Private Tour of Panama City and Canal: A Journey through Centuries and Engineering Marvels

Embark on a private tour of Panama City and the Panama Canal, exploring centuries of history and marveling at engineering feats. Discover the World Heritage site of Casco Antiguo and the iconic Amador Causeway. Indulge in a diverse culinary scene along the way.

Duration: 6 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Panama Canal - There are many ways to see the Panama Canal’s two sets of locks on the Pacific side. Due to the irregular scheduling of ship passages through the locks, we offer three options to give you the best value:
  • The Miraflores Locks Visitors’ Center (ticket fee not included).
  • A ground-level viewing of the Pedro Miguel Locks (no fees).
    -…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
What's Not Included
  • Lunch
  • The Miraflores Locks Visitors’ Center entrance
Additional Information

Panama is affectionately referred to as the ‘Epicenter of the Earth, Soul of the Cosmos’ by the locals, a title that reflects its historic and strategic significance in global transit and trade, not a matter of pride.
Our journey takes you across the ages, from when Panama served as an important trading center during Spanish colonial times to the present…

Location
Panama Canal
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(11 Ratings)
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1 star
Phishua
Aug 7, 2025
Great tours, great guides fantastic experience! - We had a fantastic time in Panamá, and a large part of that has to do with Vive Panamá. Cristóbal and his family took great care of us. They are friendly, hard-working (to put it mildly), and went out of their way over and over to give us and other guests a great experience. We did the City Tour and Canal Visit with them, as well as three other tours: Gamboa, the Pearl Islands, and the San Blas Islands. The latter two were organized by Vive Panamá, but subcontracted out to other operators. It didn't bother us in the least, we knew we were in good hands. I really can't recommend them highly enough!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Camper42429845611
May 19, 2025
Excellent experience - An excellent tour with Cristian which is a very knowledgeable and friendly guide and gave us a lot of information about the Panama Canal, the history, the city, the Panamanian culture and traditions.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H8300jklisag
Mar 16, 2025
Amazing tour! - We travelled with a group of 8 doing a tour of Panama Canal, old Panama City and Monkey Island. Wow is the best way to describe this amazing tour! We were picked up at our resort Riu Playa Blanca at 730am and were back at about 5pm. It was a full day of adventure, information and awesome memories! Stella was super easy to contact when booking and answered all of my many questions. Our guide Cristian was outstanding with lots of knowledge to pass along and answered any questions we threw at him. Our driver Cris was really good as well! They were very flexible and adjusted our tour to make sure we got the biggest bang for our buck! We seen so many things including sloths, monkeys, crocodile, the Panama Canal, old Panama city, Modern Panama city. It included an amazing lunch, bottled water during day. I would highly recommend booking through Vive Panama Tours we were very satisfied with cost and what we received for that fee!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thesmokehaus
Mar 16, 2025
Great Value - The absolute highlight of our trip. Amazing value! A trip to Panama City, Panama Canal, and Monkey Island. A full day of fun, education, history etc. A very pleasant and proud family business. Will tailor your trip to ensure you experience is the best. A perfect. Air conditioned van for our group of 8
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nickie1
Feb 24, 2025
Private excursion in French - We booked a private tour to visit the Panama Canal, the colonial city and Monkey Island in February 2025. The service was exceptional. The guide Christian listened to what we wanted and gave us very interesting information about the country. We made the visit in French and it was perfect
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anicg
Jan 14, 2025
Wonderful 2 in 1 day tour - Monkey Island and Panama Canal - Very pleased with our tour with Vive Panama! I booked a private day tour in Jan 25 for our group of 13. I had booked months before and everything went as planned. Transportation was on time, warm welcome by Cristobal and the driver. We went from Playa Blanca to Gatun Lake (Monkey Island), the Panama sign, Casco Viejo and then to the Miraflores Locks followed by 3D movie. The one-way ride from Playa Blanca is approx. 2 hour. During the cruise on Gatun Lake, we got to see the 3 kinds of monkeys and also saw a few ships passed by. Cristobal took us to a local place for lunch and was taking excellent care of us. We enjoyed the walk in Casco Viejo and got to see the full process if a ship going through the Miraflores locks. We also enjoyed the 3D Imax movie. We left our hotel et 7:45am and came back around 8:30pm. Although a long day, this is definitely worth it if you want to see both Monkey Island and the Panama canal in 1 day from Playa Blanca. I highly recommend that you book this tour with Vive Panama. Muchísimas gracias a Cristobal y Stella.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
James_m
Dec 11, 2024
100% Satisfaction! Well worth the value! - Christian was our driver and guide. He was very generous with his time and offered expertise and love for his country throughout the experience. His wife couldn’t be our guide because she had an illness, but Christian made up for that by giving us a couple extra hours during the tour. He was very patient and answered all my questions. The best that you could he even laughed at all my jokes! He knows Panama City very well and was a wealth of knowledge on how the Panama Canal works. I felt a camaraderie with this man. This is a family owned business and he obviously takes so much pride in what he does. I highly recommend this tour to anyone coming to Panama for the first time. He also is very open to modifying the schedule for his passengers. My wife and I also enjoyed the place he took us for lunch. We experienced real Panamanian food at a price at the locals pay. Thank you so much, Christian!
Review provided by Viator
M8324eztraceyr
Nov 21, 2024
Great day in Panama City !! - Thank you for an amazing day!! Panama City/Canal tour with a trip to the monkey islands as well . It was a great trip, my granddaughter is still talking about the monkeys, iguanas and how fast the ship went through the canal. Thank you for thinking of packing the ponchos too! Highly recommend this tour company if you are in Panama.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Enriquedechile
Jun 13, 2024
Highly recommended option - We took the online tour… very pleasant experience. The guides are very knowledgeable and very pleasant in conversation. Recommended
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dstegmann
Mar 23, 2024
Great experience for Panama City and Canal tour! - We had a WONDERFUL experience with Vive Panama tours. We took a private tour (me, my husband and son) to Panama City. It was a full day; they picked us up and dropped us off at the resort. They are a family company and the price they quote is the price you pay. Excellent value and overall fantastic day. Cristian (out tour guide) gave us a good overview of the culture and country's infrastructure while we drove into the city. He kept us on a good schedule but we never felt rushed. If there are things you are particularly interested in, let him know and he can adjust. Our driver, Kristof, was great with navigating the city to avoid potential delays and issues. They recommended great a spot for lunch and a stop on the way home for empanadas! We went to see the canal and the old city, he knows all the cool little stops for any souvenirs (including authentic Panama hats); just a great tour! He is also a fantastic photographer. They do other tours also (monkey island, etc). I highly recommend them; you won't be disappointed!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $135
up to 15 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).