Home > Panama City > Portobelo by Rail and Gatun Locks Full-Day Tour from Panama City
USD $280.00
Portobelo by Rail and Gatun Locks Full-Day Tour from Panama City
Panama City, Panama
Combine two of Panama's most famous cultural attractions on a full-day rail and coach tour from Panama City. First, travel by train to the UNESCO-declared city of Portobelo and learn about its people, culture and history. Then, travel to the Gatun Locks at the Panama Canal before heading back to your Panama City hotel. A full day of culture and history awaits!
Departing in the early morning from your hotel, you'll head to the train station in Panama City to travel along the famous Trans-Isthmian (Panama Canal) Railway. You’ll learn about the history of this railway system, which was built in the 1850s and played a vital role in the construction of the Panama Canal. Your ride to Portobelo is scenic and comfortable as you travel through the Panamanian countryside.
Upon arrival in Portobelo, you'll embark on a city tour to learn about the exciting history and culture of this port city. Notable characters such as Christopher Columbus and Francis Drake are said to have docked in Portobelo. Rumor has it that the city was also victim to vicious pirate attacks and raids. Tour the ancient forts and ruins that led Portobelo to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. Areas of interest include the Santiago de la Gloria Fort, San Geronimo Fort, La Aduana and San Felipe Church.
On your way back to Panama City, you'll stop at the Panama Canal for a guided visit of the Gatun Locks. You’ll learn about this intriguing system of locks, one of the greatest engineering projects to be undertaken at its time.
We liked this tour, however, we thought we were going to get to use the Observation train cab for our tour, but we were put into a regular train cab which was smelly and dirty and difficult to see outside of the windows. Additionally, we were taken by van from the train to Portobelo, but it was an extremely dangerous drive due to flooding in Colon and Portobelo. We were afraid that we would be swept away with the rising water. This was very trying and could not enjoy the tour. When we exited the train there was so much water it was over our shoes, so we had wet feet and bodies for the entire tour. Additionally, the towns of Colon and Portabelo were extremely dirty. At the end of our tour, the van we were in had some time of mechanical difficulties and we waited on the side of the road between Colon and Portabelo. Finally, the driver was told to go ahead and drive to Colon where we were met by another vehicle and transferred to that car. It was pouring rain, again and we got soaked. It was very uncomfortable. The guide was nice, but it was not worth the amount we paid, especially because of the dangerous trip it ended up being. As stated in the ad for this tour Your ride to Portobelo is scenic and comfortable as you travel through the Panamanian countryside. was not what occurred for us. For the amount we paid including tip, it just was not worth it or worth our lives.
Review by: dbrowne, December 2016
Great sights and informative. However, we had to remind the guide that the locks were part of the deal as he was taking us back without the locks tour.
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