to his commentary. A very nice partial tour through the canal.

A definite must see

Darrin_L, Jan 2023

This half day trip is worth it- I can't imagine doing the whole canal. We bused from the causeway (which was a bit confusing- our Uber driver didn't know where the marina was, so we had to walk around to find it. Fortunately, another tour company guide saw us and directed us). The bus ride to Gamboa was about 40 minutes. The boat was pretty crowded. We had to stand for the first half, until someone gave up a seat. The food on board was not bad- plenty of free sodas and water, with alcohol for purchase. if you are not inside seated, you won't be able to hear the guide, even though they have a microphone. All in all, it is a definite must see, but try to get on one of the first buses, so you can at least have a seat in the shade.

Response from Host, Jan 2023

The Panama canal authority which dictates all movement on the canal has made life difficult for all boat tours oerators. We bhad to reduce the number of sailing tours per weeks so we had to increase the number of passenger hence a bit more people on the boat but we are glad that you still enjoy this once in a life time experience.

Enjoyable Tour

Wendy_T, Jun 2022

Wonderful Tour. A lifetime experience with my mother and best friend. The tour guide spoke in several languages that made it so interesting to all. Awesome!

Good bang for your buck.

Duncan_H, Feb 2020

This was a very informative tour. Gus, the tour narrator had many stories and was very knowledgeable about the history of the canal de Panama. Lunch was just ok, not great but I didn’t leave hungry. The sound system on the boat was excellent, very clear, it could be heard on all levels. The itself was modern and clean.

Response from Host, Feb 2020

The food is a buffet style so it can accommodate all taste buds we can not serve gourmet food. Gus is always on top of his game and kmows the canal operations for 20 years. We are delighted that you enjoy the day with us.

Worst day in Panama!

Go761252, Feb 2019

We arrived at 8am for a half day partial transit of the Canal. Waited 6 hours before getting on a boat at 2-2:30 and arrived back in Panama at 8:30pm. Twelve + hours! No info or explanations given all day. Guide on the boat was good. Food ok. Lack of information unacceptable!

This tour was very poorly executed...

Karen T, May 2017

This tour was very poorly executed. It started with a long wait for the initial bus ride to Gamboa. The long wait was outside an office which was difficult to find in the first place without someone providing instructions. There was no customer service at all. Just a long wait. We were finally boarded a bus to go to Gamboa, where we would board the tour boat. We arrived at Gamboa after an hour bus ride, only to wait almost an hour again on the bus before we could get on the boat. The tour guide who accompanied us on one of the busses to Gamboa and would also be the guide for the boat tour was not friendly. He tried to be funny, but his humor was aggressive and very unwelcoming. When we finally made it on the boat, we were told that there would be drinks, snacks, and a lunch buffet during the tour of the canal. It was a strange arrangement because some of the passengers received individual service while the rest of us were left to fend for ourselves. The cold drinks were fine once we found them: bottled water and sodas. I am not sure about the snacks we never managed to find any. The buffet lunch was terrible in taste and presentation, and there were not enough tables for everyone to sit at to eat. Most people just carried around their paper plate of tasteless food. The long waits did not end on the bus either. At each of the two locks we had to wait a long long time before we could move ahead. I understand that this is the nature of travel on the canal. However, there was literally nothing to do while we were waiting for the lock gates to open. People were reading novels, sleeping, getting extremely restless because of the long delays. It seems that there could have been activities, entertainment, or at least pleasant Latin music playing. The only think we got was a grumpy guide and American music from the 70s and 80s. When we finally reached the end of the tour and the guide was saying goodbye, there was no applause for the guide or for the experience. Just sighs of relief that the ordeal was over. We all shuffled off the boat, with some having to wait once again for the busses to take them back to their hotels. Hotel pick-up was not part of my tour package not sure why, but I was relieved just to head out and grab a taxi back to the hotel WITHOUT any more waiting. We had already arrived nearly two hours later than the scheduled arrival time. The canal itself was fascinating. Having an opportunity to travel through the canal is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This tour should have been one of the highlights of my trip to Panama. However, because of the way the tour was handled it was a low point of an otherwise fantastic trip to Panama. The cost of the tour was 185 per person. In my opinion, although seeing the canal was great, this tour was definitely not worth the price.

This tour has been on my bucket list...

Mary P, Mar 2017

This tour has been on my bucket list forever and it was all I could ever hope for! Our tour guide was awesome! He explained the history of the Canal, Panama, and the surrounding areas. The boat was comfortable with lots of room to move around and take pictures or look over the rails to see the action. The food was fine - not excellent - but definitely eatable!! We went to the Miraflores Visitor Center the day before to get the full understanding of the Canal also highly recommend doing this if you can but experiencing the operation of the Canal firsthand in a boat going through was outstanding and well worth the tour price.

A very good tour with lots of...

Tony K, Feb 2017

A very good tour with lots of knowledge added. An early morning sailing. Commentary from the on board ship tour guide were excellent and funny at times but made the trip worth while. The food was good but easy to eat too much. Plenty of drinks of water or soda. Had visited the canal visitor center before which helped but this trip made it real for the canal crossing procedure and how it was built and functions.

Likely to Sell Out