Aguas Clara Locks: Panama Canal Expansion Tour

Experience the wonders of Aguas Claras on this tour, featuring the new locks of the Panama Canal and the natural beauty of San Lorenzo Park. Witness the transit of mega-ships and explore the rainforest and historic fort.

Duration: 4 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Fort San Lorenzo - Discover the remarkable fort located at the mouth of the Chagres River.
  • Centro de Visitantes de Agua Clara - Witness the new set of locks, constructed in 2016, in full operation for the world’s largest ships.
  • Fort Sherman - Pass by the former military base at Fort Sherman and enjoy a delightful lunch at The Dock…
What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Bottled water
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Entrance fees
  • Entrance fees
  • Admission fees
Additional Information

Embark on an extraordinary journey through one of the world’s engineering wonders: The Panama Canal. This tour will guide you to both visitor centers, including the new Aguas Claras locks and the original Gatun locks, both situated on the Caribbean side of the canal. Experience the canal’s operations up close and admire the remarkable differences…

Location
Fort San Lorenzo
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(22 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Shawn_w
Mar 18, 2026
Private and no rushing! - Personal experience. Private easy paced tour. Guide Jorge is very knowledgeable, professional and accommodating. Tour is worth the price upgrade to private. Few extra cost with entry fees, but it is well documented and wasnt a suprise. Time at each location was flexable.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_d
Feb 27, 2026
Roderick is very... - Roderick is very knowledgeable and entertaining. His experiences come through and related very well with the group.
Review provided by Viator
Sandra_m
Feb 21, 2026
Happy Canadian Tourists :) - Excellent tour! Jorge was extremely knowledgeable in telling us about Panama's history and sites. He took extra care to ensure we were comfortable, safe and secure throughout our tour. We had an amazing day before he dropped us off at the airport in record time. He even made a stop at Starbucks for us on the way. Thank you Jorge!!!
Review provided by Viator
Jack
Feb 5, 2026
Monkey watching - Jorge was a fantastic guide as well as the man driving the boat. Both were very knowledgeable. Would recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Happiness62002288620
Jan 13, 2026
Fantastic trip !!!! - What a fantastic experience with Jorge, our tour guide. He was so kind and patient and super knowledgeable!!!! We were on a carnival cruise but booked this tour ourselves and recommend them highly!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Erin_o
Jan 13, 2026
Jorge was the BEST!! - This tour was amazing and worth every penny. Our guide Jorge was very knowledgeable and friendly, he made sure that we saw both canals in use even though we were only scheduled to see one. I cannot stress enough how great this was. Don't be afraid to schedule tours this way, they are very invested in making sure you make it back in time!
Review provided by Viator
859okm
Apr 11, 2025
A great trip with great people and many impressions of Panama - It was a great trip, Roderik with whom we were traveling explained everything to us great. In the end we were still with him in a local restaurant, which was a great conclusion. Always happy to. Thank you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Julie_h
Apr 10, 2025
We had a private tour to... - We had a private tour to the Panama locks, fort and then lunch in Colon. Bill, our driver/tour guide, was friendly, informative, was able to answer any questions we had, and was fun to be around. Our only negative was that the meeting instructions were not clear and we were unable to find our transportation. The tour director I spoke with was very helpful and was able to connect us with our driver after an hour. However, the excursion was fabulous, and more than made up for the rocky start. I would recommend, though, that clearer meeting instructions be given for this excursion.
Review provided by Viator
Alemh2025
Jan 26, 2025
Opinion - Excellent tour, guide Archie knows too much, is very attentive and full of information. It is a different part of Panama, as a personal opinion it is better to see the canal in colon than in miraflores
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roman
Mar 7, 2026
Around success - We were very surprised that we had the taxi exclusively - in pairs - to ourselves. So nothing stood in the way of a nice tour. Our driver Christian took away any time tension and told us several times to take the time - our time - and as much as we like. We visited Aqua Clara - the new lock, then stopped again at the railway line by the canal. A wonderful spot with views of the canal, the Atlantic Bridge, the PanamaCanal Railway and back to the new lock. From there we crossed the bridge to Gatun - the old lock system. Again, we could take as much time as we liked. The comments by the controller transferred to the public gallery were helpful to understand more of the process etc. On the way to Fort San Lorenzo we had the encounter with numerous nose bears on the side of the road, which were lured by Christian with his breakfast bread. The return trip with a short stop on the Atlantic Bridge and at a supermarket completed our trip at the end.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $135
up to 15 guests
2 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).