During our recent trip to Panama, my wife and I had a checklist of adventures to explore. First on the list was visiting the monkey islands on Lake Gatun. We booked with Almiza Tours for our first day in Panama. Since we arrived late the night before, I was unsure what to expect the next day. I messaged Almiza and received a quick response indicating our pick-up time, shortly before 7 am. They even provided the vehicle and license plate number for added security.
The vehicle, an ornately decorated Toyota Coaster minibus, was a delight. The exterior was wrapped with images of monkeys and sloths, with a green boa adorning the windshield inside. The minibus was air-conditioned and comfortable, making for a pleasant ride. We picked up a few other riders along the way to Lake Gatun, bringing our total group to about twelve.
On our way to the lake, our guide Danny provided an informative history of the area. He expertly switched between English and Spanish to accommodate all guests. Danny’s combination of information and humor showed his experience in dealing with tourists, making the ride enjoyable.
When we arrived at the lake, a boat awaited us, ready for our adventure. We were each provided with a mandatory life jacket before boarding. The fifteen to twenty-minute boat ride across Lake Gatun was scenic. While traversing the lake, we witnessed a couple of large container ships passing through the canal. Their massive size dwarfed our small touring boat.
Our first stop was a small island inhabited by Capuchin Monkeys. The Capuchins are very brave and extremely fast. They jumped onto our boat, darting around to explore the visitors before jumping back into the trees. Unsalted peanuts helped attract them to the boat, although I am unsure how I feel about feeding the monkeys. Either way, it was fun to watch the monkeys, including a mama monkey with baby in tow, interact with the passengers.
After visiting the Capuchin Monkeys, we stopped at another small island where tiny Tamarin Monkeys greeted us. These monkeys were far more cautious but came to the bow of our boat to say hello. The small monkeys were cute and made faces at us. We captured some great photos before moving on.
Before heading to the final type of monkey found on Lake Gatun, we stopped at a large tree where a family of proboscis bats was sleeping. The fifty-cent-sized creatures were spaced out along the trunk of the tree. At first, I wasn’t sure what we were looking at, but finally, their tiny bodies came into view. It was an interesting sight to behold.
Finally, we visited the Howler Monkeys, which do not approach the boat. When threatened, the Alpha will hoot out, hence the name howler monkey. These monkeys weren’t threatened enough to howl at us, but they did get close enough in the tree canopy for us to capture some great photos. There were quite a few monkeys in the trees, some obscured by the foliage. But we did manage to get some great photographs.
After visiting the Howler Monkeys, we headed back to the docks. From there, we made a short bathroom stop at a nearby restaurant/grocery before heading back to our hotels. The tour was very reasonably priced, brought us close to each of the three types of monkey found on Lake Gatun, and included a great narrative on the history of the Panama Canal provided by our guide Danny. I would definitely recommend this particular excursion, as well as Almiza Tours for anyone visiting Panama.
Overview of our three-day trip to Panama!