The Panama Canal is 50 miles long from deep water in the Atlantic to deep water in the Pacific. It requires about nine hours for an average ship to transit the Canal. Its principal physical features are the two terminal ports (Colon and Panama City), the three sets of twin locks (Gatun, Pedro Miguel, and Miraflores), man-made Gatun Lake, and Gaillard Cut. The Basin is a haven for ecotourism mainly due to the fact that tropical forests provide the canal with the watershed required for its operation and therefore have been kept in an almost pristine state. Visitors can enjoy excursions in Soberania National Park, very popular among birdwatchers, boat tours around Gatun Lake, also home to Embera Indian communities, and wildlife observation tours at Monkey Island and Barro Colorado Island. Two fabulous resorts have been built along the Canal, providing the perfect base to experience the area.
Activities at the Panama Canal Basin include:
Canal boat tours
Bird watching
Jungle hikes
Canopy Tours
Train rides
Kayaking
Visits to indigenous communities
Climate:
Typical tropical weather with little temperature variations throughout the year and an average temperature of 83F. There are two distinctive seasons: The rainy season (May to December) and the dry season (January through April).
