Panama Canal

The name Panama is synonymous with the canal and it is probably the major destination drawing visitors to the country from around the globe.  The Panama Canal is an engineering marvel and one of the most significant waterways on earth.

The Panama canal stretches 80 km from Panama City on the Pacific coast to Colon on the Atlantic side.

The King of Spain, Charles V, who was eager to find a route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through Panama, ordered a study on the possibility of the same. The idea was tried out for many years. Many of the works in the field were abandoned after owing to bouts sickness, harsh jungles and financial troubles. When Panama got independence in 1903, the country signed a treaty with the US government authorizing it to build the Canal. The canal was eventually completed after years of sacrifice and unflinching courage.

Following 10 years of hard work, on August 15, 1954 the canal was ready for use and the steamship ‘Ancon’ was the first to cross it. The construction of the canal involved nearly 4.5 million cubic yards of concrete. With the opening of the canal, a 400-year dream was finally realised.

Today, the Panama Canal provides passage for over 14,000 ocean-going vessels per year.  There are a number of vantage points through which a visitor can actually glimpse the grit and workmanship of thousands of people who toiled hard for the construction of the canal. Visitors can hire boats at Balboa, a western suburb of Panama City for a five-hour tour through the locks to Miraflores Lake. 

While cruising through the canal, Miraflores is first of the three set of locks through the canal.  The visitors’ center at Miraflores Locks offers the easiest and best way to visit the canal. The platform here offers visitors a good view of the locks in operation.  With vast tracts of dense jungle on both the sides, it is an unforgettable sight for a visitor to see the huge ships plying the canal.  There is also museum and a film on the making of this man-made marvel which is also dubbed 'the eighth wonder of the world!'