On August 15, 1914 the SS Ancon made the first official
ocean-to-ocean transit through the Panama Canal. This event, which
changed the world forever, was possible thanks to the labor of more
than 75,000 men and women who worked for 10 years facing unprecedented
challenges. Now it is your time to travel the 8th Wonder of the World.
PANAMA CANAL FULL TRANSIT - OCEAN TO OCEAN
2008 Dates:
August 2 & 16, September 6 & 20, October 4 & 18, November 1 & 15, December 6 & 20
2009 Dates:
January 3, 17 & 29, February 7 & 21, March 7 & 21, April 4 & 18, May 2, June 6 & 20, July 4 & 18, August 1 & 15, September 5 & 19, October 3 & 17, November 7 & 21, December 5 & 19
2008 Price per person: $185 plus 5% government tax. No minimum
2009 Price per person: $199 plus 5% government tax. No minimum
A $25 per person surcharge must be added for tours beginning and or ending in Gamboa, Playa Bonita or Canopy Tower
Time approximate: 7:00 am – 4:00
pm
Since 1914, more than 900,000 vessels have transited through the waterway
bringing commerce, cultures and people from all corners of the world
closer together.
The Panama Canal partial tour starts with an early morning pick up
at your hotel in Panama City for a 15 minute drive to the Port of Balboa
on the Pacific side of the canal. You will board a comfortable passenger
ferry and sail under the bridge of the Americas, which raises over
100 meters above sea level, reuniting the land divided during construction
of the canal, forming another link in the Pan-American Highway. Breakfast
is available buffet style.
The Panama Canal is 80 kilometers long from deep waters in the Pacific
Ocean to deep waters in the Caribbean Sea. It was cut through the lowest
and one of the narrowest saddles of the long mountainous Isthmus that
joins North and South America. The original elevation was 95 meters
above sea level where it crosses the Continental Divide.
Northbound on the Panama Canal, the first stop is at Miraflores locks,
which are the tallest in the locks system due to the extreme tidal
variation of the Pacific Ocean. The boat will be raised 17 meters above
sea level in two steps to enter Miraflores Lake which is almost 2 kilometers
long. A transition from salt water in the Pacific Ocean to fresh water
in the locks chambers and lake takes place here. Next the ship is raised
in one step, this time an additional 9 meters, at the Pedro Miguel
locks.
At this point the ship will be sailing in Gatun Lake at 26 meters above
sea level and entering Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section of the Panama
Canal. The 13.7-kilometer long portion of the waterway was carved through
rock and shale and it is flanked by the backbones of the Continental
Divide. The original width of Gaillard Cut was 92 meters and was increased
to 152 meters in the early 1970s. In order to accommodate to the demands
of today's transit needs, the Panama Canal Authority recently completed
the monumental task of widening the Cut to 192 meters in straight sections
and up to 222 meters in curves. This allows for unrestricted two-way
traffic of Panamax vessels, the largest ships that fit in the Panama
Canal locks.
The Gaillard Cut opens up into Gatun Lake where the Chagres River
flows into the waterway near the town of Gamboa, site of the Panama
Canal's Dredging Division. The Chagres River has the distinction of
being the only river in the world that flows into two oceans and it
is the main source of fresh water which guarantees the operation of
the waterway. Lunch is served buffet style, while enjoying views of
the giant cranes and dredging equipment near Gamboa, ships traveling
southbound carrying cargo or passengers and the islands that dot Gatun
Lake.
Half way through the voyage in Gatun Lake you will pass by Barro Colorado
Island where the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has been carrying
out research on rainforest biodiversity since soon after this area
was flooded and the lake was formed. Gatun Lake covers an area of 423
square kilometers and the islands in it are actually the tops of hills
and mountains that were not flooded.
Gatun Lake was once the largest man-made lake in the world. Just before
reaching the Gatun locks on the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal
you will see Gatun Dam. The locks at Gatun will lower the ship 26 meters
to sea level in three steps and the ship will continue along a channel
to the Port of Cristobal.
You will disembark in Cristobal and board a coach bus that will take
you back to Balboa on a 1:30-hour comfortable ride. In Balboa your
driver will be waiting to take you back to your hotel.
WHAT TO BRING: Binoculars, camera, cap or hat, sunscreen lotion, light
clothing, light raincoat, tennis shoes or sandals. Cash in small
denominations is suggested if interested in purchasing souvenirs
and beer.
