CENTRO DE VISITANTES DE AGUA CLARA - GATÚN
This visitors' center is less well known than the Miraflores locks, closer to the capital. It is, in any case, much less popular... except when cruise ship passengers disembark en masse! Yet it's just as, if not more, interesting to visit, as you can get close to both the old Gatún locks, still in operation, and the much newer Agua Clara locks, where boats have been transiting since 2016. The latter allow "neopanamax" vessels to enter Lake Gatún, a feature not seen on the Pacific side (the Cocolí locks are not open to visitors). At Agua Clara, you can watch the passage of the ships from a large 360-degree viewing platform, overlooking the new locks and the imposing Lake Gatún. There's also a projection room (12-minute film on the construction of the canal), a small ecological trail, a restaurant and a souvenir store. The visitor center also recently opened a second viewpoint at the Gatún locks, 16 km away by road (much less as the crow flies). Inaugurated in April 2025, it allows visitors to observe the passage of ships through these locks, which are over a hundred years old. It's reached by minibus (included in the price, departing approximately every 30 minutes), crossing the impressive Atlantic Bridge. There's another ecological trail on site to help you get the most out of this exceptional site.
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