Panama City: Fort San Lorenzo & Panama Canal Agua Clara Locks｜Panama

Fort San Lorenzo
Declared a Unesco World Heritage Site in 1980, Fuerte San Lorenzo is situated at the mouth of the Río Chagres on a promontory west of the Panama Canal. Despite its violent history, much of the original San Lorenzo fort is well preserved, including its moat, cannons and vaulted chambers. The fort also commands stunning views of the river and bay far below, which was one of the strategic reasons why the Spanish chose to establish here.

San Lorenzo was constructed of blocks of cut coral and armed with row upon row of cannons. If you inspect the cannons closely, you’ll notice that some of them are actually British-made, dating from the time in the 17th century when Sir Francis Drake and his privateer crew occupied the fort.

Agua Clara Locks
This observation center offers stunning panoramic views of the Panama Canal expansion, including the three-chambered Agua Clara Locks. From the covered decks visitors can view Lago Gatún as well as the original Gatún Locks; the visitor center also offers a theater with two videos in English, a cafe and gift shop. With no on-site museum, the main focus here is mainly about getting a good look at the Panama Canal expansion. Visitors can hike on a short rainforest trail which is home to sloths, howler monkeys and toucans (please ask your guide if interested).

Itinerary:

Your tour starts at 7:00am. Your friendly, English speaking driver and tour guide will meet you at your Panama City lodging from where you will continue on towards the Agua Clara Locks, located about 1.5 hours away, on the Caribbean side of the country.

Visitors can take their time here and watch the gigantic ships passing through the locks below. Stroll through the visitor center, watch an informational video, or hike on the nearby rainforest trail (please ask your guide if interested). Learn about how engineers were able to raise Gatun Lake, built new locks, and widened existing channels to accommodate the massive New Panamax ships.

We continue to the Fort San Lorenzo, crossing the beautiful, newly built Puente Atlantico bridge, giving you an exhilarating view of the Panama Canal from above. After a 30 minute drive, we arrive at Fort San Lorenzo. Discover the rich history of these well-preserved ruins as your guide brings the vibrant past of this historic landmark to life.

At 12:00pm we return to Panama City and will arrive back at your hotel by 1:00pm.

This is a unique tour of the impressive Panama history and should be on every visitor's to-do list. We are sure you will enjoy this experience and bring home memories of a lifetime :)