Discover Panama: History Of The City And The Canal

What a great tour! Jose Acevedo was our guide for the day. He picked us up for our private tour just outside the cruise dock. We immediately felt at ease and quickly came to respect his knowledge about the canal, the people of Panama, and all the history of the region. He was able to tailor our visit to our particular interests. His enthusiasm was contagious and we thoroughly enjoyed the day. Thank you Jose!!!

Dennis was very informative we have learnt a lot about Panama in the short time. The tour was just right length - not too rush not too slow. We finished our tour in the Old Town area to have lunch. One of Dennis’s recommendations Casablanca was a great restaurant.

A+ tour. Dennis is a great tour guide. Shared a lot of history of his beautiful country of Panamá. Dennis communicated with us a day before to confirm pick up location and time. This is a must do tour if this is your first time in Panamá.

Dennis was great!!! Very friendly and knowledgeable. He made us feel comfortable and safe as we travelled throughout the city. I highly recommend this tour.

We enjoyed the tour. Dennis was amazing and very knowledgeable about the history and the science of the canal. He was so great in explaining things even with our millions of questions. The tour length was perfect. At the end, he dropped us off at Casco Viejo for lunch. We would not recommend Funda Lo Que Hay. We waited for nearly an hour only to be offered an outdoor seat in the garden on a hot and muggy day.

Dennis is an amazing historian! We loved him so much we sought additional private tours with him during our vacation. For anyone wanting a one on one tutorial of what you won’t learn in the history books about the Panama Canal, this is the tour you want to take!!!

This experience was amazing! Fernando gave us all of the history that we asked for and timed the canal perfectly. He swapped out a stop for us to see more of what we really wanted and we were very grateful. His car was nice and air conditioned and he made sure to get us some waters for our journey. This was such a memorable time and he was an outstanding photographer. I was so happy to have photos of my husband and myself. We only had one day to spend in Panama City after being in Bocas and it was easily our favorite day of our entire trip. Book this one! We had great communication from the time of booking on.

If you have as knowledgable a tour guide as Dennis, you will learn so much about the history of the Panama Canal and Panama City! He makes the story intriguing. We saw a ship rising and moving out of the locks and he explained the mechanism by which it happens. After the canal we watched the IMAX film. Totally worthwhile. Then on to the charming Old City! Dennis knows all the locals and is very friendly.

Dennis was a wealth of knowledge. We would definitely go on tours with him again. My mother is a nervous rider and she was nervous the whole time.

Our tour guide was Dennis. He was very sociable, knowledgeable regarding the canal and the history of Panama, and his English was excellent!! Be sure to ask for him if you book this tour

The tour guides arrived on time and drove directly to the canal, but had great entertaining stories along the way. The canal was just the right amount of information and background for you to appreciate the huge engineering fee that it is.

Somehow I must have clicked and booked a full month earlier than intended. The tour operator reached out to me the day before to discuss details when I realized the mistake and I asked if it could be moved. They went dead silent, I got charged anyway and I would not recommend viator or this tour to anyone. I get that I made a mistake but to be charged $160 bucks and then just left out to dry and not even talked to about it... It's just wrong!

I usually don't waste my time reviewing what should be expected service for compensation rendered. Unless it was exceptionally bad or good. This was definitely the latter. The tour is worth every penny. It's a private 5 hour tour of the main highlights of the city with your own guide in an air conditioned vehicle; the old town, canal, causeway, etc. Dennis was our guide and he was fantastic. He was knowledgable, personable, polite, presented very well and even patient enough to help with our rudimentary Spanish when asked (he spoke fluent English). He was on time, informative, stopped at all the places you would want to, patiently waited while we took pictures and walked around. He guided us through areas that we would want to see, helped through the maze of lines and crowds, did the little things that made the experience comfortable and worthwhile, eg., remotely rolling down the windows after visiting the canal so we didn't walk into a steaming vehicle! Solid, thoughtful. If you have limited time and don't want to waste an entire day, I would highly recommend Dennis and this tour.

Our tour with Dennis was wonderful. He took us to the old old town San Felipe first. He took us through the museum there. And then we explored a bit on our own including climbing up the tower. Dennis deftly navigated traffic and timed our visit to the MiraFlora locks in time for the film and to see a ship pass through. You do have to climb some stairs to get on the bleachers to see the locks. And squeeze in if it is a busy time. After we made our way to the Amador causeway. Dennis is self-taught in English and it's just amazing how well he speaks it. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and our day with Dennis. We highly recommend his company.

Our tour with Dennis was very nice. He arrived on time, the car was very comfortable with AC ( very important for hot Panama City weather). We were able to see the important sites in Panama City. Along the tour, he explained the history of the city and the canal. We even got to see a few sloths very close, an added bonus and made our day. All in all, we had a wonderful time.

First—our cruise ship came into the port at Colon. We chose to stay around the area vs going over to Panama City area which is 60-90 minutes away. We did the Gatan locks-old and new- and the fort. We had been thru the canal in 2017. I booked this several months ago. Dennis-our guide/driver responded right away after booking. He was quick to answer any questions about the tour ahead of time. A few days before, he confirmed and also sent a pic of him. He met us outside the port area. He is an excellent tour guide and driver. He stayed with us the entire time and provided information about Panama, the locks and the fort.

Alex was the BEST guide. As a local, his perspective was golden. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because it lasted 3hours.

Yes Fernando our guide was wonderful He was knowledgeable and gracious Showed up on time went all out to provide us a great tour

Dennis was a great tour guide who patiently answered our many questions. His knowledge of Panamanian history was very impressive. We highly recommend this tour.

Wonderful private tour - and adjusted based on areas we had already seen/explored ourselves. We got a lot of historical information as well as great restaurant recommendations. I am not a big fan of tours in general so the private tour was a compromise with my husband and I didn’t regret it! We got to see all of the sights, stop where we wanted and move quickly where we wanted. The canal itself was insanely busy but watching the locks and the iMax was worth it.

Thanks, Dennis, for sending Gustavo our way! Our tour with Gustavo was truly exceptional. As an African American couple, we deeply appreciated Gustavo’s perspective as an Afro-Panamanian. He didn't just show us the sights; he pointed out cultural and historical connections that resonated with us personally—details we never would have heard on a standard group tour. He was incredibly accommodating and made us feel right at home. If you want a tour that is both educational and culturally rich, Gustavo is the perfect guide.

Daniel was very friendly, knowledgeable, and customized the tour based on our preferences. We had a great time. Recommended.

The guide Daniel picked us up on time from the hotel. Very good car (BMW SUV). Danial was a very enthusiastic 26 year old man who was eager to explain things, but his English was not good enough and it was very difficult to understand him. However, he was enthusiastic, pleasant and courteous. I feel they need to use guides with better English for english speaking clients.

Our experience on this tour was excellent. Dennis was the perfect guide for our group. He was family friendly, knowledgeable, courteous, kind, and patient. He enhanced our experience through his dutiful photography, expert driving, and had an extensive knowledge of the history, culture, architecture, and food of Panama. In addition, he was responsive and considerate. It was a great, authentic experience that we highly enjoyed and was a great way to begin our trip to Panama.

Had an amazing time on this tour! Gustav was a phenomenal tour guide and I highly recommend this tour!

Fernando did an excellent job. He was knowledgeable and super personable. Went above and beyond in every way from providing us was with water and an umbrella when it started to get too hot. We even got to see sloths on our drive!

Great tour with Dennis following suggestion set out on Trip Advisor. Arrived at hotel bang on time. Very knowledgeable and great to get local view of impact of 20th century world politics on the country.

Dennis was an amazing guide and super easy to work with. We changed hotels, as well as made some modifications to the itinerary which he accommodated easily. He has a great knowledge of the Panama Canal as well as Casco Viejo. I highly recommend taking his tour. He was also able to assist us with transportation to the cruise port in Colon.

Dennis did a great job! We were in port on a Holland America cruise. We elected to do a private tour while in port. This was a perfect half day excursion with just me and my husband. Our tour guide, Dennis, was very knowledgeable and kind and we feel we got a real highlight of Panamá City in about 5 hours. The only drawback was we had to walk from the cruise port building to the security gate to meet him outside the security gate which was about a 5 minute walk outside. If you have mobility challenges, tell your tour guide you will pay for them to get inside the security gates to pick you up as they are charged for each person. On the return, he was allowed in by security for no charge with the showing of our cruise pass card.

So many say they would give more points if they could, and I wish I could for this. Communication was excellent from start to finish. They were very flexible with what we wanted to do, and we were able to add extra things like transfer from the cruise terminal, extra sites, transfer to the airport from our hotel, as well as restaurant recommendations. The prices for these additional services were quite reasonable. Dennis was the best guide/host. He not only showed us things we wanted to see but made suggestions along the way. We travel to learn about other countries and cultures, and he was very informative. His commentary was astute (his knowledge of history is awesome), articulate, and fun! He was also a very enjoyable companion as we visited the various locations throughout the day. Based on our experience, I would whole-heartedly recommend this company.

Driver/guide was sensitive to our needs. One member of the pair was mobility challenged and do our goal was an informative and doable experience. The. Dialogue of the tour guide was very important to us. He did a very good job,

Dennis was amazing! He was attentive to us, very informative, and provide an awesome experience. Highly recommend him and this tour for lovers of history and enthusiasts

Dennis did an excellent job explaining the history and giving us insights into why Panama is such a beautiful place to visit. I would certainly use him again.

We returned from Panama one month ago tomorrow and I must take a moment to say thank you to Dennis Roberts for providing my son and I with such kind and professional service.  I highly recommend anyone visiting Panama for the first time to definitely think about using Dennis Roberts.  He will not disappoint!   Our pickup from the airport despite arriving late was exceptional.  Dennis was waiting for us and he was a pleasure to meet.  He helped us with our luggage and even allowed us to make a stop at the supermarket prior to arriving at our Airbnb.  He has a very comfortable SUV that was perfect for all the overpacking I had done. I was so grateful for his patience as this was our first but definitely not our last visit to Panama.   I also booked transportation with him for our trip to the Panama Railway.  Once again his professionalism shined, he was on time, engaged in lovely conversation with us about the history of Panama, and even allowed us to make an additional stop at Hard Rock Cafe.  I so appreciated his flexibility and his desire to provide excellent customer service.  Finally, we took a half day Panama tour with Dennis Roberts which was absolutely fantastic! We had an opportunity to learn about Casa Viejo, the ruins, Panamanian History, the Panama Canal, and so much more.  Dennis Roberts thank you for showing us the beauty of Panama.  We are forever grateful for your kindness and hospitality.  A tour with Dennis Robert’s is one that will never be forgotten. I suggest you book him for your next Panamanian adventure.

Dennis was so informative, friendly, knowledgeable and really has a passion for sharing the Panamanian history. He went out of his way to time our visit to the canal to be present while ships were passing. He offered to take photos throughout the day. The traffic and drivers were an obstacle he handles with ease and we felt very safe traveling with him. We cannot recommend this experience enough!

Guide was amazing!!!! He catered the experience to our needs and the weather. I was so fortunate to have had this experience. Blessed.

I had an amazing experience on our Panama tour with Dennis! He was incredibly knowledgeable, sharing so much rich history and insight about the country in a way that was both engaging and easy to follow. Dennis was also very patient, making sure everyone felt comfortable and had time to ask questions, shop and take photos. Beyond that, he was personable and friendly it felt like we were exploring with a friend. I highly recommend doing this tour as soon as you arrive in Panama. We explored places we wish we had known about earlier in our trip it definitely would have helped shape some of our plans. Don’t miss this experience!

Dennis was fantastic tour guide, not only did we visited the canal and other sites, he show up where the sleuth hangout and we learned so much about the country, culture, and the people of Panama. we highly recommend this tour due to all the knowledge and Panamanian perspectives he gave us. 5 stars!!

Dennis is a very knowledgeable guide! The tour is information-packed, and well-paced. A great education and conversation!

Dennis was very knowledgeable about the history of Panama. I would recommend you do this first thing to get the lay of the land. He was gracious and pleasant would recommend for anyone.

Dennis was absolutely AMAZING!! He took his time sharing Panama's rich history with us and he was very thorough. He was extremely well informed and definitely has a passion for the country. I would recommend him 1000 times.

Our guide Fernando was absolutely amazing! He was very knowledgeable. He went above to make our experience great! He really enjoys his job and it shows. I highly recommend this tour, Fernando makes it even better.

Dennis was the absolute best at sharing the history, culture and also about his life as a native Panamanian! Got to see all the different parts of the city, ride was comfortable and safe, recommend 100%!

Our private tour of Old Town and the Panama Canal was excellent. Our guide Dennis was so knowledgeable about the history of Panama and the development of the Panama Canal. We learned so much! He also made sure we could stop for special moments like a cup of Geisha coffee in Old Town and a place to see sloths. When we spotted Capybaras he made sure we got a great photo and when we left a phone in the Panama Canal Imax theater he was able to get us back in to retrieve it. He truly goes the extra mile to make sure your experience is exceptional I highly recommend him!!!

Really enjoyed our tour. Dennis is very knowledgeable about the history of Panama and willing to change around what we did to suit what particularly interested us.

We really enjoyed Dennis. Since it was a private tour, he adapted the tour to our needs. We were specifically interested in History. He was very knowledgable and took us to see the canal in a very informative way. Also we told him we were not interested in shopping, so we spent time in old town at historical sites learning differences between how the Americans, Spanish and the French contributed to the architecture . I was so happy that we had him with whom to spend the day. We would HiGHLY recommend him.

Fantastic way to see the city! Dennis is awesome. His passion for his work made our 1/2 day tour a memorable experience. The canal visit was super interesting, including the 40-minute IMAX movie. His english is flawless. We highly recommend this private tour!

What can I say? Dennis, our guide was absolutely everything you would want in a guide! He was knowledgable and fun! He was able to answer and all the questions we had about the canal and old town. He speaks perfect English and while we were on our tour, other guides told us numerous times what a great guy he is. We found out for ourselves and agree 💜

Dennis is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the canal and Panama bringing to the best spots. He will alter the day to your liking and stop at locations upon request!