The Panama Railway

Ride the world-famous Panama Railway. The Railway, which began operation in the 1850s initially catered to people traveling from the East Coast to the West Coast of the US and vice versa and later on played a critical role in the construction of the Panama Canal. These days, the Railway has a luxe panoramic cabin that offers staggering views of Lake Gatun (the man-made lake that is critical to the operation of the Canal), ships cruising through the canal, and segments of rainforest. We rode the train during a time of drought and could see old tree trunks emerging throughout Lake Gatun. 
 
Tip: Read Erased by the Panamanian Scholar Marixa Lasso to find out more about Lake Gatun and the villages that were lost in its formation.     
 
The Details: Roundtrip trips are available via Passline. The train departs from the station in Ancon. We arrived at 8:30am, which was great as we could choose the best seat for us, and the train departed around 9:10am. We pulled into the return station around 12pm. Times vary depending on the passage of the cargo trains. The trips are usually offered on Saturdays but do not (as of yet) run every month. Follow the Panama Railway Company on Instagram to see when the next trip will be taking place. Tickets for the panoramic wagon sell out quickly. If a trip is not available, you can take the train to canal and arrange for transport back to Panama City (or stay to explore sites in Colon!). 
 
Kid-Friendly? My kids (two and five) loved it! I brought journals to color in, binoculars, as well as a number of snacks given the length of the trip. We cruised up and down the aisles and enjoyed heading out to the open-air cabin. The tunnel was a highlight as everything suddenly went dark, and we played lots of eye spy!  
 
Post-trip rec: Head to Maagoos Fish Tacos or Gamboa Bakery for a bite to eat after your ride!  

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