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The Panama Canal - Half or Full Day Transits
Panama Canal Transits
Welcome... and our apologies! This site
is technically still under construction.
However, to not leave you empty-handed,
we reprint below the Panama Canal transit tour description
of one of Panama's most highly regarded tour operators (Ancon
Tours), their direct contact info, Panama Canal full and
partial transit dates, as well as some general Panama Canal
sites that are worth seeing.
If you have only one day free in Panama ... or even just
a half day... spend it crossing the Panama Canal! It will
be well worth it.
The Panama Canal FULL Transit
(As mentioned above, the following is a verbatim description
of the Panama Canal Transit tour as conducted by Ancon,
one of Panama's premier tour operators. )
The price for a FULL Panama Canal transit
is:
US$175.00 p/person (plus 5% sales tax)
The price for a PARTIAL Panama Canal transit
is:
US$125.00 p/person (plus 5% sales tax)
Contact Ancon directly at the following email to book this
tour (please include your name, desired transit date, and
number of people in your party).
contact@anconexpeditions.com
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Our Panama Canal transit
tour starts with an early morning pick up at your hotel
in Panama City and a 15 minute drive to the Port of
Balboa in the Pacific side of the canal. Once aboard
the ship you will be invited to have breakfast on one
of the three decks as the ship departs from port. You
will first sail under the bridge of the Americas, which
soars over 100 meters above sea level and reunites the
land divided during construction of the canal forming
another link in the Panamerican Highway. |
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Departure Dates - Full
Panama Canal Transit
Year
2004
: January 17, February 21, March 20, April 17,
May 15, June 19, July 17, August 14, September
18, October 16, November 20, December 18 |
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Northbound on the Panama Canal,
the first stop is at the Miraflores locks, which are the tallest
in the locks system due to the extreme tidal variation of
the Pacific Ocean.
The ship will be raised 17 meters above sea level in two
steps and enter Miraflores lake which is almost 2 kilometers
long. A transition from salt water in the Pacific Ocean to
fresh water in the locks chambers and lake take place here.
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Next the
ship is raised in one step, this time an additional
9 meters, at the Pedro Miguel locks. At this point the
ship will be sailing in Gatun lake at 26 meters above
sea level and entering Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section
of the Panama Canal. The 13.7-kilometer long portion
of the waterway was carved through rock and shale and
it is flanked by the backbones of the Continental Dive.
The original width of Gaillard cut was 92 meters and
was increased to 152 meters in the early 1970s. In order
to accommodate to the demands of today's transit needs,
the Panama Canal Authority recently completed the monumental
task of widening the cut to 192 meters in straight sections
and up to 222 meters in curves. This will allow the
unrestricted two-way traffic of Panamax vessels, the
largest ships that use the Panama Canal.
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| Gaillard cut opens up into Gatun lake where the Chagres river
flows into the waterway near the town of Gamboa, site of the
Panama Canal's dredging division.
The Chagres river has the distinction of being the only river
in the world that flows into two oceans and it is the main
source of fresh water which guarantees the operation of the
waterway.
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Lunch
is served aboard the ship while you enjoy views of the
giant cranes and dredging equipment near Gamboa, ships
traveling southbound carrying cargo or passengers and
the islands that dot Gatun lake. Half way through the
voyage in Gatun lake you will pass by Barro Colorado
island where the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
has been carrying out research on rainforest biodiversity
since soon after this area was flooded and the lake
was formed. |
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Gatun
lake covers an area of 423 square kilometers and the
islands in it are actually the tops of hills and mountains
that were not flooded.
Gatun lake was once the largerst man-made lake in
the world. Just before reaching the Gatun locks on
the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal you will see
Gatun Dam. The locks at Gatun will lower the ship
26 meters to sea level in three steps and the ship
will continue along a channel to the Port of Cristobal.
You will disembark here and board a coach bus that
will take you back to Balboa on a 1:30-hour comfortable
ride. In Balboa your driver will be waiting to take
you back to your hotel.
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| To recieve a direct quote from Ancon
for the above tours, please email them with your name, transit
dates, and number of people in your party.
contact@anconexpeditions.com
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Partial
Panama Canal Transit
The itinerary is the same as that of the full transit
until it reaches Gatun lake, where the ship turns around
and returns with the passengers back to the Port of
Balboa. Breakfast and lunch is also served on this tour.
Note: The leng in time of both tours is subject to
the priorities of the Panama Canal Authority which
determines the Panama Canal transits.
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Departure
Dates - Partial Panama Canal Transit
Available on all Saturdays in which the FULL
TRANSIT is not offered (see full transit dates
above)
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| Interesting Info about the Panama Canal
Even by today's standards it is awesome to see a
container ship gliding past rain forests, rural landscapes,
and through the massive locks of the Panama Canal. Put the
Canal in the context of turn-of-the-19th century technology
and the feat of its construction truly qualifies it as one
of the wonders of the world
(Panama
Canal history highlights here).
Every year, the Panama Canal handles more than 13,056 bluewater
ships (about 40 per day), under the flags of about 70 nations,
carrying everything from grain and motor vehicles to cruise
ship passengers. The average toll for ships using the canal
is about $48,000.00 but many save about ten times this figure
by eliminating the journey round the Horn. Record tolls: Coral
Princess which transited for $217,513.75 and Richard Halliburton
who swam the Canal in 1926 and was charged 36 cents after
his displacement tonnage was calculated.
The Canal is about 50 miles long and ships are lifted 85
feet in three lockages as they cross the Isthmus. The journey
through the Canal takes about 8 hours and a ship is normally
in Canal waters between 14 and 16 hours.
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