Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Panama: the Canal, Boquete and Bocas del Toro
8 days from Panama City: three nights for the Canal, Casco Viejo and the Gamboa rainforest, two in the Boquete coffee highlands and two on the islands of Bocas del Toro.
8 days · Round trip from Panama City · up to 12 guests
Bocas Town on Isla Colón from the air, with the docks and the bay Photo: Dronepicr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bocas_del_Toro_Panama_6.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 8 days, 7 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Panama City
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Guided walks of 2 to 3 hours on most days: about 3 to 4 km on the flat Pipeline Road in Gamboa, a 4 to 5 km out-and-back on a mountain forest trail above Boquete that climbs steadily and can be muddy, and a late-afternoon stroll on Casco Viejo's cobbles. Two short domestic flights, one 4-hour drive, and a day in an open boat with optional snorkelling. Any walk can be shortened or sat out.
- Meals included
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 445 (estimated price)
- Season
- Dry season, December to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- Ships rising and falling in the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal
- Casco Viejo on foot in the late afternoon, ending at sunset on the old sea wall
- A Gatún Lake boat among the canal ships and monkey islands, after an early walk on Pipeline Road
- A coffee farm in Boquete, with a tasting of the Geisha coffee the highlands are known for
- The Quetzal Trail on the slopes of Volcán Barú, with a local guide
- Over the continental divide by road and down to the Caribbean by water taxi
- A boat day in Bocas del Toro: Dolphin Bay, a reef to snorkel and the white sand of Cayos Zapatilla
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 445 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Panama City
Tocumen International Airport to your hotel in Panama City
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Panama City
- Drive about 45 min
Fly into Tocumen International Airport (PTY), about 25 km east of the centre, at any time of day. A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive into the city, 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic, past the glass towers of the banking district and along the bay.
Afternoon
Panama City is hot and humid all year, so take the afternoon slowly: a swim, a nap, or a walk on the Cinta Costera, the waterfront park that runs along the bay towards the old town. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a briefing on the week: how the days run, why two mornings start early, what to pack for the highlands and the boat day, and the baggage limits on the domestic flights.
Evening
Then we sit down together to a welcome dinner of Panamanian dishes such as sancocho, a chicken and root vegetable soup, ceviche and fried plantain. Tomorrow starts after breakfast.
Included
- Pick-up at Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Land by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and briefed the next morning.
The Miraflores Locks and Casco Viejo
Panama City to the Miraflores Locks, the Amador Causeway and Casco Viejo
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panama City
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After breakfast we drive about twenty minutes to the Miraflores Locks, on the Pacific end of the Panama Canal, opened in 1914 and run by Panama since the end of 1999.
Evening
We spend about 90 minutes there, timed to the day's posted ship transits, which your guide checks the evening before. From the viewing terraces we watch a vessel the length of a city block is raised or lowered in two steps, with only a few metres to spare on either side. The visitor centre museum explains how the locks work and how the Chagres River was dammed to make Gatún Lake, the canal's high middle section. Lunch is a sit-down meal on the Amador Causeway, built from rock dug out of the canal, with the city skyline across the water. After a rest through the midday heat, we walk Casco Viejo for about 2 hours from about 4 pm, when the light softens: the cathedral square, the golden altar of the San José church, Plaza Bolívar and the French plaza, ending on the old sea wall as the sun goes down. Dinner is free.
Included
- Miraflores Locks visitor centre entry, with the viewing terraces and museum (about 90 minutes)
- Sit-down lunch on the Amador Causeway
- Guided walk in Casco Viejo: the cathedral square, the San José church, Plaza Bolívar, Plaza de Francia and the sea wall at sunset
Optional experiences
- The Biomuseo on the Amador Causeway or the Panama Canal Museum in Casco Viejo, at your own cost
Easier option: Skip the second half of the Casco Viejo walk and wait for the sunset at a café on Plaza de Francia.
More active option: After the Casco Viejo walk, carry on with your guide along the Cinta Costera waterfront path.
Free time: Midday rest and dinner free
Activity: About 2 hours on foot in Casco Viejo on cobbles and uneven pavements; it is hot, so bring water and a hat.
The Gamboa rainforest and Gatún Lake
Panama City to Gamboa, Pipeline Road and a boat on Gatún Lake, then back to the city
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panama City
- Drive about 1.5 h
This is one of only two early starts, and the reason is the wildlife: we leave at 6:30 am, because birds and monkeys are most active in the first hours and the forest is cooler. It is about 45 minutes to Gamboa, the old canal town where the Chagres River meets the canal. With a local naturalist and a telescope we walk Pipeline Road in Soberanía National Park, a flat old service road through lowland rainforest and a well-known birding road: listen for howler monkeys and look for toucans, trogons, motmots and, with luck, a sloth.
Morning
Mid-morning we board a covered boat on Gatún Lake. Container ships pass along the canal channel, and on the small forested islands nearby we look for capuchin and howler monkeys and Geoffroy's tamarins.
Evening
Lunch is a sit-down meal in Gamboa, and we are back in the city by about 2:30 pm for a free afternoon and evening.
Included
- Soberanía National Park entry and a guided walk on Pipeline Road with a naturalist
- Boat on Gatún Lake beside the canal channel, with the monkey islands
- Sit-down lunch in Gamboa
Optional experiences
- The ruins of Panamá Viejo, the city's first site, at your own cost in the free afternoon
Easier option: Walk only the first flat kilometre of Pipeline Road and wait for the group at the van, then join the boat.
More active option: Carry on further along Pipeline Road with the naturalist while the rest of the group turns back; the van waits.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Panama City
Activity: About 3 to 4 km on the flat on Pipeline Road; bring insect repellent and binoculars if you have them.
Fly to David, up to Boquete
Panama City by air to David, then by road up to Boquete
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Boquete
- Drive about 1 h
Panama City to the Chiriquí highlands is about seven hours by road, so we fly.
Morning
After breakfast we take a domestic flight of about an hour west to David, Panama's third-largest city, near the border with Costa Rica. Our van meets us at the airport for the 40 km climb north to Boquete, through pasture and then coffee slopes, as the heat of the lowlands falls away. Boquete sits at about 1,200 m in a valley on the flank of Volcán Barú, at about 3,474 m the highest point in Panama, and the Caldera River runs through the middle of town.
Afternoon
We sit down to lunch together on arrival. The afternoon is free to settle in, and in the late afternoon your guide leads a short walk round town and along the river, past the flower gardens and the old wooden houses. Evenings here are cool, so bring a layer.
Evening
Dinner is free.
Included
- Domestic flight from Panama City to David (DAV)
- Transfer from David to Boquete
- Sit-down lunch in Boquete
- Short orientation walk round Boquete with your guide
Easier option: Rest at the hotel after lunch and skip the orientation walk; your guide hands out a town map.
More active option: Carry on with your guide after the orientation walk for another hour along the Caldera River road out of town.
Free time: Afternoon and dinner free in Boquete
Activity: Domestic flights have lower baggage allowances; we confirm yours when we book the seats.
The Quetzal Trail and a coffee farm
Boquete to the Quetzal Trail in Volcán Barú National Park, then a coffee farm near town
- Breakfast
- Stay in Boquete
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
The second early start: cloud usually builds over Barú by late morning and the birds are most active early, so we leave at about 7:30 am for the Alto Chiquero ranger station, about 30 to 45 minutes above town. We confirm the trail is open before each departure. With a local guide we walk the lower section of Sendero Los Quetzales, the Quetzal Trail, through cloud forest heavy with mosses, bromeliads and tree ferns, out and back for about 4 to 5 km on a path that climbs steadily. The resplendent quetzal lives in these forests and is seen most often from about January to May; we look, but cannot promise.
Afternoon
We are back in Boquete for a free lunch. In the afternoon we visit a coffee farm on the slopes outside town: the plants under shade trees, the cherries picked by hand in the harvest from about November to March, the drying and the roasting, and a tasting that includes Geisha, the variety that made Boquete coffee famous. If the trail is closed on our date, we walk another forest trail near Boquete with the same guide.
Included
- Volcán Barú National Park entry and a guided walk on the lower Quetzal Trail
- Coffee farm tour with a tasting, including Geisha
Optional experiences
- Whitewater rafting or a zipline near Boquete, booked at the operator's own price
Easier option: Walk the first half hour of the trail and wait at the ranger station, or spend the morning in Boquete's gardens and cafés.
More active option: Walk further up the trail with the local guide while the group turns back; the van waits.
Free time: Lunch and the evening free
Activity: About 4 to 5 km on a forest trail that climbs and can be muddy; bring walking shoes, a rain jacket and a warm layer.
Over the divide to the Caribbean
Boquete to Gualaca and the Fortuna road, over the continental divide to Chiriquí Grande and Almirante, then by water taxi to Bocas Town
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bocas del Toro
- Drive about 4 h
Today is the longest drive, about four hours and 200 km over the mountains of the continental divide, so we break it up. We leave Boquete at about 8 am, drop towards the lowlands and turn east at Gualaca, then climb into the Fortuna Forest Reserve. We stop at the Fortuna reservoir, high in the mountains, for a coffee and a stretch, then cross the continental divide and wind down through wet forest to the Caribbean at Chiriquí Grande. The road follows the coast to Almirante, where a water taxi carries the group and our bags across the bay in about 25 to 30 minutes to Bocas Town on Isla Colón, our base for two nights.
Afternoon
We sit down to a late lunch together by the water. Bocas Town grew up in the banana boom of the early 1900s, and its painted wooden houses on stilts, Afro-Caribbean cooking and creole English feel a long way from Panama City.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free.
Included
- Drive from Boquete to Almirante with your guide, with a stop at the Fortuna reservoir
- Water taxi from Almirante to Bocas Town
- Sit-down lunch in Bocas Town
Easier option: Stay in the van at the Fortuna stop if you prefer, and rest at the hotel after lunch.
More active option: After lunch, walk the Bocas Town waterfront and main street with your guide, or hire a bike at your own cost.
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Bocas Town
Activity: About 4 hours of driving on a winding mountain road, split by the Fortuna stop; take motion sickness tablets if you need them.
Dolphin Bay, a reef and Cayos Zapatilla
A boat day in the Bocas del Toro archipelago
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Bocas del Toro
- By boat
A whole day on the water, on a boat for our group only. We leave the dock at about 9 am and head south to Dolphin Bay, a sheltered bay among the mangroves where bottlenose dolphins are seen on most visits. From there we stop at a reef near Cayo Coral to snorkel over coral, sponges and reef fish, with masks and fins provided, or to watch from the boat.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal at a restaurant built over the water. In the afternoon we cross to Cayos Zapatilla, two small uninhabited islands of white sand and palms in the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park, Panama's first marine park. Walk the beach or the short forest trail, swim, or rest in the shade. If the sea is rough, the captain changes the order or swaps in calmer spots.
Evening
We are back in Bocas Town by about 4 pm, and in the evening the group sits down together for a farewell dinner.
Included
- Full-day boat in the archipelago for our group, with captain and guide
- Dolphin Bay
- Snorkelling at a reef near Cayo Coral, with masks and fins
- Cayos Zapatilla, with the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park fee
- Sit-down lunch over the water
- Farewell dinner in Bocas Town
Optional experiences
- Scuba diving, a surf lesson or an evening bioluminescence boat, booked at the operator's own price
Easier option: Stay on the boat or on the beach instead of snorkelling; there is shade at Zapatilla.
More active option: Snorkel off the beach at Zapatilla as well as at the reef, or walk the full trail round the island.
Free time: Late afternoon free before the farewell dinner
Activity: Open boat rides of 20 to 45 minutes between stops can be bumpy; bring swimwear, a towel, reef-safe sun cream and a dry bag.
Fly back to Panama City and home
Bocas del Toro by air to Panama City, then Tocumen International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
A last breakfast by the water, then a short walk or ride to the small airport in Bocas Town, a few minutes from the hotels. The flight back to Panama City takes about an hour and crosses the mountains to the Pacific side. If we land at Albrook, the domestic airport on the edge of the city, our van takes you across Panama City to Tocumen International Airport (PTY), about 35 km and up to an hour in traffic; if the flight lands at Tocumen, you are already there. For international flights, plan to be at Tocumen about three hours before departure, so book a flight home leaving after about 3 pm. Your guide travels back with the group and sees everyone to the airport. If you would like to stay on in Panama City or add a partial canal transit, ask us when you book and we can quote extra nights.
Included
- Domestic flight from Bocas del Toro (BOC) to Panama City
- Transfer to Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
Easier option: Your guide handles check-in and bags at both airports; you only carry your daypack.
More active option: With a late flight home, ask us to quote a stop at the Panamá Viejo ruins on the way to Tocumen, at your own cost.
Free time: No free time: the day ends at Tocumen International Airport.
Activity: Book a flight home leaving Tocumen after about 3 pm.
- Panama City3 nights
- Boquete2 nights
- Bocas del Toro2 nights
- Panama Cityend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: December to April is the dry season in Panama City and the highlands: hot, sunny days in the city and fresh, breezy weather in Boquete, where a fine windblown mist called bajareque often brings rainbows. Bocas del Toro is on the Caribbean side and can have showers in any month, and the boat route depends on the sea. Wildlife is wild: monkeys, sloths and toucans are seen on most Gamboa mornings and dolphins on most visits to Dolphin Bay, but the quetzal, seen most often from about January to May, is never guaranteed.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first trip to Panama in eight days: the Canal, the highlands and the Caribbean islands
- Travellers who would rather fly an hour than sit seven hours in a bus
- Nature lovers who want birds, monkeys and dolphins with a naturalist, without long hikes
- Solo travellers who want company and a guide who handles the flights and boats
Not for you if you want
- A beach holiday: Bocas del Toro gets two nights and one boat day, not a week
- Anyone who wants to sail through the Canal: a partial transit runs only on set days and is an optional extra
- Serious hikers looking for a summit of Volcán Barú
- Travellers who need a guaranteed quetzal or a dry day in Bocas: both depend on nature
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
7 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Panama City3 nights
- Boquete2 nights
- Bocas del Toro2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 7 nights: Panama City (3), Boquete in walking distance of the town centre (2) and Bocas Town on Isla Colón (2)
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms, hot water and air conditioning, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
- Domestic flights from Panama City to David and from Bocas del Toro to Panama City, with the standard baggage allowance
- An air-conditioned van with driver in Panama City and Gamboa, and from David to Almirante
- Water taxi from Almirante to Bocas Town
- A boat for our group on Gatún Lake and for the full day in the Bocas del Toro archipelago
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group for the whole trip, including the flights
- A licensed local naturalist on Pipeline Road and Gatún Lake, a local guide on the Quetzal Trail, the coffee farm's own guide, and a local captain in Bocas del Toro
Activities
- Miraflores Locks visitor centre, Panama Canal
- Guided walk in Casco Viejo, Panama City
- Soberanía National Park and Pipeline Road, Gamboa
- Gatún Lake boat with the monkey islands, Gamboa
- Orientation walk in Boquete
- Volcán Barú National Park and the Quetzal Trail, Boquete
- Coffee farm tour and tasting, Boquete
- Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro
- Snorkelling at a reef near Cayo Coral, with masks and fins
- Cayos Zapatilla and the Isla Bastimentos National Marine Park fee
Meals
- 7 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 2 dinners
- Sit-down lunches on days 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7
- Welcome dinner in Panama City and farewell dinner in Bocas Town
Not included
- International flights to and from Panama City
- Travel insurance
- Lunches on days 1, 5 and 8 and dinners on days 2 to 6
- Drinks
- Tips for your guide, driver, naturalists and boat crew
- Optional activities such as a partial canal transit, the Biomuseo, Panamá Viejo, rafting, ziplining, scuba diving, surf lessons and the bioluminescence boat
- Excess baggage on the domestic flights
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 445 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Seven nights in central hotels, 14 meals, airport transfers, both domestic flights, the van, water taxi and boats, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every visit in the day plan: the Miraflores Locks, Casco Viejo, Gamboa and Gatún Lake, the Quetzal Trail, the coffee farm and the Bocas boat day with snorkelling.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. That is small enough for everyone to see through the naturalist's telescope in Gamboa, to share one boat in Bocas del Toro and to sit round one table at dinner. The other Panama small-group trip on the market runs to 16.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide stays with the group for the whole trip, on the flights and boats as well as on the ground. Local specialists join where they know more: a licensed naturalist in Gamboa, a local guide on the Quetzal Trail, the coffee farm's own guide, and a local captain in Bocas del Toro.
How fit do I need to be for this Panama tour?
Easy fitness is enough. The longest walks are about 3 to 4 km on the flat in Gamboa and a 4 to 5 km mountain trail above Boquete that climbs steadily. Snorkelling is optional, and every walk has an easier choice: you can turn back early or wait at the van.
I am travelling solo. Is there a single supplement?
Solo travellers are welcome. You can share a room at the twin-share price, or have a room of your own from CAD 445 more, shown up front when you request to book. There is no other solo charge, and the free evenings are as social or as quiet as you like.
When is the best time to visit Panama?
December to April, the dry season in Panama City and the Boquete highlands, which is when this trip runs. Bocas del Toro is on the Caribbean side and can have showers in any month, so the boat route is set on the day by the captain. Quetzals are seen most often from about January to May.
Will we see ships in the Panama Canal? Can we sail through it?
Yes, you will almost certainly see ships. We time the Miraflores Locks visit to the day's posted ship transits and see the canal channel again from the boat on Gatún Lake. Sailing through it is a partial transit, which runs only on set days and takes most of a day; we can quote one as an extra.
How do we get between Panama City, Boquete and Bocas del Toro?
By air, road and boat. We fly about an hour from Panama City to David, then drive 45 minutes up to Boquete. From Boquete we drive about four hours over the continental divide to Almirante and take a water taxi to Bocas Town. We fly back from Bocas to Panama City in about an hour.
Do I need a visa for Panama?
Canadian, US, UK and most EU passport holders do not need a visa for a tourist stay. You need a valid passport and proof of onward travel, such as your return flight, and officers can ask about funds for your stay. We confirm the exact passport-validity rule for your passport when you book.
How does booking work?
Choose your start date and request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 2,605 per person sharing, taxes included, and that covers the domestic flights, boats and every visit in the day plan.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 4,690 per person sharing. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels, flights, transfers and guided visits.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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