One of the tours that I wanted to do for a while was the Gamboa Aerial Tram, recently I had the opportunity to go, I tell you that I liked it more than I expected.
I make the reservation to 9:15 a.m. for the first trip, since the animals use to be seen early in the day and of course I wanted to see them.
We left early, and in less than an hour we had arrived. This time I took Jerry to help me with some photos.
Meeting Point
First of all, you have to go to the Tour Desk, in Gamboa Rainforest Reserve Hotel, but it is not in the hotel building, once you cross the Gamboa bridge, turn right and indicate to the person at the entrance that you are going to the Tour Desk and he will give you directions.
Then you have to report to the Tour Desk and from there a small bus/truck will take you to the beginning of the tour, it is a short trip.
Start of the Aerial Tram Tour
Once we arrived, you could see the cabins, I don’t know how it is on other occasions, but in our case, we got into the cabins by family or groups, there was no one else in ours. There are 18 cabins, so you won’t be left without one.
It was a super nice day, with a nice cool breeze.
They gave us an audio guide per person, that told us what we can see and some historical information about the Panama Canal and the Chagres River, I think the audio guide is more for foreigners.
During the trip we saw beautiful landscapes, and some birds.
We reach the end of the first part, at the highest point of the aerial tram, Pelado (Bare) Hill, which is not bare hahaha, then we continue along a trail.
The Trail
It’s a short trail, maybe only a couple of minutes, where you walk near big trees, in a tropical forest.
Perfect for those who want to go hiking or see a forest up close without walking a lot.
Observation Tower
At the end of the path there is a tower, 9 levels (30m high), yes, it is quite high, you go up little by little by means of a ramp that is on the walls of the tower.
As you go up you can see the different levels of the trees and the Chagres River.
The top is covered and there are chairs, perfect for taking a break, just missing a hammock hahaha. We stayed for a long time, enjoying the relaxing breeze.
The top of the tower has a 360º view in which you can see the Panama Canal and of course some of the ships that are transiting, the Soberanía National Park, the Chagres River and an Emberá indigenous community, whose name I do not remember and when They told me I couldn’t pronounce it, hahaha.
It was time to go back, so we went down to continue the trail to the Aerial Tram.
Surprise Back on the Aerial Tram
On the way back, 2 toucans passed us very close, it was quite exciting, we continued, and later almost at the end of the section…
We saw a group of monkeys that were eating, Jerry had the long-distance lens, thinking that we would see them far away and quickly changed it.
The monkeys were practically a couple of meters from us, be careful, animals should not be touched, so don’t even try.
Advises
- Use sunscreen,
- Comfortable clothes,
- Sneakers,
- Raincoat in case of rain,
- Waterproof bag for your things, in case of rain,
- Complete change of clothes, in case it rains and gets wet,
- Do not leave garbage.
Hours
- Tuesday to Sunday
- The first group starts at 9:15 am and the last one is at 3:30 pm.
Duration
- The tour can take just over 1 hour, everything will depend on how long you spend in the tower.
Price
- $44.94 per person.
Extra information
Each cabin has a maximum capacity of 6 people, important if you want to make a group and go together.
In case of going with a disabled person, check with the Tour Desk, from what I saw, the tour could be done, only that, if you go in a wheelchair, you would have to carry it folded (occupying the space of 2 people) and a person should lift him / her into the cabin (the space to enter is not very wide).
Contact to go to the Aerial Tram
For more information and reservations, you can contact Gamboa Rainforest Reserve, at 507 6676-5611 (WhatsApp-every day), 507 314-5028 (only Saturdays and Sundays) or by email at tourdesk@gamboaresort.com
Other Activities at Gamboa Rainforest Reserve.
- Sloth Sanctuary
- El Dique Trail
- Butterfly farm
- Canopy
- Orchid
- Frog
- Chunga Trail.
Where is the Gamboa Aerial Tram?
It is in Gamboa, Colón, specifically, within the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve Facilities.
How to get to the Aerial Tram?
It is quite easy to get there, go through Omar Torrijos Avenue, depending on where you travel, you can go through Clayton, Paraíso.
If you are traveling from Panamá Oeste, after the Centenario Bridge, you must take the road to Gamboa (first exit after the next bridge), or if you are traveling from Ricardo J. Alfaro, through Centenario Avenue, you must take the first exit before the Centenario Bridge.
Continue straight until you see the Gamboa or Summit sign, take the road to the left and continue, after passing through the Gamboa bridge (it is the only one), take the road to the right and a few meters away you will find the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve checkpoint.
At the Tour Desk there is an area to park.
Note
Although Gamboa street says that they can drive 80km, I recommend going 60km or less.
That street is in Soberanía National Park and it is very easy to see sloths and ñeques crossing the street.
These animals are easy to see between the Centennial Bridge and Gamboa.
Other places you may like
- Knowing the Sloth Sanctuary
- Exciting Visit to Monkeys Island and Pipeline Trail in Gamboa
- Plantación Trail in Soberanía National Park
- Ancón Hill, Tropical Humid Forest and Viewpoint of Panama City
- My Hike Through Hanging Bridges
