Tours

Panama City has a plethora of tour companies, all of which offer tours of the city, canal, and nearby parks, but not all of them have guides of the same caliber, and few have true naturalist guides. The premier ecotourism company is Ancon Expeditions, but the comparable Ecocircuitos also has good guides and environmentally friendly policies. Smaller, newer companies that can often provide a more customized service include Panoramic Panama, Sendero Panama, and Advantage Panama, which specializes in bird-watching and nature tours. Well-established tour operators that offer day trips are Margo Tours and Pesantez Tours. An inexpensive city tour option is to board one of the red double-decker buses of Citysightseeing Panama, which stop at the Amador Causeway, Miraflores Locks, Casco Viejo and several malls once an hour, allowing you to get off, explore, then board the next bus. Panama Marine Adventures runs a two-hour Aqua Bus City Tour in a duck bus, combining a traditional bus tour with navigation of the Pacific Ocean and the Panama Canal. To head off the beaten path, check out Explora Eco-Adventures Panama or Aventuras Panama, a white-water rafting outfitter that also offers kayaking tours in the Panama Canal and the Caribbean.

Tour Companies

Advantage Panama (Llanos de Curundú No. 2006, Curundú, Panama City. 507/6676-2466. www.advantagepanama.com.)

Ancon Expeditions (Calle Elvira Mendez, Edificio El Dorado No. 3, Area Bancária, Panama City. 507/269-9415. www.anconexpeditions.com.)

Aventuras Panama (Calle El Parcial, 1 ½ blocks west of Transístmica, Edif. Celma Of. 3, El Dorado, Panama City. 507/260-0044 or 507/6679-4404. www.aventuraspanama.com.)

Eco Circuitos Panama (Albrook Plaza, No. 31, Urbanización Albrook, Albrook, Panama City. 507/315-1305; 800/830-7142 Toll free in US. www.ecocircuitos.com.)

Margo Tours (Centro Comercial Plaza Paitilla, local 36, Paitilla, Panama City. 507/264-8888. www.margotours.com.)

Panoramic Panama (Quarry Heights, casa #35, Cerro Ancón, Panama City. 507/314-1417. www.panoramicpanama.com.)

Pesantez Tours (Plaza Balboa oficina #2, Punta Paitilla, Panama City. 507/366-9100. www.pesantez-tours.com.)