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All 88 Panama City Attractions »

Gatun Lake

Panama
Sunrise Over Gatun Lake
going to the waterfall
Bird flying in front of a lodge on Gatun Lake
Sunset on Gatun Lake
34 visitor photos
Ranked #4 of 42 attractions in Panama City
4.5 of 5 stars 97 Reviews
Type: Bodies of Water
Activities: Birdwatching
Description: After Lake Mead, this is the world's largest man-made lake that forms the central part of the Panama Canal.
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97 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    55
    32
    8
    2
    0
Date Rating
Warren, Massachusetts
Top Contributor
524 reviews 524 reviews
Reviews in 192 cities Reviews in 192 cities
1,583 helpful votes 1,583 helpful votes
“One of the Largest Manmade Lakes in the World”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Gatun Lake was created in 1908 through the building of Gatun Dam just south of Colon. At the time, this was the largest dam in the world (surpassed by Hoover Dam in 1936; and China's Three Gorges Dam currently holds the world record). There are lots of boat rides that take tourists out on the lake for fishing and ecotourism.... More

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See 5 more reviews by redeco for Panama City
Nelson Bay, Australia
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
3 helpful votes 3 helpful votes
“Sailing through Lake Gatun”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 May 2012
1
person found this review helpful

A wonderful experience to sail through Lake Gatun from one set of canals to the other (we sailed from the Pacific side to the Atlantic side). Incredible to think of the work it took to make the Lake and the Canals & locks.

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See 2 more reviews by VandR430 for Panama City
BONITA SPRINGS, FL
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Incredible to see.”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 27 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Going thru the locks were amazing. We had a balcony room and from our balcony we could almost touch the workers on the other side of the canal.

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Vernon BC
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
“A one of a kind lake in a one of a kind setting.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 24 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Gatun lake makes up a large portion of the Panama Canal. It is AWESOME to be in a small "lancha" motoring by massive ships. I suggest booking an adventure with Sendero Panama and having them guide you around the islands (Including Monkey Island) . Last time I was there (Jan 2012) I saw Toucans, three monkey species - lots of... More

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See 4 more reviews by SWB_Academy for Panama City
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
“one of the best boat rides”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 22 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We were a birding group so our intentions were to find birds. but the monkeys and the basilisks and the caimans were not bad at all, not bad at all. throwing apple snails to the snail kites and watching them swoop down for their lunch was incredible for the birders and the photographers in our midst. we explored the lands... More

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See 3 more reviews by Sharon F for Panama City
New York
Top Contributor
57 reviews 57 reviews
Reviews in 29 cities Reviews in 29 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
“Nice”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

We stay for a few days at a rainforest on Gatun Lake. Worth the trip!!!

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See 6 more reviews by Sojourn3 for Panama City
Leesburg, Florida
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
“On the Lake in small tour boats”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Passed large ships traversing the lake. Visited monkey islands. Lots of wildlife.

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See 4 more reviews by Chuck H for Panama City
Doral, Florida
Senior Contributor
22 reviews 22 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
“AMAZING!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Just the sheer size of the lake and it's history and maintenance will floor you. The views are stunning and the wildlife (if you are lucky enough to encounter them) make it worthwhile. Then there are the massive Panamax ships that sail through...

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See 13 more reviews by zaxe for Panama City
Oakland
1 review
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“More about Captain Carl”
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 April 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Captain Carl is very funny and his trip is well organized and interesting. However everyone (especially Captain Carl) should know that it is really counterproductive to feed the wildlife, particularly monkeys, in order to coax them closer to the boat. The more they come to rely on human contact the less wild they will be. For tour boat operators, it... More

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Corpus Christi, Texas
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
“Captain Carl's Trip Was Great!”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 11 April 2012
1
person found this review helpful

My wife and I booked a day trip with Jungle Land Panama based on what I read here. We drove up to Gamboa and stayed at the Canopy Inn Bed & Breakfast in Gamboa (not the lodge). I had thought about using a shuttle to get to Gamboa and walking to the boat ramp but they told me it was... More

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