During this tour of the Panama Canal, tour participants will experience three of the of the canal’s most famous features – the Gaillard Cut, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and the Miraflores Locks.

This tour begins at the north end of the Gaillard Cut where the Chagres River flows into the Panama Canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as the Culebra Cut) is carved through the Continental Divide. Although the Gaillard Cut is only 8.5 miles (14 km) long, its creation was a herculean task—it took over 9 million kilos of dynamite, 6,000 workers, and six year to complete. The Gaillard Cut connects the locks along the Caribbean side of Panama with Lake Gatún and the locks on the Pacific side. The boat will sail through the entire Cut as it makes its way to the Pedro Miguel Locks.

Just before you reach the Pedro Miguel locks, you’ll see the new Centennial Bridge that crosses the Panama Canal. This bridge was built to supplement the crowded Bridge of the Americas in 2004 and is the second permanent crossing over the Panama Canal.

Next, you will enter the Pedro Miguel Locks, one of two sets of locks on the canal’s Pacific side. Here the ship is lowered 30 feet (9 m) in one step. After you are lowered, you enter Miraflores Lake, a small artificial body of fresh water that separates the Pedro Miguel Locks from the Miraflores Locks. The boat then continues on to the Miraflores Locks, where it is lowered 60 feet (18 m) in two steps.

This tour is a fantastic, one-of-a-kind look at the Panama Canal. Most travelers only see the canal from the sidelines; this tour allows you to experience it as intimately as sailors and ship captains do.

Please note that this tour is offered on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from January to March. From April to December it is only offered on Saturdays.

This tour departs at 9:00 a.m. The duration of the tour depends on where you're staying. If you're staying in Panama City, the tour lasts around 5 hours; if you're staying in Gamboa, the tour lasts around 6 hours; if you're staying in Playa Bonita, the tour lasts around 5.5 hours; and if you're staying in Playa Blanca, the tour lasts around 9 hours.