Day Trips & Excursions in Panama City

Head to the Caribbean coast of Panama on a day trip from Panama City to the San Blas Islands. Traveling by boat, you'll visit Island Waily Lodge, check out a shipwreck and natural swimming pool, and enjoy the tropical scenery and atmosphere.

Make the most of your time in Panama City with this popular one-day tour option that hits all the highlights. Travel on the Panama Railway Canal, visit the iconic Panama Canal, enjoy a traditional dinner and tour the Causeway of Amador and Old Town on this experience that's ideal for travelers who are short on time and still want to see it all.

Immerse yourself in the culture of the Embera, one of Panama's indigenous groups, during this 3-hour tour from Panama City. Interact with some members of the tribe and learn what their daily life is like in the rainforest. Ride to the tribe's village aboard a 'piragua', a traditional canoe, then spend time learning about their traditions and customs. See some traditional dances, take a trail walk through the forest and purchase some traditional crafts as souvenirs.

Visit a picturesque town in an extinct volcano on a full-day, small-group trip from Panama City to Anton Valley, and spend the day in Panama's cool, forested mountains. Enjoy views of jagged peaks as you explore a zoo, waterfall, hot spring, and handicraft market, with lunch in a local restaurant, and hotel pickup and drop-off in Panama City.

Witness the expansion of the Panama Canal during a visit to the Observation Center of the Canal Expansion in Colón. On this 8-hour tour from Panama City with a local guide, learn about the canal's expansion project, which will create a new traffic lane and double the canal's capacity. Stand on the covered observation platform for unobstructed views of the construction and Gatun Lake beyond. Visit the walking trails, the gift shop, the children's playground and have lunch at the onsite restaurant (own expense). Round-trip transportation from Panama City is included.

Immerse yourself in the culture of the Emberá, one of Panama's indigenous groups, during this 8-hour tour from Panama City. Interact with some members of the tribe and learn what their daily life is like in the rainforest. Ride through Lake Alajuela to the tribe's village aboard a 'piragua', a traditional canoe, passing a spectacular waterfall on the way. See some traditional dances, take a trail walk through the forest and purchase some traditional crafts as souvenirs. Upon departure, receive a traditional shamanic blessing for good travels. Lunch, national park fees and round-trip transportation from Panama City hotels are included.

Escape the metropolitan madness of Panama City on an exhilarating full-day tour to Soberania National Park and Monkey Island, led by a professional guide. Marvel at a fascinating tableaux of native wildlife as you explore lush jungle replete with thousands of exotic bird species. Climb aboard a boat destined for Monkey Island, a verdant enclave home to many different monkey species, and then visit an authentic Indian village to learn about the area's rich local culture. Enrich your cultural knowledge on this exhilarating Central American excursion.

Ride the Panamá Canal Railway, the first transcontinental railroad, during this excursion from Panamá City. On board the train, chug down the tracks that were first laid in 1501 on the isthmus of Panamá. Pass the Panamá Canal Locks, the lush rainforest and the peaceful Gatun Lake. Make sure to bring your camera for great photo ops. When you reach Colón, make the 1-hour journey back to Panamá City by road. Round-trip transportation from Panamá City hotels is included.

Explore Panama's wild side with a full-day trip to Anton Valley, and spend your day hiking and visiting hot springs nestled in the broad crater of a stratovolcano. Enjoy the cool mountain air as you hike into the forest to visit ancient petroglyphs and a hidden waterfall, then soak your muscles in a steaming pool. Meet the country's endangered species at the Nispero Zoo, along with the exotic orchids that thrive in this lush mountain escape, then browse for souvenirs at a local market before returning to Panama City.

Explore the limestone caves surrounding Bayano Lake on an adventurous, full-day caving tour from Panama City that includes hotel pickup and drop-off, and transfer by shared vehicle and boat. Visit an important indigenous area with underground rivers and cave systems, then have lunch in a local village before returning to Panama City.

Experience Gatun Lake's spectacular wildlife and rich culture on this half-day excursion. After a convenient hotel pickup, travel by boat to an island chain in the middle of the Panama Canal that Howlers and other monkey species call home. Learn about these fascinating primates from an informative guide before continuing to an Embera indigenous village where you'll enjoy a delicious traditional lunch and watch a live music and dance performance.

Visit the San Blas Islands on a full-day, shared trip from Panama City that includes transport by 4WD vehicle, beach time at Isla Perro Chico, lunch, and a boat tour of the islands. Explore an archipelago with a thriving indigenous culture, swashbuckling pirate history, and almost 400 picture-perfect white sand islands along Panama's Caribbean coast.

Combine some of the most popular day trips from Panama City, Panama into one day of adventure. This tour includes a boat ride on Lake Gatun, which is part of the Panama Canal, a visit to Monkey Island, which is home to three species of monkeys, and a visit to Soberania National Park and an indigenous village.

Discover Panama's rich history by rail on a full-day tour to Portobelo and Gatun Locks from Panama City. Board the iconic Trans-Isthmian Railway that links Panama's two coasts and explore the 17th-century fortifications at Portobelo. Hear stories of pirates and Spanish gold, learn the legend of Sir Francis Drake's final battle, then light a candle beside the revered Christ figure in a nearby church. Finish your day with a trip to the canal's most famous locks, where engineers held back the jungle with a towering earthen dam.

Learn about the culture and history Emberá, one of Panama's indigenous groups, during this 6-hour tour from Panama City. Ride to the tribe's village on the Chagres River aboard a 'piragua', a traditional canoe, then spend time learning about their traditions and customs. Interact with some members of the tribe and learn how they fish, hunt and use rainforest resources for medicine. Eat a traditional lunch of 'patacones' and fried fish, then set out for a nearby waterfall, accessible by a canoe ride and a trek through the Panamanian jungle.

Experience the immense natural beauty of Panama on this day trip to Soberanía National Park, a tropical rainforest situated on the banks of the Panama Canal. This birdwatching and wildlife hot spot of Central America is teeming with a wide variety of flora and fauna. Walk with a nature guide down Pipeline Road, known for its biodiversity including toucans, woodpeckers, hummingbirds and eagles as well as capuchin monkeys and sloths. Your 6-hour tour includes round-trip hotel transport from Panama City.

Visit the paradiscial Panamanian Caribbean on this day trip to the San Blas Islands from Panama City. Visit three or more islands over the course of a full day, stopping to snorkel and enjoy the white-sand beaches and tropical sunshine. Tour includes catch-of-the-day lunch, use of snorkel equipment, and hotel pickup and drop-off from Panama City.

Discover Panama's indigenous heritage and traditions on a 6-hour tour to an Emberá village from Panama City. Learn the proud, pre-Colombian history of the Emberá Indians as you travel upriver in a traditional dugout, experience an Emberá greeting by the local chief, and meet local artisans and artists. Experience a side of Panamanian life that's hidden deep in the jungle of Chagres National Park.