A Day Trip From Panama City To Gatun Locks Equals Monkeys & Silence

Who has visited Panama recently can say without a moment of doubt that is a young and vibrant country, specially those who have stayed in Panama City. The country´s mix between old and new, modern culture and rustic manners which often leads people to believe that is only a place for connectivity between the Americas and the world when it is actually much more than that.

More than a century ago while the canal was under contruction there were many other projects going on that supported the canal and the economical activities of the country, one of those was on Gatun Locks and the artificial Gatun Lake and Dam.

Fast forward to present times and the canal is a well oiled machine that operates puntually, a living organism by itself… so what happened to those other places and projects that used to served the canal? Today, Gatun Lake is a ecological reserve that holds two of the best kept secrets of Panama: Monkey Island and Sounds of Silence Island or our day trip from Panama City of the day.

Gatun Locks is only 40 minutes drive away from your hotel in Panama City, the adventure begings once you jump on a small vessel and will start touring along the canal until you hit a detour that will lead you deep into Gatun Lake. This is one of the best places in the world for bird watching so you better keep your attention on any flying objects since you will only be astound by the variety of bird species you´ll have the chance to look at.

At a slower pace you will encounter Monkey Island. Howler Monkeys, Capuchin Monkeys, Geoffroy´s Tamarin Monkeys are some of the species that can be found in the island as well as other animals like sloths, crocodiles, toucans, iguanas and turtles. You will also have the opportunity to get upclose and personal with the monkeys since there you are allowed(for a little while) to feed them from the boat with some natural organic treats.

Once the monkey business is taken care of they trip will continue all the way to Sounds of Silence Island. In this jungle retreat you will have a unique picnic experience and sometime to explore, either go fishing in the lake, kayaking or just swiming in a spring. Or just close your eyes and listen to the sounds of silence.

If we had to chose how to spend the only day off we had in Panama we would definitely pick this day trip from Panama City, get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city and connect with nature.