When researching for my trip to Panama City, I came across Jungle Land Panama. Jungle Land Panama is a floating lodge in the middle of Gatun Lake that offers various entertaining activities. The main draw of Jungle Land was the fact visitors got to go on a real-life jungle cruise, much like the fictional one at Disneyland.
It sounded exactly like something I would like to do on my trip. Visitors can spend the night at this floating lodge, but due to timing, I only was able to go on a day trip. Note that for now, Jungleland Panama is temporarily closed. It is hopefully, it will be under new ownership and reopen soon.
Want a guided tour to start out your trip and get acclimated to the city? Then check out Guru Walks for a free guided tour. You can book online to reserve your spot and pay what you wish when you get there. Check out the tours in Panama here.
TripAdvisor is a great place to start your hotel search. Search for the best Panama City hotels here!
Arrival at Jungle Land Panama
At 8:30 in the morning a driver picked us up at our hotel (he was actually a few minutes early). The driver then stopped to pick up two more couples and then continued to the Gamboa port. We then had to wait about 10 minutes to catch our jungle boat to Jungle Land!
Jungle Cruise
The 6 of us got in a boat and picked up another family of 5 at another dock. We had a guide as well as a boat driver with us. Once we were all settled, we embarked on our jungle cruise. This safari took us through various different islands and peninsulas in Gatun Lake to try and spot wildlife.
We ended up seeing lots of monkeys and even got to feed a few of them. One monkey we encountered, Pablo, who was a bit scary. Sadly, we learned that he used to be someone’s pet and was then released into the wild. On the cruise, we also saw various species of birds, a Panama rat, and a sloth and her baby!
Downtime on the Floating Lodge
After the jungle cruise, we arrived at the floating lodge for some downtime and lunch. The lodge was several stories high. The bottom deck had the boat and kayak launches as well as the bathrooms. The next couple levels were the rooms for the people staying overnight as well as an eating area. The 4th floor contained some chairs, hammocks, some more tables to eat at, and a platform to jump off into the lake. On the highest deck, there were chairs to sit and relax in.
Kayak and Hike
Following a delicious lunch of beef, chicken, rice, and some vegetables we could choose one of three activities: fishing, kayaking/hiking, or hanging out at the lodge. We opted to go kayaking and hiking. This adventure had us kayak for around 20 minutes through the jungle rivers until we got to a beach. Some of the areas were difficult to maneuver because they were shallow and narrow.
If you have not kayaked before, I would not recommend embarking on this trek. After everyone landed at the beach, we took about a 15-minute hike into the jungle. Eventually, we got to a small lagoon with a waterfall. There was some time for swimming and an opportunity to jump off the waterfall into the lagoon. We spent about 15-20 minutes here before we hiked and kayaked back.
Once we arrived back at the lodge, we had about 20 minutes until it was time to go back to the mainland. I opted to go swimming around the lodge. There were a few floating platforms around the lodge you could swim out to. Unfortunately, after a little bit, it was time to get back in the boats and head back to the mainland. Along the way, we saw a few more birds and several crocodiles! Upon disembarking the boat, a shuttle bus was waiting to take us back to the hotel.
I loved my day at Jungle Land Panama. It is a fantastic day trip for people of all ages. If I am ever in Panama again I would visit again. My one regret is not being able to spend the night so I could go on the night safari. When you visit Panama, make sure to make the trip to Jungle Land Panama!
11 thoughts on “Spending an Amazing Day at Jungle Land Panama: The Perfect Day Trip from Panama City”
OMG this looks like so much fun! Such an immersive experience. I would definitely do this if I went to Panama.
What a fun day! It does sound like something out of a Disney movie. Also, sloths in the wild – how fun!
What a fun adventure! Your big smile says it all. I love seeing wildlife up close, too!
Since it is floating, did you notice any rocking? Just curious because I get sick on water easily.
This is pretty amazing..wow never heard of a floating lodge, I’d love to try this, thanks for sharing!!
Valerie’
PS I am a teacher too..but trying to change to a remote career to travel more…
The kayaking trip sounds like so much fun especially getting to jump off of a waterfall. Thank you for sharing this I will definitely be pinning for later!
So I thought this all sounds amaaaazing, especially swimming and visiting the waterfalls…
But then on the way back you saw lots of crocodiles? Does that technically mean you went swimming with crocodiles!? If so, eep, and good for you, you badass! ;D
I didn’t even know there was a safari in Panama. You learn something new every day and now it’s in my list to do when I visit Panama 🙂
Well this spot certainly looks like more fun then Disney Land! Love a good nature experience.
Wow, so much to do in Panama. This really sounds like a fun safari adventure. A good tip to plan for additional time 🙂 The kayaking and the hike would be the activities I’d go for as well. Panama has gotten a lot of positive press and I look forward to visiting soon.
I always love a good immersive experience. Being a water baby, the kayaking activity is right down my alley! Thanks for sharing all the details 🙂