Gatun Lake Wildlife: Explore Monkey Islands

Embark on a thrilling 5-hour Panama Canal boat safari and jungle walk. Get up close with transiting ships, explore wildlife-filled islands, savor local cuisine, and trek through Soberanía National Park.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Panama City - The tour begins with a pickup from central Panama City hotels, transporting guests to the historic Panama Canal Zone. Arrangements for pickups from hotels outside central Panama City can be made for an additional fee.
  • Centennial Bridge - The journey includes a drive over the Centennial Bridge, offering stunning views of the…
What's Included
  • Binoculars
  • Boat ride included in the price
  • Bottled water
  • English-speaking nature guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Not a transit tour and Doesn’t include any locks visitors center.
  • Pick Up from Playa Bonita Hotels need to pay extra $10 per person for Roundtrip Transportation
  • No pick up or drop off at the Airport or Airport Hotels
  • Playa Blanca, or Rio Hato, Metromall, Arraijan or Tocumen Airport need to arrange own transportation
Additional Information

To begin this tour, the journey will take us through Soberania National Park on the way to the Town of Gamboa. During this drive, there will be opportunities to stop and observe sloths in their natural habitat. The route follows the Panama Canal north to Gamboa, where the Chagres River converges with the canal. Participants will ride along the Panama…

Location
Panama City
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(614 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Michael_j
Mar 31, 2025
Up close and personal with Panama's diverse animal and plant life - This was the most fun we had in Panama - and that's saying something. Our guide, Guillermo, was terrific, very knowledgeable and engaging. We saw two kinds of monkeys (one who stepped onto the boat :-), many kinds of birds, a sloth and a baby crocodile. The wind in your hair as the boat traverses Gatun Lake is enjoyable, too. A great introduction to the biodiversity of Panama!
Review provided by Viator
754susanc
Mar 26, 2025
Knowledgeable tour - The tour guide was so knowledgeable!!!! She could easily identify wildlife and explain everything about them. The boat captain found all kinds of wildlife. We got to see Tuscans, sloths, 3 types of monkeys, crocodiles, and all kinds of birds. I can not say enough about how professional the guide was! Definitely a must do!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mary_s
Mar 24, 2025
Great boat ride and experience! - This was a really fun tour! Our guide, Ernesto, was so nice and made the tour fun and informative. The boat ride was a blast and seeing the jungle and all the monkeys and other wildlife was a great experience! I would definitely recommend this tour when you're in Panama!
Review provided by Viator
T5572okclairew
Mar 9, 2025
An awesome afternoon on the Canal - The Monkey Island and Canal Tour was incredible. Paola was quite possibly the best your guide we've ever had on any tour. We saw all the animals we wanted to see and it was awesome to travel past big ships on the Canal. Great value for money too. Thank Pao, you made our trip brilliant.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ginette_l
Mar 9, 2025
You will really see... - You will really see monkeys and be able to feed them ! The guide is very friendly and explains everything very well 😊
Review provided by Viator
Yakub_d
Feb 26, 2025
Tour Experience - Paula was amazing! She was highly informative. Miguel was our driver to and back to our hotel and Eli was the boat driver they were great! We got to see monkeys, birds, iguanas, sloths and a crocodile. Fantastic experience!
Review provided by Viator
Kamran_v
Feb 22, 2025
Amazing Tour - The tour was incredible. Paola was so nice and knowledgeable. She knew everything about everything and taught us so much about wildlife and Panamanian/canal history. We such so much wildlife including monkeys and even a sloth. Would definitely recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Shonis2025
Feb 21, 2025
Beautiful experience, 10/10. - Yes, yes y’all. We did this tour on a whim and it was amazing, exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide was Paola. She’s a wealth of knowledge. This is one of my favorite tours ever. Saw three different kinds of monkeys, bats, iguanas, lots of birds, even captured a crocodile sunning on the bank of the canal. The air is so fresh. Only 30-40 minutes from Panama City and door-to-door pick up/drop off from most hotels. Book it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Terri_k
Feb 21, 2025
Fun Day - Great ride next to freighters in the canal. We did see some monkeys but virtually no interaction with them. Got near enough to see. Info said it would be muddy wear closed toe shoes. This is bunk. We NEVER got off the boat. Paola did a nice job of educating us.
Review provided by Viator
Jeanneru5581vb
Feb 24, 2025
Scam - Disappointed, We spent more time in the minibus listening to the guide and looking at pictures on an Ipad than on board the boat, and saw more animals in pictures on the Ipad than on the safari. The van picked us up at 1:00. After 1h30 of exhibiting in the van, we boarded at 2:30 pm. We got back in the van at 3:30 pm and arrived at the hotel at 4 pm when the return was scheduled for 6 pm / 6:30 pm. I call it getting ripped off.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
2 Adult
April 2025
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today