If you’re looking for a fun outdoor activity that’s both close to the city, and immersive with natural surroundings, look no further than Gamboa, Panama. Gamboa is a small Canal Zone town that sits in the middle of a rainforest, about 30 minutes drive north from Panama City. As a town on its own, there’s not too much to do in the form of typical city entertainment, however, if nature and adventure are your things, it’s one of the most fun places to visit in Panama. It’s also home to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, which, among offering resort-style lodging, offers a wide variety of guided excursions, spa treatments, dining, and tours!
What to do in Gamboa
If you’re planning on taking a day trip to Gamboa, we recommend going early and making the most of it. You can either park in town, or head up to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort and park there if you’re doing any of their paid excursions or tours. Once parked, regardless of your plan, it’s definitely worth it to take a walk around town. Town is small, but a beautiful piece of Panama history (specifically in the Canal Zone) and right up on all of the splendors of nature. From town or the resort, you can walk through marked trails into canopied rainforest. It’s rural enough to give you a great flora/fauna experience, yet the trails are short enough to be able to pass through in about 30-40 minutes. The trails are free to enter, so this is also a great way to start your exploration without spending any money.
Once you’re ready to jump head first into the tours and excursions, you’ve got dozens of options. You can purchase Gamboa tours and excursions online, or in the city at a number of tour companies and organizations. It’s a bit tougher to find in town (Gamboa) unless going through the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, but there are a few there, so if you don’t book in advance, don’t worry. Some of the most popular things to do are monkey tours (yes, you read that right), Lake Gatun flora/fauna tours, zip lining, and gondola canopy tours. Should you find all this a bit too overwhelming for just a day trip, book a room at the resort, where you’ll even get discounts on certain tours as a guest.
How to get to Gamboa
By public transportation, it takes quite a while to get to Gamboa due to the frequency of buses, number of stops, and lack of population that lives/works there. Your best bet from the city is to take a taxi or an Uber. It costs about $20 in a taxi, and with low traffic will take about 30 minutes. If you hit traffic on by the Canal (which is expected), it’s about an hour drive, but very scenic, as you’ll ride along the right bank of the Panama Canal. An Uber can also get you there, and will cost about $12-$15 each way. If you rent a car or own a car, simply take the corridor to the Albrook and head north. Regardless of how long you stay, we recommend going early, as all of the best activity times are in the morning, and it usually rains throughout the afternoon.
