Panama Canal · Gatún
Agua Clara Visitor Center (Gatún, Colón)
A Canal Authority lookout on the Atlantic side, overlooking Gatún Lake and the newer expanded-canal locks. It has an 80-seat projection room with a 12-minute show and two short trails, and the ticket also covers the Gatún Locks lookout about 16 km away.
Good to know
The ticket office closes at 3:30 p.m., well before the center does, so arrive early. Tickets are also sold online via the official ACP store linked from visitcanaldepanama.com. Pairs well with Portobelo or Fort San Lorenzo on the same Colón-side day. The snack bar, restaurant and shop were listed as temporarily closed (Nov 2026), so bring water and food.
Details
- Hours
- Daily; Agua Clara info desk 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., ticket office 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Gatún Locks lookout 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
- Duration
- About 3 hours, per the official page
- Seasonality
- Year-round
- Best for ages
- All ages (under 6 free); trails are easy to medium
- Shabbat
- Day trip by car to the Caribbean side; not possible on Shabbat. Go on a weekday or Sunday.
- Booking
- No
- Kosher food
- The official page says the snack stand, restaurant and gift shop are temporarily closed, so there is no food of any kind on site. Bring packed kosher food and water.
- Ticket price
- Non-resident adult $10.00; non-resident child 6-12 $5.00; under 6 free; nationals/residents adult $3.00 (visitcanaldepanama.com, seen 2026-11-05)
- Distance from Panama City
- ~54 km straight-line from Punta Paitilla (computed from coordinates; road distance is longer)
Sources
- visitcanaldepanama.com (opens in a new tab) · checked Nov 5, 2026
- visitcanaldepanama.com (opens in a new tab) · checked Nov 5, 2026
- nominatim.openstreetmap.org (opens in a new tab) · checked Nov 5, 2026
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