Cruiseline Excursion Colon: Explore the Rainforest, San Lorenzo Fort & Panama Canal Expansion

Embark on a thrilling excursion in Colon, Panama, where you can explore the lush rainforest, discover the historic San Lorenzo Fort, and witness the marvel of the Panama Canal Expansion. Don’t miss this opportunity to encounter diverse wildlife and learn about the region’s fascinating history!

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Agua Clara Locks - • Journey through the rainforest to the Panama Canal. Approximately 1 hour.
    • Visit the Agua Clara observatory deck to learn about the Canal’s operations. Admission fee of US$15 is not included in our price. Duration: Approximately 1 hour.
  • Fort San Lorenzo - • Experience a safari-like ride in a minibus through the…
What's Included
  • Bottled water
  • Professional guide
  • Port pickup and drop-off
  • Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

Explore the Caribbean side of Panama on an exciting full-day journey filled with nature, history, and engineering marvels.
Begin your journey with a rainforest safari by vehicle, traversing through vibrant jungle landscapes inhabited by monkeys, sloths, anteaters, caimans, crocodiles, and more. Your guide will make several stops for photos and wildlife…

Location
La Cubana Hospedaje y Pensión
Calle 11
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.6
(187 Ratings)
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Vipa
Mar 27, 2026
A journey from new to old in Panama. - Milton was an excellent guide. Full information given as required. It was good to visit the expansion of the Panama Canal as we had sailed through the original canal the previous day. We spent approximately an hour watching a vessel transit the lock to see the complete process start to finish. Fort Lorenzo was really interesting. Milton made sure that long explanations were in a shaded area as it was extremely hot. Some travellers asked for a short rainforest walk which was interesting. In fact the driver spotted howler monkeys along the road and stopped for a photo opportunity. Empenadas and beer/ water were given as snacks which was very welcome. A thoroughly enjoyable experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Robin_j
Mar 26, 2026
Tour guide good; bus no air! - The bus was actually a school bus that was a party bus with no air! Although the tour guide was wonderful and informative the experience ended with an accident close to the port and had to take another bus back.
Review provided by Viator
Mark_m
Mar 18, 2026
The guides were very... - The guides were very friendly and helpful. The tour was on time and we got to see all the sights. They even stopped to see some animals along the way. The bus was really fun and unique!
Review provided by Viator
Brian_g
Mar 8, 2026
Such an interesting visit... - Such an interesting visit to the Panama Canal lock as well as to the only fort. We saw lots of different animals whilst travelling through the rain forest. Our guide Milton was extremely informative.
Review provided by Viator
Julie_d
Feb 28, 2026
Great canal and fort tour. Great guide! Milton was our guide. - We were a group of about 20. Perfect size compared to the big cruise ship buses. Our guide, Milton, was vey well versed in Panama history and culture & of course the canal. He took any questions and kept us engaged! It was hot. Nice that cold bottled water and beer were provided along with a traditional empanada snack. The canal history past and present was fascinating. We were able to see a cargo ship move through the locks. We stopped along the way to the fort for a couple of wildlife sightings. The history of San Lorenzo fort at the mouth of the Chagres river was interesting. FYI: this part of the tour requires a bit of walking with little shade. All in all, a great tour a “snapshot” of Colon and the canal, an engineering marvel
Review provided by Viator
Frances_k
Feb 25, 2026
The Best Panama Canal and Rainforest Tour - This was an amazing tour for cruise travelers whose ships aren't going thru the canal. To have a close up and birds eye view of how the locks work and the beauty of Gatun lake and the surrounding rainforest was better than any city tour. It was on my bucket list and the stop to walk around inside the San Lorenzo Fort was also worthwhile. The guide Elio was a wonderful historian and very good at finding wildlife - howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, coatimundi, aguti (?), etc. Our driver Randy was the best to get us photos from the tall bridge and we were treated to handmade empanadas. They made sure we had adequate (clean!) restroom stops. The best part was making sure we returned to port on time and we appreciated riding on a comfortable modern air-conditioned bus! This tour is typical of the Viator reputation for safe trips, terrific engaging guides. Don't book it with anyone else!
Review provided by Viator
Zahra_o
Mar 21, 2026
Knowledgeable Tour Guide - It was a good tour. Martin was very knowledgeable. Only reason I took off a star is because we weren't actually picked up at the port, we had to walk about 10mins to meet the bus. I want a fan of the large 'party bus' but that's more my preference. That aside, we learned a great deal and it was a very good experience
Review provided by Viator
Emma_t
Mar 9, 2026
Canal expansion was... - Canal expansion was interesting, guide was really nice and friendly, very informative. Could possibly do with another stop as it felt we were on the bus a lot and didn’t see much else of Panama
Review provided by Viator
Karen_t
Mar 8, 2026
Great day trip from Colon - This was a nice introduction to sites in the Colon area. The canal was interesting. I enjoyed the drive to the fort and appreciated the short stops along the way for animals and the bridge. We would have liked more time at the fort.
Review provided by Viator
Sightseer775520
Mar 25, 2026
Nice Effort but we wish we’d have booked another. - Definitely not what was promised or expected. Seemed Iike they overbooked and we got put on the Sexy Lady disco bus. Despite asking and being assured it had good air conditioning, it was not good, rather hot and uncomfortable the entire trip. That was accentuated by a sound system that didn’t properly resulting in either not hearing the guide or very loud static when the system was such that you could hear the guide. The bus also squealed and was just generally uncomfortable as a used school bus from the USA. Our guide was very polite and friendly but not very informed or charismatic. Seemed inexperienced and not in his element. We stayed at the second let of locks for nearly an hour, about 30 minutes too long. Everyone was ready to go after about 30 minutes and was milling about looking for the bus, they didn’t get the hint. The Fort was impressive and historic but it turned into, essentially self-guided. We could have taken a cab. The “rainforest” consisted of pulling off to the side of the road. However, we did see monkey and sloths. The grand experience was capped off with the driver side-swiping another bus a mere 200 yards from the drop-off location which resulted in a long delay but fortunately they transferred us to another bus, one we wish we’d have been on. The smaller bus. I would not recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $80
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).