Top Panama City 4WD Tours

"I would've rated this 4 given the difficulty in communicating with the driver but San Blas Islands were so beautiful that it has to be 5! I did not mind the bumpy ride to the islands - I guess if you're not used to it or haven't experienced it, then might be a problem for you."

"The beach is the best that we have been. The food is great and people are friendly. We had a great time and it is highly recommended."

"Highly recommended. This is not as famous as the San Blas tour which made this tour amazing as there are not a lot of tourists in the islands and stops. Our tour guide was amazing explaining things in detail and making sure we are comfortable and enjoying. I've had a number of tours where the drive is long but the experience and beauty of the places visited and experience was all worth it. Just knit picking on the driver stopping twice to pick up things for personal matters."

"This is a very nice tour. Well organized and professional. San Blas is a place you should not miss when in Panama."

"The staff was very sweet and friendly! Tasty food, beautiful views, lots of dancing, so much fun! Would definitely recommend to others! 😊"

"Great half day nature, canal and monkey experience. Alex were knowledgeable and made effort to give us several up close and personal monkey experiences. We also enjoyed seeing the great container ships passing through the canal, right in front of our small boat."

"We went through the locks with a huge ship behind us. It was a car ship. I never knew there was such a thing. The container ships were huge also. It was amazing how the water levels work. Truly , the 8 th wonder of the world!"

"All worked out ok from pickup to drop off at Panama City hotel. Very long day for full transit. So if you only want a half day taste of it do that instead with a partial. Perfect weather so lucked out. Only negative was one choice of lunch some pesto pasta thing. Not for me."

"John was an amazing guide and incredibly knowledgeable. I HIGHLY recommend this tour, as you get a little off everything…canal ride, monkeys, other wildlife, History, and being surrounded by jungle."

"Fascinating trip on the Panama Canal through two of the locks. Very organized and informative once you are on the boat that will transit you through the locks to Panama City. Excellent narration onboard in Spanish and English giving you history, real-time perspectives of the boats around you as well as animals onshore. Good day trip!"

"We had a great time, Santiago was our tour guide and he made sure to accommodate everyone in the group. We saw quite a few Monkeys on our jungle hike and a few sloths. We were able to see a boat go through the canal, which was amazing and Fort San Lorenzo was the perfect place to stop for a picnic. We would highly recommend this tour with Santiago!"

"I’m glad we did this tour and actually travelled through the locks as opposed to just watching from the visitor’s center. If you’re going to see the canal, this is the way to go."

"The tour guides were fantastic. It was a pretty easy hike and a beautiful view was the reward. My favorite parts were the butterfly and golden frog sanctuary. Very educational and top notch experience"

"We had a great day and it was beautiful. However, there were way too many people on the island so it didn’t feel remote at all. The ride there was long and soooo bumpy, but that’s just the poor rodes. Overall I’m glad we went, it was just expensive for the experience."

"I have always intrigued by a sailing adventure, perhaps a month or so floating around the Caribbean Sea. But there is one little problem: I had never been on a sailboat before. This two-day sailboat experience, under the care of Captain Nico, was a perfect test. I loved it! The sailboat was pretty, and spacious and all the amenities welcoming. The simple fare was delicious and inviting, always served with care. And the views from the boat are now etched in my memory. It was a lovely, lovely way to spend time."

"Me and my girlfriend had an amazing time at San Blas with Selim’s tour. When searching what to book, we were missing a detailed review so we decided to write one ourselves, for any future travellers to San Blas through Selim. HIGHLIGHTS After reading other reviews to go with the flow regarding the organisation, we were 100% mentally prepared for it, which is also why we had such a great time. Selim was not physically there with us, everything is done by locals on different islands and they run things in there own style. They seem all over the place, sometimes things may take a little bit more time or can happen out of nowhere, but the locals have their system and everything under control. Knowing exactly who you are and where you are supposed to be. So N1 rule for traveling San Blas is to just let it go and enjoy. You will not miss any boat or tour, you will not miss any islands. Just enjoy the experience and let the locals do their thing. Otherwise you will not have a good time. Selim was also checking in on us every night and if everything is ok which felt good. We were traveling as a couple and it always felt as a personal experience (we did not travel as group of 20), we just randomly shared the boat, tours or dinner with other travellers on their own tour. We also had a private cabana every night. We are city people that prefer higher end accommodations usually but came mentally prepared that this is camp style experience with shared bathrooms and sand everywhere. There is no signal except Digicel provider, and you can charge your phone (some islands free during dinner, other charge $2). Food is basic, but tastier than expected. We have had lobster, fish and chicken. Even pancakes for breakfast one day. Not sure how is with vegan or vegetarian options. We could also choose between chicken or fish on some occasions. We also brought our own snacks (bring some sweets because they are not included) and water, but you can also buy it on every island. (Water $2, Cola $2 Beer $2, Snacks $2-3). Road there takes place with SUVs because its so bumpy. You take a stop at a gas station (ATM was not working) so go to store one day before and dont rely on the last stop. Prices at gas station are high. Also you will need to pay $22 to enter Guna Yala territory. We took $100 with us but didn’t spend everything. Part of the tour is also the fact that you are spending time with the indigenous local community that still leaves in their own way. They take you on tours, on some islands we could walk pass their homes, and were always very welcomed. If you know a bit of Spanish or your guide speaks English talk to them. For 4 days we packed our backpacks and an additional waterproof bag (take it because things can get wet on the boat). We were able to leave our big suitcase in a hotel. We recommend doing the same but some people had much more luggage. We speak a bit of Spannish so it was much much easier and more entartaining. I know you cannot learn overnight but honestly if we wouldnt know Spanish it would probably be a bit more complicating. TOURS DAY 1 You will start early, SUVs will pick you up at your hotel and they are on time. Road will take about 3 hours. There were 6 of us in the car but were not on the same tour. When you arrive they will drop you off at the bay where all of the boats start so therefore there will be dozens of SUVs and hundreds of people coming and going. You will be called by a local to board and they will take care of your luggage. Ride will take about an hour and it can get bumpy and wet. We have had lunch and dinner on the first island + had a tour ( we just fell asleep on the beach when we heard someone screaming our name its time to go for a tour. They dont tell you when tours happen but they will make sure you go, and find you on the island) of the natural pool which is honestly nothing special to us. They told us there used to be a lot of seastars there but apperently sunscreen destroyed all of them. We also made a ‘stop’ for some locals to leave the boat on Pelican Island (where they shot Money Heist) so we could also take pictures. We used the other time to walk the island, chill, swim and read a book. We had a lobster on the first night but were the only one on the island having it, so we had a really premium experience. Our first island’s name was Narasgundub, but the tours probably change all the time. DAY 2 We left for the jungle hike in the morning after breakfast which was AMAZING. Your sail up the river stream which feels like Indiana Jones and then hike for an hour. Our guide was younger, spoke a bit English and genuinly cared for us. The tour is through a real jungle, it gets wet a muddy but just take it as an adventure. There were no insects but I guess it was the time of the year, I wouldnt plan for that. After we arrived back we had lunch, chilled for a bit and then left for second island - Aroma where we had dinner. Estetics wise this was my girlfrienda favorite island. Tons of nice palms, and beautiful water. This time the caban had mosquito net. DAY 3 We left after breakfast and first made a stop at an Island which name dont know but it was by far the nicest beach-wise. Itwas out of this world. They built us a beach tent, gave us pineapples, for some reasons some other people in our boat received canoes, but honestly we didnt care. People were just making selfies on them, and if we wanted we could ask for one. After 2 hours of swimming we made another stop at a natural pool, which was swamped with boats and again nothing special to us. Afterwards we arrived on the third island Yansailadub, which by my oppinion had the nicest beach views with swings, free hammocks, free paddleboard, phone charges and far superier food. It however had the pooerst bathroom facilities. We had an amazing lunch and just chilled for the whole day reading books, and finnaly knocked some rum and coke after dinner. Day 4 We left after breakfast, and arrived back at our hotel at 11am. Hope this review will help someone to enjoy San Blas the way as we did and had such an amazing adventure and disconnect from the world as us."

"Our Chagres Challenge experience was incredible! We saw parts of Panama that we would not have seen any other way. It really was an expedition. Our group was picked up in the early morning and we drove into the mountains to begin the trip. After a nice breakfast, we enjoyed some off-roading. Our driver was skilled and got us to the trailhead. We began hiking through the jungle to the river. Our guide Javier had extensive knowledge of the flora, fauna, topography and history of the area. We were able to see lots of animals and learned about the many kinds of trees and plants that exist there. It was a beautiful remote hike in the jungle. Bring shoes that can get really wet and are ok for hiking. Something like Choccos or Tevas would be ideal but, I wore water shoes with socks and was just fine. You will want something with some grip since the trail is likely to be slick. It is a rain forest. When we arrived at the river, we relaxed while Javier's team inflated the rafts and prepared the equipment. After safety training we began rafting. It had been raining more than usual and this made our rafting adventure even more fun as the river was running fast. Our raft operator Fabian was calm, skilled and exceptionally pleasant. We worked as a team with his guidance to navigate the rapids and nobody fell out. We have all been rafting before and this was unlike any other. Seeing the jungle from the river in the rain was an experience that I will never forget in the best way. The launch point is extremely remote and this meant that we had the river completely to ourselves. We had a nice meal along the river before transferring to motorized long boats that took us across Lake Alajuela where our van was waiting. Everyone in our group would highly recommend this adventure."

"Amazing! Highly recommended! Very authentic and pure. Beware, not for the unfit or claustrophobic, we swam with only like 2 feet above us, unable to touch the ground. Amazing views, amazing experience. Lunch was very private and perfect! Have nothing bad to say, the car ride was worth every minute!"

"Had an amazing time with a great crew. Loved the first island. The lunch was good. Loved playing on the sand bar. Was not at all what we expected - very primitive but happy we had this experience."

"We went on this tour on Nov 24 2019, and We spend around 4 to 5 hours with Hector P. Truly an informative, interactive, and interesting tour of the old areas of Panama city. Hector covered history from the 1600s to present day, and made sure we not only enjoyed ourselves, but left with lasting knowledge (We even got quizzed throughout haha). I highly recommend it for anyone that wants to learn while appreciating Panamenian history."

"A truly amazing experience and highly recommend! The second half of the car ride is extremely bumpy due to torn up roads so be prepared. The guides are amazing and the islands are beautiful. Great snorkeling and great food."