Frank Gehry's Biomuseo and Panama City Tour

Description

Be sure to read the Special Notes further down this page for important requirements and restriction.

Part art, part science, the BioMuseo is acclaimed as Panama's newest icon. Standing at the entrance to the Panama Canal the museum glows in tropical shades of yellow, orange, green, and blue. But don't let its good looks fool you. The 43,000-square-foot museum holds a wealth of eye-catching displays that tell the three-million-year-old story of how the Isthmus of Panama rose from the ocean, united two continents and created one of the world's most biodiverse areas. Behold the treasures for yourself on a two-and-a-half-hour excursion that also treats you to a panoramic tour of Panama City.

From the pier, it's just a brief ride along the Amador Causeway to the BioMuseo. Set against the backdrop of Panama City, the museum's colorful façade is a visual delight, created in colors that reflect the country's rich flora and fauna.

Designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry, the mind behind such familiar landmarks as the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, California; the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain and the Dancing House in Prague, Czech Republic, the BioMuseo is Gehry's first project in Latin America.
Once you disembark you can clearly see the city skyline, Ancon Hill, and the Bridge of the Americas-an area once restricted to Panamanians during the days of the former U.S.-controlled Canal Zone.

Stroll through the eight exhibition halls and you'll be amazed at the number of genetic, ecological and biological displays including the six-million-year-old sandstone slab with mollusk fossils, barnacle plates and sea urchin fragments embedded in the rock.

Fiberglass creatures that illustrate the cross-migration of animals over the land bridge created by the Isthmus three million years ago such as the there-foot shell of a long extinct Texas glyptodont and a bear-like sloth invite hands-on inspection.

Continue through the galleries and you'll find yourself in an open-air exhibit that explains human arrival on the Isthmus over 15,000 years ago.

Next, you'll rejoin your transportation for a scenic tour of Panama City. Sit back and relax as you travel along the Cinta Costera 3 and the busy waterfront boulevard known as Avenida Balboa, which offers great views of the Bay of Panama and Casco Viejo, Panama City's historic district.

Then, you will drive back to your waiting ship. For tours that offer more in-depth exploration of the Panama Canal or actual visits to one or more sites, be sure to see the other options in this port.