The Panama Canal serves more than 144 maritime routes that connect 160 countries and reach some 1,700 ports worldwide. The Canal has a workforce of approximately 10,000 employees and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing transit service to vessels from all nations without discrimination. Nowadays, the Canal operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year. This was not always the case. The Panama Canal Authority (ACP) only began operating 24 hours in 1963 due to the introduction of fluorescent light.
Whether sailing or exploring it on foot, visiting the Panama Canal is one of the most popular things to see in Panama. The canal, which is perhaps the world's best example of engineering brilliance, extends 80 kilometers across the center of the country and was designed as a shortcut for navigation. By connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it prevents ships from having to sail through South America to reach their final destination. There are different ways in which visitors can observe a passage, including experiencing first-hand one of the Panama Canal tours that cross the locks.
There are many cruise ships that make canal tours, as well as day boat trips departing from Gamboa, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. Then they leave 14 kilometers in the direction of the locks and cross them, until the end of the trip on the Amador Causeway. Those who are short on time should choose to make the trip to the Miraflores Visitor Center. There, outdoor viewing platforms offer a panoramic, unobstructed view of the Miraflores lock complex, making it the best way to see the Panama Canal in action.
Exact transit times are available so that guests can schedule their visit to coincide with the passage of a ship, and since it changes every day, it's best to call the visitor center in advance. While there's no doubt that witnessing a ship pass through the locks is the highlight of any visit to the Panama Canal, it's also worth stopping at the interpretive center inside to understand the true genius behind its construction. A 10-minute video is played every hour detailing your story, and it's a great way to start a tour before you go to the museum. There, visitors will find four exhibition halls that house real artifacts from the canal's construction, as well as interactive exhibits.
This post may contain affiliate links, for which Globe Guide receives compensation at no additional cost to you. So, have you ever been to Panama? It's great that you have to go. I would like to see this in person. Although I have heard that it is the highlight of Panama in terms of tourist attraction. I have to admit that when I was in Panama and they told me to visit the canal (I flew to Colombia from there), my initial reaction was that they exaggerated it.
However, once I was there and saw the complexity of the work, the ships that went in and out through the locks that opened and closed, I was surprised by the number of entrances and exits, it really is an engineering feat. I must say that seeing it from above while flying from Panama was just as charming. I'm just like you, anyone who goes to Panama has to witness it firsthand. Who hasn't heard of the Panama Canal? But I just realized how little I know about him.
Other than the fact that it connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and its geographical location, I couldn't think of anything else. Frankly, it's unlikely that I'll be visiting Panama anytime soon, but your post piqued my curiosity. Thank you ???? WE WOULD LIKE TO SAIL THE PANAMA CANAL FROM MIAMI TO MEXICO. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Early canal planners thought wisely about the future, predicting that the width of cargo ships would likely increase in the future. Until that time, the United States had full authority and control of the Panama Canal zone, which extended five miles on either side of the Canal's centerline (excluding the cities of Colón and Panama). This park was created by decree in 1985 to protect the Chagres River basin, which supplies 80% of the water needed to operate the Panama Canal, as well as the city's consumption requirements. In 1848, gold was discovered in California and soon the Panama Railroad was created to transport it across the isthmus.
The works on the Pacific Access Canal also required clearing more than 400 hectares contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) left behind by the U.S. military during its deployment in the Panama Canal. To determine the net tonnage of the Canal, the system applies a mathematical formula to measure the total volume of the vessel. As you probably know, the Panama Canal recently completed a very costly and lengthy expansion program to allow larger ships to pass through the Canal.
Local television showed the renowned Chinese ship Cosco Shipping Panama making the official maiden transit of the third set of locks. There are a lot of websites and books about the Panama Canal, but here's a very brief summary of the story. The United States controlled the Canal until ownership passed to the Republic of Panama after 1999, following the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977. The 50-mile-long route that crosses the Isthmus of Panama created an important shortcut for ships that previously had to make the perilous journey around the southernmost tip of South America.
