Best Of Panama In One Day: Canal Locks & Casco Viejo Private Tour

Ricky was an amazing tour guide!! He had all the scheduled visits perfectly timed and I never felt rushed. He’s super knowledgeable, entertaining and fun to see all the top spots with. He also gave great recommendations for places to see and eat at in the city. I highly recommend this tour- as a solo traveler, this package was well worth the money and a great way to get familiar with the city and the history!

Ricky is a fantastic tour guide!! He is so knowledgeable about the country, has the different stops perfectly timed, and is a lot of fun to travel around with. He was funny, entertaining, friendly and super polite. I had a blast seeing the top attractions in the city and can’t wait to visit again and do some other sightseeing tours. Definitely recommend and a great solo experience worth every penny. I never felt rushed and he took some great pics for me!!

Jorge is an amazing guide! He is a wealth of knowledge and provided a great tour of Panama and the Panama Canal. An added bonus is that he offered to pick me up an hour early as this would accommodate a better time at the Canal when it opened. The timing of it couldn't have been more perfect! We beat the lines and got a front row view to see two ships pass through the locks. An experience I will never forget! He also took me to the Corozal American Cemetery and Memorial where I was able to speak to the superintendent and learn more history of the Canal and the lives that were lost during its construction. Additionally, the Casco Viego walking tour provided new and amazing experiences with food and coffee recommendations. Jorge's expertise and willingness to go above and beyond gave me the best experience ever! Thank you, Jorge!

This was one of the best experiences I've had while traveling. My daughter and I met with Jorge who was our guide. There was a slight misunderstanding about the plan for the afternoon, but Jorge was flexible and kind. He is also a walking history book of Panama! His knowledge of the country was impressive. He was so flexible with us, my daughter is autistic and I told him she is very picky with food. He made sure to find a great place where she could get something that she would eat. He adjusted his tour to accommodate us and was so gracious and kind. I highly recommend this company for your personalized experience in Panama. Jorge is awesome!

Our guide Jorge was great! He was very knowledgeable and passionate about his job. We were very pleased with the amount of attention he devoted to us. I highly recommend this tour.

Excellent experience with Jorge! He was a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm as our guide. We were the only guests for a group tour to Casco Antiguo, Causeway Amador, and Panama Canal. The highlight of our tour was watching human ingenuity in action at the Panama Canal. Highly recommended experience. It's the best way to see the highlights of Panama City if you have limited time.

The tour was on point, not too long and not too short, I just wanted to go to the canal but the history an site sering was very interesting. Tour guide spoke perfect English. And was highly knowledgeable. He not only gave the 'what' but also the 'why'. All in all the day was great. It was our Wedding anniversary and this made it great. I highly recommend Ali.

Jorge our tour guide was wonderful! He communicated with us before the tour day, was on time (actually early) to pick us up, nice clean vehicle. He shared a great deal about the history of Panama (he is very knowledgeable about that!) He offered us options so we could customize the tour to our liking. All in all he is an amazing tour guide and we would highly recommend this tour!

We had a very enjoyable and informative tour. Our tour guide Jorge did everything he could to make our tour exactly what we were hoping for. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Panama and everything we were seeing.

Our guide Jorge arrived promptly to collect us from the hotel. He drove us through the Old Town and we then walked much of the area. All the time Jorge was educating us with the history of the Old Town, the buildings, Government, etc. He had amazing and interesting knowledge of both history and current affairs. He then drove us to the Miraflores canal Locks Visitor centre and again, regaling us with the history of the Panama Canal. His timing for entry to watch the film and experience of 2 huge ships entering the locks was perfect. Jorge was the perfect guide and gentleman. If we have a return visit to Panama we would certainly ask for Jorge to be our guide.

In a word, awesome! Our tour guide, Jonathan, was engaging, knowledgeable and experienced. He picked us up promptly at 11am . We opted to skip the walking portion through Casco Viejo as we had already spent the previous 3 days strolling that area on our own . Instead, we were off in Jonathan's car toward the Canal first winding our way around the city streets listening to a history and geography lesson which was both educational and entertaining . It was obvious that Jonathon knew his stuff As we left the urban area, we found ourselves on a combination of older roads and newer highways , each with a history of their own until we were along side a portion of the Canal itself. Along the way, Jonathan would slow down or stop, providing us with a play by play description of the sites. Eventually, we arrived at the Visitor's center and after a short respite, we enjoyed an absolutely impressive 3D Imax movie , narrated by Morgan Freeman, all about the Panama Canal including it's history and operation as well as the future endeavors underway . Then, we made our way to an area immediately adjacent to the locks, as we observed a giant container ship being carefully guided through the canal. Jonathan then seamlessly navigated us in and out of the crowd to the exit. We drove back to the hotel completely satisfied with a totally one of a kind experience .

the tour guide charlie so good to explain every single thing at the tour and he has a lot experience to tell.good person and nice talk with him.i m so reccomended him to take you guys a tour.im hope can back again at panama

Heavenly is a fantastic tour guide - we got to see and experience so much history! She made us feel welcomed and was so attentive to our needs. Definitely recommend taking this tour!

The trip was awesome and our guide (Roderick) was waiting for us ahead of time (prior military so early is always good). Roderick knew all the answers to the questions that we asked during the ride over to the canal and Casco Viejo. He is also well known throughout the city and was able to go to other areas that I am not sure other tour guides would be able to go to based on his personality and people knowing him. Great trip and would recommend to anything coming him. First class from the beginning to the end.

Maylin is amazing!!! 1000% recommend. She was punctual, personable and treated all interactions with kindness. Her passion for history, culture and connection was evident; a true gem!! 💎

Charlie was so enthusiastic and helped me see his beautiful country and culture clearly. The family involvement and being outside in their parks, restaurants was nice to see. Visiting churches of great history with an amazing nativity scene and papal visits was special.

Aura was our guide for the tour. She did a great job explaining a lot of local history and pointing out places of interest. Even though it was raining and we couldn't explore Casco Viejo as much as planned she was still able to do a great job driving us around and also having us try Geisha coffee. I enjoyed it, would definitely book with them again. :)

Cesar is the ultimate tour guide! From the Panama Canal to a perfect cup of geisha coffee, he brought history, culture, and humor together like a pro. His insider connections and personal stories gave us a VIP pass to the real Panama. Smart, funny, and full of local flavor—this tour was an absolute delight. Highly recommended!

Amazing experience. Jorge was the best guide one could ask for. Informative, friendly and so knowledgable. He was able to customize our tour to highlight what we were most interested in. The ride was comfortable and the provided water was greatly appreciated. I would highly recommend Jorge as a tour guide.

Jorge was very knowledgeable about the canal and the city. We had some rain but it was still worth it. I learned a lot! Definitely recommend taking this tour!

Our 3.5-hour guided walking tour through Casco Viejo and the Panama Canal locks was nothing short of exceptional, thanks to Elmer. His deep knowledge and engaging storytelling brought Panama’s rich history and vibrant culture to life. Not only was he an insightful guide, he also went above and beyond—helping with the baby and stroller, snapping some beautiful family photos, and making sure everyone felt included and comfortable. They even offered to drive us back to our hotel in Playa Bonita. Elmer’s warmth and professionalism made the entire experience smooth, memorable, and absolutely worthwhile. I wish we’d done this tour upon arriving in Panama. Highly recommended!

The guide Cesar was really knowledgeable and personable. Did a complete canal and casco viejo tour. Highly recommended.

Great opportunity to see a marvel of engineering operate and gain more knowledge of the political history related to the construction of the canal.

The tour was very informative and enjoyable. My guide Aura not only knew about the stops on the tour, but also shared information about Panama’s history in general.

My tour guide was Aura, and she was incredible. She took me all over the city to see the best sights, and she timed things perfectly so we could watch a large boat move through the canal. Our time in the old town was fun and informative. I would do this tour and use this company again in a heartbeat.

Very good experience. The host took the group to 3 different locations and the amount spend was work it as we all toured the main places. I recommend this for first timer travelers here like myself.

Aura was amazing very knowledgeable about Panamá! She also took some amazing pics as I was solo. Provided great recommendations around the city!

It was an amazing and informative day spent with Julio doing the walking tour and the Panama Canal. Julio was on time, pleasant, informative and accommodating. He conducted the tour in both Spanish and English. I highly recommend this experience for anyone visiting Panama City and the Canal.

My best experience in Panamá! My guide Mylin was AWESOME and I felt connected to all Roderick’s team. I loved every second of the visit and got the chance to deep dive into some of the places I had previously visited. The canal was a great experience! I definitely recommend this tour

It was ok, guide was nice but we thought we could have had more explanation to better understand what we were viewing We thought we would see more of the town

Julio did an annoying job and was very knowledgeable on the topic! He was also very friendly and welcoming. It was a great way to learn about the city.

Excellent tour with loads of information on the locks and canal - the cinema experience was really good Tour of Casco Viejo was also excellent- even though it was a National Independence Day which meant the traffic was gridlocked!

Aura our tour guide , she was great , knowledgeable and nice She took some pictures of our family with her phone and send it to us Recommend this tour highly especially with Aura

Loved this tour! Our guide for the private experience, Charlie, was absolutely fantastic. He picked us up and, during the drive to the Panama Canal, shared an incredible wealth of local history and fascinating stories that kept us laughing and intrigued the entire time. After visiting the canal, we explored the old city, and what stood out even more was how many people Charlie seemed to know along the way—it made the experience feel even more personal and connected. We had such a great time and would highly recommend this tour. I’ve left out details about all the places we visited to keep some surprises intact—trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

My tour guide Edie was fantastic. He was very friendly and knowledgeable of the history of the Panama Canal and also was aware of little stops throughout the tour like the market where I was able to grab some souvenirs. I would recommend this tour!

We are extremely pleased with this tour!! Our guide Richard was punctual and very knowledgeable about the region, its history and was very engaging in conversation. We had an unscheduled stop at the canal administration building where we had wonderful views of the port. The sunset views at the Amador Causeway was incredible!! Since we had toured Casco Viejo earlier in the day, we saw many of the lesser known sites in the city and the history behind them. We highly recommend Richard and this tour company.

This tour was very informational and taught me new things about Casco Viejo and the canal. The tour guides were kind and knowledgeable. The experience was well worth what I paid. 100 percent recommend!

This was a perfect afternoon! Our guide Aura was super friendly and knowledgeable, giving us a colorful commentary about the city as we drove to the venues. Once there, she gave the perfect balance of drawing our attention to what was noteworthy and letting us discover at our own pace. We knew we in good hands the moment she picked us up and she exceeded our high expectations until the end. Definitely recommend!

Aura was a wonderful tour guide who showed us around the Panama Canal & Casco Viejo. She’s very knowledgeable about all things Panama. Most importantly, she’s kind, patient, and has a great personality. Makes traveling in a foreign country so much better!

I have traveled solo to panama during my layover flight. From booking the tour, to being picked up from the airport, and going around town- everything was amazing. Roderick has been great with accomodating all the specifics of the trip and very easy to communicate with. I have been assigned Aura as my guide. She was amazing. Not only did she pick me up from the airport at 5AM, but she also took me to have breakfast and lunch during my time in Panama. The tour of the Casco Viejo as well as Panama Canal was amazing. Aura is very knowledgeable and you can tell she loves her country and her job. She shared stories about the people, culture and history of Panama. She is very friendly, and also takes amazing photos. The tour also included chocolate tasting which is great. If you decide to take this tour make sure to ask for her. Thank you and I recommend this tour ti everyone

This tour was amazing!!! We learned so much, our tour guide Rafael was the best, & he went above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. Rafael was super knowledgeable and you can tell he really enjoys what he does.

Our guide, Aura, was exceptional. She took us to several places, explaining details we would have never been able to know on our own and was a calm and patient guide. Would highly recommend this tour and the value was great.

Richard was great and very informative. Great history and the canal is awesome to see, watching the boats come through was an experience

Aura is an amicable and down to earth person. I felt comfortable with her right away. We enjoyed stops at Panama Canal, Amador Causeway, Casco Viejo, and Mercado de Mariscos - where we finished with lunch. Aura then dropped me at the same location where she had picked me up. Muchas gracias Rod for the shoutout at the canal - and thanks Aura for being a lovely person and guide! This was a great way to get oriented to the area on my first, full day in Panama.

An amazing experience, saw and learned about many hidden gems. Aura also took a lot of pictures and sent them to me, and gave great tips on more things to do!

Very informative tour. Our guide knew a great deal about the Canal and it's history. We passed through ticketing quickly and the guide Elmer knew many people there He made sure I was on good positions throughout so I could see the passage of a cargo ship through the locks and out back into the Canal headed for the Pacific

I had a great experience with Maria as guide. The canal and old town tours were both amazing. Knowing the history behind the canal made the tour much more fascinating and Maria was very knowledgeable and told the history of Panama and the canal wonderfully.

I loved this tour. I leaned about the history of Casco Viejo and the history of the Panama Canal. I also enjoyed the beautiful views of the Causeway Islands. I took a lot of pictures and met great tour guides Aura and Roderick.

We did a Private 6 hour Tour, Discovering Panama 2024 with several stops, and we had an amazing time. We drove over the Bridge of the Americas, an amazing experience. We went to the Mercado Nacional de Artesanias, here we bought some beautifull souvenirs to take back home. The Amador Causeway, there we took pictures at the Panama sign and visited the tax free shop. Casco Viejo with all the squares with colonial buildings and churches. We visited "Iglesia San Jose", Saint Joseph church and were impressed by the Golden altar, the statutes of the disiples and the story about the life of Jezus. We drove through Panama city and saw the contrast between all the modern high rise buildings and the old traditional ones. And of course we went the famous Panama Canal and first enjoyed the 3-D movie about the building of the canal and then had the opportunity to see 2 ships pass through the Miraflores locks, right in front of us. We had a experienced guide, named Aura, she was fluent in English and told us everything there was to know about all the places we went to. She knew the best places to have something to eat and even helped us taking pictures and videos. All in all i would surely recommed taking this tour if you want to have a taste of Panama.