Monkey Island and Sloth Sanctuary in Panama: An Amazing Wildlife Tour
I knew I wanted to see some wildlife while Eden and I were in Panama during our mother-daughter getaway, but I wasn’t expecting one of our favorite experiences to involve something I didn’t even realize you could do: take a boat ride right down the Panama Canal.
We booked a private half-day excursion that took us out on the water to see monkeys, visit a sloth sanctuary, walk through a butterfly house, and see orchids and other tropical wildlife. It turned out to be one of those travel days where pretty much everything exceeded expectations.
If you’re visiting Panama City, I highly recommend adding a Monkey Island and sloth sanctuary tour to your itinerary.
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Our Panama City Hotel
Eden and I stayed at The Bristol Panama, a hotel I also recommend and have written about separately. We didn’t book the Monkey Island excursion through the hotel, although I believe someone at the hotel recommended the tour to us.
The transportation for our excursion was perfectly fine, although I’ll admit I don’t remember many details about getting there. What I remember is the part that mattered: getting on the boat and realizing we were about to cruise through the Panama Canal.
And that was pretty awesome.
Yes, You Can Actually Boat Through the Panama Canal
One of the funniest things about this excursion was that I had been to the Panama Canal, watched the enormous ships make their way through the locks, and admired the engineering involved. But for some reason, I hadn’t really considered that we would get to be on the water ourselves. The experience was completely different from simply standing at the locks and watching ships go by.
The boat ride was beautiful and incredibly relaxing. We were surrounded by tropical scenery, and the pace gave us plenty of time to enjoy being out on the water. We even spotted deer along the way. The whole thing was one of those experiences where I remember thinking, Wait, we’re actually doing this?
Monkey Island Panama
Then came the part Eden and I were most excited about: the monkeys.
As we reached the area where the monkeys live, we started spotting them in the trees. We saw two different species, including some of the smaller monkeys that were absolutely adorable.
And then a few decided to come closer. Several monkeys climbed onto the front of our boat, which made the experience even more fun. Seeing wildlife in its natural environment is always exciting, but having these little guys basically come over to inspect our boat was definitely one of the highlights of the day.
The monkeys were probably my favorite part of the excursion, and they were also my favorite part of the day with Eden. There was something about the two of us sitting there watching them that made the whole experience memorable.
They did tell us that there were three species of monkeys and supposedly we could hear them, but we never saw a 3rd species.
Visiting a Sloth Sanctuary in Panama
After Monkey Island, we visited a sloth sanctuary, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The sloths were fantastic, although, as you might expect from sloths, they weren’t exactly putting on a show for us.
They mostly did what sloths do: hang out, move very slowly and occasionally eat.
A few were eating while we were there, which gave us a chance to get a good look at them. I actually think that’s part of what makes seeing sloths so entertaining.
The sanctuary was a really cool addition to the excursion because it gave us a chance to see sloths up close.
A Butterfly House With Hundreds of Butterflies
The butterfly house was another unexpected highlight. There were what seemed like hundreds, possibly even a thousand, butterflies flying around, with all different kinds and colors. It was much more impressive than I expected it to be.
Butterfly houses can sometimes be a quick walk-through attraction, but this one really exceeded my expectations. There were so many butterflies that you couldn’t help but stop and watch them.
Orchids and Tropical Plants
I also really enjoyed the orchid area because I love orchids. Seeing them growing and blooming in this environment was a little humbling considering the orchids I have at home. Mine certainly don’t look this good. Fun fact: mine look horrible.
The combination of butterflies, orchids, frogs, and other tropical plants made this portion of the tour feel like an extension of the rainforest rather than simply another stop on an itinerary.
Our Private Panama Wildlife Tour
Our excursion was a private, half-day tour, which I really enjoyed. Having the boat to ourselves made the experience feel relaxed, and we could enjoy the different stops without feeling like we were being rushed through them.
We booked our particular excursion through San Blas Dreams, which offers a Monkey Island and sloth sanctuary experience from Panama City. There are also other tour companies offering similar excursions, and you can find less expensive options if you’re comparing tours.
For me, though, this wasn’t an experience where I would be looking to shave every possible dollar off the price. The boat ride alone was worth doing, and combining it with the monkeys, sloths, butterflies, and orchids made it a fantastic half-day.
Is Monkey Island Worth Visiting?
Absolutely.
If you’re staying in Panama City and looking for something to do beyond the typical city attractions, I highly recommend a Monkey Island and sloth sanctuary excursion.
What I loved most was how many different experiences were packed into one relatively easy half-day. We got to experience the Panama Canal from the water, see ships traveling through the canal, spot wildlife, see monkeys up close, visit sloths, walk through a butterfly house and see beautiful tropical orchids.
For Eden and me, the monkeys were probably the highlight, especially when those little guys climbed onto the front of our boat. But honestly, the whole day was fantastic.
If you’re planning a trip to Panama City, I’d put this one on the list.
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