Monkey Island Tours • Panama Canal Adventure

Monkey Island is located at Gatun Lake in the valley of the Chagres river between Panama and Colon Provinces in the Republic of Panama.

 

 

Its surface area is 164 square miles. Gatun lake is the second largest artificial man-made lake in the world. This lake was created in 1907 and took 6 years to flood. It was created to help the transit of ships across the isthmus. This lake is the reservoir of water needed for the operation of the Panama Canal. It is surrounded by nature and history everywhere – the flora and fauna makes this place a must-see while visiting Panama.

You can take a boat tour through the Panama Canal into secret waterways to find hidden islands where Capuchin and Howler monkeys can be seen leaping in the trees above. Occasionally, they become curious of visitors and venture down to take a closer look.
A Panama Canal tour provides a unique opportunity for viewing wild monkeys in their natural habitat. Other animals you might spot on this tour includes Two and Three-toed Sloths, Crocodiles, and turtles that are native to Gatun Lake.

The boat ride to and from the island passes through the Panama Canal, giving you the chance to spot huge container ships during their passage across the world.

Lake Gatún Peacock Bass Fishing Trip

Lake Gatún, Arenosa, Panamá, S.A.
Story by Kevin
Photos by Mike & Kevin

Lake Gatún (Lago Gatún) was created between 1907-1913, by the building of Gatun Dam.  During its creation, Lake Gatún was the largest man made lake in the world. As an integral part of the Panama Canal, which forms a freshwater bridge between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, Lake Gatún carries ships through the Isthmus of Panama. 

To this day there are areas that have been virtually untouched by humans.  The area flooded in the creation of Lake Gatún  encompasses approximately 200 square miles, a vast area with unfathomable opportunities for sport fishing.  

My fishing buddies and I had high hopes of catching multiple Peacock Bass during our fishing adventure at Lake Gatún. Arriving at Arenosa, a small village about 45 miles from Panama City located on the western end of Lake Gatún, our guide was waiting with a 24 foot pontoon boat ready for an unforgettable fishing trip (driving directions & map). We jumped aboard and set off to catch buckets full of fish. Luckily our captain knew his way around the lake and managed to maneuver around all of the former jungles tree stumps.

Arriving to our first fishing hole, we threw our lines into the lake. Two fish immediately caught on the first cast, catching 5 or 6 Peacock Bass in just 10 minutes time. Our captain had us bring in the lines . . . off to the next fishing hole. 

With our lines back in the water, WHAM! 10 more fish in just about 10 minutes. What a great time! With so much action on the fishing poles, everyone had a great time.  And, if no fish were caught within the first 5 minutes of fishing, then our captain whisked us off to another location.

This went on all day. 10 different fishing holes, we caught fish every spot!
Needless to say, the day spent fishing for Peacock Bass went by very fast.  Fun was had by all.  We will defiantly be back for more!
Our guide we used has a dedicated website at: http://pesca-arenosa.weebly.com/.  I highly recommend them.

Related Article: Fishing in Santa Catalina
Kevin
www.UncoverPanama.com