Cruise Port Guide
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.
Board a dedicated transit vessel and sail the entire 80km Panama Canal — through Miraflores, Pedro Miguel, and the new Agua Clara Locks — rising 26 metres into Gatun Lake and descending to the Atlantic. The ultimate engineering marvel, experienced from water level.
Stand on the observation terraces of the new Agua Clara Locks as Neopanamax vessels — longer than the Empire State Building — squeeze through with centimetres to spare. Combine with historic Gatun Locks for the complete locks story in a single morning.
Paddle a kayak through the flooded rainforest of Gatun Lake — the canal's vast artificial heart — spotting howler monkeys, three-toed sloths, toucans, and caimans in their undisturbed habitat. One of the most biodiverse waterways on earth, seen at your own pace.
Explore the dramatic Spanish colonial fortress of Fort San Lorenzo — a UNESCO World Heritage Site perched above the Caribbean jungle — then descend to the Chagres River mouth where conquistadors, pirates, and canal engineers all left their mark.
Stroll the cobbled plazas and crumbling baroque churches of Casco Viejo — Panama City's UNESCO-listed old quarter — with a private architectural historian, then ascend to a rooftop terrace for a long lunch overlooking the skyline and the canal's Pacific entrance.
Journey by dugout canoe up the Chagres River deep into the national park to visit an authentic Emberá village, witness traditional dance and music ceremonies, and walk the rainforest with a tribal guide identifying medicinal plants used for centuries.
⚓ 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.