PANAMA CANAL AND FORMER CANAL ZONE

The Panama Canal was being hailed as a wonder of the world even before it opened for business on August 15, 1914. It still stands as one of the most awe-inspiring of all human endeavors. If you come all the way to Panama without visiting the canal, you’re cheating yourself—not to mention inviting puzzled looks from your friends and relatives when you return home.

Built across the isthmus of Panama at one of its narrowest and lowest points, the canal is 80 kilometers (50 miles) long, extending from the city of Colón on the Caribbean Sea to Panama City on the Pacific Ocean. To the bafflement of many a visitor, the Caribbean entrance is northwest of the Pacific entrance. What was once the Canal Zone ran the length of the canal, extending eight kilometers (five miles) on either side of it. The U.S. civilian townsites and military bases near the Pacific Ocean are now abandoned or being engulfed by Panama City, though some of the forested lands in the former Canal Zone have been set aside as protected areas.

The canal itself is so impressive it’s easy to overlook nature’s equally astonishing handiwork on its banks and in its waters. Parque Nacional Soberanía is one of the most accessible tropical forests in the world. It has an astonishing amount of wildlife, especially considering that its trails start just a half-hour drive from Panama City. The park itself and surrounding forests have some of the best bird-watching in the country. There’s also a surprisingly decent chance of coming across largish mammals, including three species of monkeys (white-faced capuchins, Geoffroy’s tamarins, and howlers), sloths, kinkajous, coatimundis, and capybaras (the largest rodent in the world) in the extensive moist tropical forests still standing here. Even jaguars and harpy eagles are not unheard of, but the chances of spotting either are extremely slim. You may also see a green iguana or two.

All the attractions described here run along the east bank of the canal and are easily accessible from Panama City.

El Centro de Exhibiciones Marinas: This little Smithsonian-run marine exhibit on the Amador Causeway is as notable for its views of the entrance to the Panama Canal as for its marine life. (read more)

Balboa: A glimpse of what life in the former Canal Zone was like. (read more)

Miraflores Locks, Pedro Miguel Locks, and Gaillard Cut: A close-up look at a one of the world’s great engineering feats. (read more)

Parque Nacional Soberanía: A species-rich tropical forest just a few minutes’ drive from downtown Panama City. (read more)

Lago Gatún: Once the world’s largest manmade lake, Lago Gatún is the Panama Canal’s major waterway, the home to important tropical-nature reserves, and a popular destination for water sports and recreation. (read more)