> IT’S ALL ABOUT THE CANAL
The Panama Canal has brought the world to Panama’s door. And these days there’s great excitement about the canal’s current expansion, which will add a second, wider channel to allow bigger ships to pass through. It’s well worth a visit to the canal while you’re in town, and local tour companies offer a variety of ways to see it. Visit the Miraflores locks: This is the easiest way, as these are the nearest locks to downtown, and can be reached by cab. You can see the ships pass through close up, and there’s a museum explaining how the canal works. Take to the water: You board a tour boat on the shore of Lake Gatun, toward the Caribbean side, and travel through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, passing huge ships along the way (wave to the sailors). The trip ends at the Amador Causeway in Panama City. Take the train: Travelling to Colon on the Caribbean coast, you can visit the Gatun locks, where ships enter the canal from the ocean, and get a look at the expansion in progress. Then you board the Panama Canal Railway’s dome car for a scenic ride along the canal and Lake Gatun. (You can do the trip in the other direction as well.) Do an eco tour: A motorboat takes you on a tour of Lake Gatun, part of the canal system, to explore its lush green landscape of islands. You may see tropical birds and monkeys, and there’s a zoo with rare species including the endangered harpy eagle.