Cruise Port Guide · 8 cruises visit Cristobal →
The bucket-list things to do — and the private, expert-led way to do each.
Here’s the bucket list for your day ashore: the most extraordinary thing to do at each stop, and the private, small-group, or expert-led way to make it yours — your own pace, real access, none of the crowd.
Lock through the iconic Miraflores and Gatún Locks aboard a private vessel — one of the world's great engineering feats, witnessed from the waterline. Few experiences rival watching 100,000-ton ships rise and fall beside you in these century-old chambers.
Glide by private launch into the flooded rainforest of Gatún Lake, one of the most biodiverse freshwater habitats on Earth, spotting three-toed sloths, howler monkeys, caimans, and toucans. This is Panama's wildlife crown jewel, minutes from the port.
Soar above the Panamanian jungle canopy in an open gondola at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, with sweeping views over the Panama Canal waterway and the Chagres River delta. A rare bird's-eye perspective of one of the world's most spectacular biodiversity corridors.
Journey along Panama's Caribbean coast to the magnificently preserved 17th-century Spanish fortifications of Portobelo — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — with a private historian guide. These crumbling iron cannons once guarded the greatest treasure fleet in the world.
Board the legendary Panama Canal Railway in the glass-domed observation car for a one-hour crossing of the isthmus — one of the world's most dramatic train journeys, threading jungle, lakes, and the Canal corridor from ocean to ocean.
Cast for legendary Atlantic tarpon and hard-fighting peacock bass on the glassy waters of Gatún Lake, rated among the world's top freshwater fishing destinations, aboard a private guided sportfishing vessel. A truly elite angling experience on an extraordinary man-made sea.
⚓ Your bucket-list concierge
Tell us your sailing and we'll send the bucket list for every port — the most extraordinary thing to do at each, and the private, expert-led way to make it yours.
No spam. The honest plan, even when it says skip the ship’s tour.