Gamboa Rainforest Experience From Panama City
Panama City, Panama
- 6 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Explore the Panamanian rain forest and take a boat journey through the Panama Canal's waterways on this eco-adventure from Panama City. With your naturalist guide, board an aerial tram bound for a 280-foot (85-meter) peak surrounded by leafy jungle. Hear the calls of the howler monkeys and watch colorful birds fly around you. Then board a boat for a trip through the Panama Canal, observing marine life like caimans, crocodiles and turtles. End your tour with lunch overlooking the Chagres River.
- Explore the Panamanian rain forest
- Take a boat trip on the Panama Canal
- See local wildlife like caimans, monkeys, toucans and butterflies
- Eat lunch over looking the Chagres River
What's Included
- Bottled water
- Lunch
- All activities
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off (if option selected)
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Transfer is included for hotels around the city perimeter. If guest is staying at a different zone, there will be an extra charge for transportation. Emergency number: +(507) -6981 4549
Arranged start time
Confirm time with the local provider in advance of your experience.
- 03/20/2021 - 08/29/2027
Tuesday : 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday - Sunday : 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Thursday : 7:30 AM - 2:30 PM
Friday : 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Itinerary
1
Gamboa Rainforest Reserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- What to bring
- Camera
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Cap or hat
- Sunscreen lotion
- Comfortable Cothes
- Infants must sit on laps
- Comfortable Shoes
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 9 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
Frederick_T
This combo tour included a boatride in the Panama Canal, a boatride in Gatun Lake to Monkey Islands, visits from monkeys onto the tour boat; a tram ride through the rainforest, a climb to the observation tower with breathtaking views at the top! We saw butterflies, orchids and beautiful but poisonous frogs at the frog farm and sloths! The guides were awesome and made the tour so educational as well ensuring that we had a safe a highly memorable experience. If you travel to Panama City, Panama this tour should absolutely be included in your itinerary!! I can’t recommend highly enough!!
Reviews
4.5
based on 105 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Virginia_G, Aug 2026
Incredible way to experience the wonders of the rainforest and to be introduced to the Panama Canal. The telecabin ride to a lookout tower above the canopy was great, and I registered 9 different bird calls on one portion of the trip! We also saw wildlife, including tamarinds and howler monkeys on various islands in the lake - and huge carrier ships rounding the curve at the Culebra Cut. Lunch was a nice buffet by the water (and we spotted a
Mama Capybara and her kits!). Then we joined the guide again for a wander through a butterfly habitat, orchids, and the sloth sanctuary- truly remarkable day.
Elizabeth_D, May 2026
Better than expected. Very punctual, lake gatun is stunning, and the aerial tram ride is actually worth it. Would recommend for an easy day trip from Panama City.
Leesa_S, Mar 2026
Relatively small group which was nice. The boat ride to see three different types of monkeys was the highlight. The view from the observation tower was beautiful with 360 view of the Chagres River and Gatun Lake. The buffet lunch served at the visitor center had good Panamanian food
Frederick_T, Jan 2026
This combo tour included a boatride in the Panama Canal, a boatride in Gatun Lake to Monkey Islands, visits from monkeys onto the tour boat; a tram ride through the rainforest, a climb to the observation tower with breathtaking views at the top! We saw butterflies, orchids and beautiful but poisonous frogs at the frog farm and sloths! The guides were awesome and made the tour so educational as well ensuring that we had a safe a highly memorable experience. If you travel to Panama City, Panama this tour should absolutely be included in your itinerary!! I can’t recommend highly enough!!
Trevor_Y, May 2025
This was a really good tour BUT it had 14 people and the information said no more 9 people for the tour. The boats around us had 3-6 people on the boat, which was much more accommodating than our boat of 14 people. We weren’t able to see the monkeys very good and did not have the opportunity to feed them. We were in the back and could not hear the tour director at all. I definitely feel like the tour should have stard within their guidelines where they market the tour that there will be no more than 9 people
Bill_B, Apr 2025
Boat ride to see monkeys was interesting . Aerial tram displayed beautiful forest but unable to climb tower. Lunch was outstanding but uncomfortable shuttle rides caused us to skip exhibits.
Debbie_M, Jan 2025
Airial tram not working. Couldn’t do all activities.
Boat on river was enjoyable.
Butterfly exhibit was OK.
Response from Host, Jan 2025
Hi!
Thank you for your comment!
We’re happy to inform you that our Aerial Tram is now up and running, and we hope you’ll be able to enjoy it during your next visit. We're glad you enjoyed the boat ride on the river and the butterfly exhibit.
Kristina_W, Apr 2024
Great tour, boat ride was amazing - we saw so many animals - crocodile, iguanas, three types of monkeys. The aerial tram was just ok, not much to see, but lunch afterwards was delicious! So much food and so many options, that even this picky eater was thrilled with the choices. The afternoon activities - butterflies, frogs, orchids, and sloth sanctuary were also great.
Courtney_B, Apr 2024
Our driver was friendly and kept us safe and on time for everything and pointed out interesting things along the way. This was a great combo of Panama canal, wildlife from different views. The guide during the boating portion was amazing and I couldn't believe how many things she was able to spot...we saw 3 kinds of monkeys, caiman, crocodile, toucans, and lots of other birds. We didnt see any wildlife on the aerial tram but it was still a beautiful ride and walking to the top of the viewing tower was well worth it! The exhibits were great and we loved seeing the frogs, butterflies and sloths. The included buffet lunch was one of the best meals we had on the trip! Highly suggest!
Christian_K, Apr 2024
Excellent tour. Nafi was a great guide, as was Carla on the water. We saw tons of animals, enjoyed the aerial tram, and lunch was great.
Stephanie_K, Apr 2023
Seeing the animals was really fun and the reason why I did this tour however the tour guide Ricardo was super rude. Recommend going with another tour company if possible.
Christy_M, Feb 2023
Lidia/India (sorry didn't hear her name correctly) was amazing. Her and our bus driver Pedro were so knowledgeable, funny, and charismatic. All of the tours were amazing. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone.
Rebecca_C, Feb 2023
Expect to spend 5 hours on the bus. No water and the morning with the aerial tram is a waste. The boat ride and the sloth excursion are great. It’s a large group experience.
nancy_G, Feb 2023
The experience was good. The guide was maybe a 2 star. Gave no history or pointing out of any landmarks or even talked to us. He was so busy socializing with people he called his”bosses”. I would have fired him. When I asked a question, he rudely answered. Too many people looking for tips
Estrella_W, Dec 2022
Really nice experience . It was a different site of Panama City but still amazing. I highly recommend it
Patricia_T, Nov 2022
Fantastic day trip. The guide Robert is very nice and knowledgeable. They picked us up on time and everything ran like clockwork. The boat ride along the Rio Chagres and then the lake islands was amazing. We saw Howler, Titi and Capuchin monkeys, and even a sloth way up on the trees (I couldn't believe our boat guide found it). We also saw beautiful bats. The air tram ride was fun, although there was no wildlife to be seen, except for a lonely --but beauriful frog, at the tower. The butterfly and frog houses were a nice touch, and then seeing sloths at the rescue center was truly amazing. They are such beautiful animals. Finally, it was lunch time and everyone in my group was quite pleased with the buffet, and especially the desserts and the location. This tour was the highlight of my visit in Panama and I'd do it again without a doubt.
Jeffrey_W, Nov 2022
This tour was a lot of fun - I think part of that is due to how organized and well executed the tour operators were, but also out of pure luck. I appreciate our driver Miguel and his ability to get us to see everything in a compacted amount of time, not to mention his ability to navigate the sometimes crazy traffic of Panama City!
Once we arrived at Gamboa Forest, we were handed off to a separate tour guide who accompanied us on the boat (I don’t believe she was employed by the same tour company, but they probably work closely together). We got really lucky because we saw a LOT of animals - monkeys, crocodiles, sloths, even bats! It was really cool! But I think it’s a crapshoot as to what you will actually see - and not within the control of the tour operator, of course. Nature does what it wants, when it wants :-). Still, is it worth it to spend a few hours cruising around Gatun Lake, likely seeing some huge ships passing through the Canal as you motor onwards? Most definitely!
The sloths were sooooooo cute <3 Those animals are adorable - we even saw one in the jungle high up in the trees. The sloth sanctuary, frog pond, butterfly garden - all a pleasure!
My group was also really cool - everyone got on really well, and were quite talkative with one another. That part is also a crapshoot - but in general, when I do these tours, I have good group experiences - all depends on what you bring and the energy you give off.
Lunch was surprisingly very good and well executed - I was honestly expecting something a bit less quality (since it’s included) but I have to say I was happy with the presentation. It’s a buffet style restaurant with a beautiful view of the river. Something for everyone, so vegetarians / vegans, etc. should be well accommodated.
Be aware that your drop off / completion time may exceed what is estimated. I didn’t get back to hotel for almost 2 hours past the estimation, mostly due to traffic and diversions, but also because our group took a little longer at some sites, and we needed to corral everyone together back to the bus. This in no way detracts from the overall experience, mind you - it’s still worth it! But I recommend planning around the drop off time - give yourself at least 2 hours past what is estimated, in case you want to make dinner plans or something later.
Overall - a lot of fun, and I recommend it!
Ivanyla_V, Oct 2022
Truly an amazing experience. The tour is worth every dollar and our guide was terrific!. Recommend without a doubt!
Chrissie_K, Jul 2022
We were disappointed in this tour. We spent two full hours riding in the van picking up the rest of the group before finally getting to our destination (the marina) where we had to wait an additional 20 minutes for the captain and other passengers for the boat ride. The boat ride was okay, the guide was good and we saw some monkeys and bats, but that’s about it. We then went to the tram/lookout which was also okay but no wildlife. Finally the sloth exhibit was okay but we weren’t made aware to also go to the frog and butterfly exhibits so we missed those. Finally, the drive back to our hotel was painfully slow due to traffic- thankfully the guide agreed to drop us off first since we had been in the van the longest, so we got back around 3pm (we were picked up at 7am). More guidance and less waiting around would have improved this experience.
Floyd_J, Jun 2022
It was a great tour! Miguel was awesome and the rainforest and boat ride were a wonderful experience.
Richard_B, May 2022
Nice guides, diverse experience, and excellent lunch on the river. Also, our driver Nelson with the tour company Panamazing, was awesome!
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Hi Mr. Richard!
Thank you so much!
BR
Angela_G, May 2022
The tour was great! Very comprehensive and the guide was super knowledgeable. I would recommend to others.
Veronica_F, Apr 2022
Amazing! Our tour guide were very knowledgable and went out of their way to help me out with a time crunch I had.
This was definitely the best experience for someone who us more interested in the local flora and fauna of Panama, but also does not like heat and humidity. 10/10 would definitely recommend and book with them any day
Hyacinth_R, Apr 2022
This was a good tour. I have never seen tiny frogs and the monkeys were cute. Going on the canal was exciting. We loved this tour.
Jon_L, Mar 2022
Great trip, friendly guide, nice transport and the boat trip and Forrest were brilliant, sloth sanctuary was great
Hannah_S, Mar 2022
We were not told the aerial tram into the rainforest was closed for maintenance. Really disappointed. The boat trip was fun and the lunch very tasty though
John_d, Feb 2022
There were 11 of us in our group. Seeing the sloths, butterflies and monkeys made it a wonderful experience. We were so lucky to see a sloth in the wild crossing a telephone wire!!! Our driver stopped so we could get pictures.
Janel_S, Feb 2022
I wanted to experience the canal in a unique way and this tour definitely provided that. Our tour guide Tavo was funny, knowledgeable, and kind; he made the fact that I was traveling solo not feel awkward. The sloth sanctuary was incredibly interesting but I'm also biased because sloths are some of my favorite animals.
Molly_N, Jul 2021
Carlos was a very friendly, organized, and knowledgeable guide! We had an amazing experience in the Gamboa rainforest. We loved all of the activities and the food was great too. Would highly recommend this tour!
Lori_G, Dec 2020
My family visited Panama City for a week and our trip to the Gamboa Rainforest was one of the standout experiences from our trip. The tram ride over the forest was fun and beautiful and getting to see the sloths up close and personal was so cool and so memorable. I'm not always a big fan of butterfly exhibits, but I really enjoyed the one on this tour because there were so many exotic varieties to see. The frog exhibit was really cool as well and we enjoyed it so much that we got some little sculptures to bring home with us. I totally recommend this tour; it was worth every penny.
Response from Host, Mar 2021
Dear Lori,
Thank you for your comments. We are so happy that you enjoy it.
Best Regards.
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