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

After the conquest of the Inca Empire in the 16th century, the Spanish tried to find a direct route for gold shipments to the Old World. The long and painstaking trek began on the Pacific coast, where gold was loaded onto mules and carried overland. Upon reaching Portobelo on the Atlantic Ocean the gold would be loaded onto ships bound for Spain. Centuries later, American schooners carrying trade around the world would make the 8,000 mile journey around Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America. Not until the 20th century would there be an easier way to traverse Panama.

Considered the 8th wonder of the world, the Panama Canal consists of a series of locks. Built between 1904 and 1914, the 48 mile-long international waterway extends across the Isthmus of Panama from Colon on the Atlantic Ocean side, to Balboa and the Pacific Ocean.

The focus of this six hour tour is designed to showcase the famed Miraflores Locks on the Pacific and to get an up close look at how the canal was just expanded by visiting the new locks on the Atlantic.

To see the Miraflores Locks in action and learn its history, you'll board your air-conditioned transportation for a scenic ride through Panama City. Your onboard guide will point out areas of interest along the way.

Once you arrive at the Miraflores Locks visitor center you'll be amazed at how close you are to the ships, take the opportunity to pause and view the gargantuan ships that make their way through the Panama Canal and visit the terrace with an exhibition hall that constitutes the heart of the this center.

View "Panama Canal 3D: A Land Divided – A World United" on one of the largest IMAX screens in the world. This sweeping cinematic event is narrated by Academy-Award winning actor Morgan Freeman and takes the viewer on an electrifying journey. Experience the locks and mechanical operations of the canal, glide airborne over Panama, the railway and the country, then discover the beauty of the tropical rainforest from the seat of a native canoe. This epic film begins in the days of the conquistadors and progresses through the American engineering achievement that revolutionized shipping. Experience the visionary efforts to expand the 100-year-old waterway to accommodate post-Panamax ships, drawing you finally into the fusion of the old and the new Panama.

After observing this amazing feat, you'll re-board your transportation and travel to the Expansion Observatory Platform where you'll see the construction of a new traffic lane along the Panama Canal. This new lane created two new sets of locks, one on the Pacific and one on the Atlantic, which will double the canal's capacity and allow longer and wider vessels to transit.

At the end of your excursion you'll return to port with a deeper understanding of the world's 8th wonder.