The Panama Canal is fascinating because it’s one of the only places that exists within one country, yet has had other countries spearhead its construction, and where countless other countries use it regularly and have a stake in how it is managed, operated, and maintained.
The Canal has a rich (and often unpleasant) history but also features a triumph of engineering and innovation that you can’t help but be impressed with. Add to that its enduring social and political importance and it’s a wonder that more people don’t have this on their must-see list. To be honest, I didn’t know half of the Panama Canal’s story or importance until I actually went there myself. Maybe they should have spent less time on engineering and more on marketing, amiright?
Now that I’ve piqued your interest, here are a few things you should know about planning a trip to the Canal, and a few ways you can prepare to make the most of your visit.
What’s a Visit to the Panama Canal All About?
The Panama Canal allows ships to effectively pass over the land bridge between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The land area is higher than sea level, so the canal uses a system of locks to lift and lower ships from sea level to the higher level of Lake Gatun, where they pass through, and then back down to sea level where they continue on to their destination.
The main draw of visiting the Canal is to see these massive locks in action. Therefore, timing your visit is important, as you’ll want to catch at least one ship passing through. Without a ship passing, there’s not really a lot to experience.
Most of the vessels using the Canal are commercial: cargo ships transporting goods, or tankers carrying oil. Cruise ships make up about 3% of Canal traffic.
One Canal’s Fortune is Another Port City’s Loss
Before the Canal was built, ships had to pass all the way around the tip of South America, greatly extending the time and danger in the journey. During this time period, most ships docked at the port of Valparaíso, in Chile. Unfortunately, the Panama Canal’s opening drastically reduced port activity here, beginning a gradual decline in the city’s economic prosperity. Valparaíso however, found a new niche with Bohemians and artists, and while that luster is now fading somewhat, it is still an interesting place for a quick visit.
It Costs How Much to Cross the Canal?!?
It costs a LOT of money to pass through the Canal. The large tanker that we saw paid about $200,000 USD. Payment for passage must be made two to four days in advance. That makes sense as I don’t think you just whip out your credit card at the toll booth for this kind of money. (It’s important that the payment clears because once you’re through the Canal, what are they going to do, force the boat to turn around? Ship captain hangs his head and is like “Sure, we’ll turn around, just let us drop this stuff off real quick…”)
Pilots Talking to Mules
Paying in advance is the first condition of passage, but there is one more very important caveat for passing through: at least one pilot from the Canal Commission must be on board to guide the vessel through the locks. If the ship is particularly large there may be several Canal Commission pilots aboard. Sometimes there is just a foot of buffer between the side of the ship and the Canal wall. Now that’s a tight squeeze!
The ship is guided through the passage with the help of little vehicles on tracks that run alongside the Canal. These carts are called mules because in European locks, they at one time actually were mules! The Panama Canal has never actually used animals for this, though. The mules are attached to the vessel by guide wires and an operator inside tightens or loosens the wires based on instructions that the pilot gives them. Notably, the pilot is the only person allowed to verbally communicate directions. The mule operators acknowledge instructions by ringing a bell. Who ever heard of a talking mule, anyway?
Where to See the Panama Canal Locks
There are several places where you can see the Canal locks in operation:
- Agua Clara Visitor Center – near Colón
- Miraflores Visitor Center – near Panama City (most popular)
- Pedro Miguel Locks – near Panama City (no visitor center here)
How to Visit the Panama Canal at Miraflores
The Miraflores Visitor Center has the best facilities of the three, and is the most popular place to see the locks. It includes a two-story viewing platform and a really interesting 45 minute iMax movie about the Canal. (Yep, the visitor center has an iMax movie theatre in it!)
1. Check the schedule in advance so you know when ships will be passing through.
Ships pass in a single direction (Atlantic to Pacific or vice versa) in the morning, then there is a break midday where the locks change direction. Then, in the afternoon the ships will pass going the other way. I recommend visiting during the morning passage. The viewing platform is covered but gets very crowded, hot, and stuffy. It will be uncomfortable at whatever time you go, but less miserable in the morning when it’s merely pea soup, not hot lava.
2. Pre-buy your ticket online so you don’t have to wait in the ticket line when you get there.
There will be a line to buy tickets when you arrive. If you’ve bought in advance, you’ll be ahead of the game. In addition to general admission, the visitor center offers guided tours for an additional charge. The guided tour gets you access to parts of the Canal that are closed to the general public, but at $200 per ticket, you’ll pay dearly for the privilege!
At the viewing platform, interesting information about the Canal is broadcast through a loudspeaker, both in Spanish and English. We felt like we got our money’s worth from the general admission ticket, which was only about $17.
3. Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before a scheduled ship passage.
You’ll want to have enough time to get through the entrance line and make your way to the viewing platform before the first ship goes through. The viewing platform has stadium style seating at ground level and a balcony over it, accessible by stairs.
I recommend heading up to the balcony for a standing spot at the railing. This will be the best view by a long shot. It will get crowded with people so getting there early gets you a better spot.
4. Do plan to see the iMax movie that is offered with the ticket.
The movie actually is very interesting. However, I’ll admit that after standing for an hour in a humid crush of people on the viewing platform, I would have watched anything as long as it was in air conditioning. The movie theatre fills up pretty quickly. Therefore, you should leave the platform with at least 20 minutes to spare so you can get a good seat and buy snacks if you want any. There is a full service concession stand selling drinks, food, popcorn, and candy. Notably, for the morning crowd: they sell coffee! You can find movie screening times on the Miraflores Visitor Center site.
Getting to the Miraflores Visitor Center
The Miraflores Visitor Center is about 6 miles from Panama City’s old town. You can take a public bus here, but Uber in Panama City is relatively inexpensive and much more convenient. We had no problem taking an Uber from old town there and back. It’s about 20 minutes one way and cost us about $11.
How Much Time Will This Take?
Plan to spend several hours visiting the Panama Canal at the Miraflores Visitor Center. This includes the time it takes to get here, wait in line, see a ship or two pass through the locks, and watch the 45 minute iMax movie. If the visit whets your appetite for learning more about the Canal, be sure to check out the Panama Canal Museum in the old town, which has a ton of additional information.
Books to Get You in a Canal State of Mind
Hopefully now you are a little more informed about the Panama Canal and how to experience it. Of course, there’s a whole can of worms about how the Canal was actually made. The intense, decades long, multi-country, disease ridden, environment disrupting, community upheaving process that came along with it is way more than this post can handle. Guess you’ll have to visit and see for yourself. 😉
In the meantime, pick up The Great Divide by Cristina Henríquez, a historical fiction novel about the making of the Canal. I found it to be an enjoyable read, and full of interesting details.
If you want to delve into some non-fiction historical accounts, check out Matthew Parker’s Panama Fever or Marixa Lasso’s Erased, the Untold Story of the Panama Canal.
Have you been to the Panama Canal or is it on your list? Leave me a comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts, opinions, or any tips or stories you’d like to share!
Happy you enjoyed one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Another great book is The Path Between the Seas. Very detailed and historic, but a great read after page 80! Cheers!
It was super interesting and enjoyable, if just a bit hot, lol. Thanks for the extra book recommendation, I’ll check it out! Thank you for reading and commenting. 😀