We will begin our excursion leaving the port of Colón on a comfortable coach and cross the isthmus to the small village of Gamboa, situated on the banks of the Chagres river and the Panama Canal. The village is located in Soberanía National Park, which spans over 22,000 hectares, and is surrounded by a lush tropical forest with an immense variety of plants and animals.
From Gamboa, we will board a ferry to cross part of the Panama Canal. This will take us to the Gaillard Cut, now known as the Culebra Cut, an artificial valley that cuts through the Continental Divide in Panama. The cut is part of the canal that links Gatún Lake, and therefore the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of Panama and the Pacific Ocean. Construction of the strait was one of the greatest engineering feats of the early 20th century. The immense effort required to complete it was justified by the importance of the canal for navigation and in particular for the strategic interests of the United States.
After crossing the Culebra Cut, we will enter Pedro Miguel locks, which will lower our ferry around 9 metres and transport it into Miraflores lake. While we are crossing the lake, we will be served lunch on board including chicken, cheese and ham sandwiches, Spanish omelette and other delicacies, washed down with water and other drinks.
Then we will reach the Miraflores locks which, along with Gatún locks and Pedro Miguel locks, make up the massive hydraulic engineering feat that is the Panama Canal. The Miraflores locks lower the ferry by 17 metres to reach the level of the Pacific Ocean. The Miraflores locks are the highest of the three locks that make up the canal, and this is due to the wide variation in the tides of the Pacific Ocean compared to the Atlantic coast, which is much lower. From start to finish, the Miraflores locks are just over 1.5 km long. Depending on the dimensions of each ship, it is possible to see one to three ships pass through at the same time. From the moment they enter the locks, it takes around 10 minutes to complete the process. The water basins are filled and emptied by the force of gravity without the use of pumps or other devices.
Once we have passed through the locks, we will sail across the waters of the Pacific to the port of Balboa in Panama, where our unforgettable cruise of the canal ends.
From there, we will get back on our coach and return to the port and the ship.