5 hours Whale Watching Experience from Panama City

This trip was certainly very memorable, although not quite for the reasons we had hoped! Unfortunately, we didn’t see a single whale or any other marine animals, despite the captain’s clear efforts and his apparent surprise that none were to be found at the usual spots. He even extended our time on the water in an effort to give us another chance to see something. After a stop at a beach on Taboga Island, the guide said we would make one more attempt and directed the captain toward an area beneath some very dark, ominous clouds. Still no whales—but we suddenly found ourselves being pelted by stinging rain and buffeted by incredibly strong winds. The captain handled the situation skillfully, navigating at full speed through large waves to get us safely back to port, but by the time we arrived, we and all of our belongings were completely soaked! I completely understand that wildlife and weather are unpredictable and that neither is within the operator’s control. What we would have appreciated, though, was more communication from the guide, particularly during the storm and throughout the trip. He was quite focused on the whales, and when we didn’t encounter any, there wasn’t much discussion of the area or other things we might see or learn about along the way. So: no whales, a huge tropical storm, and an epic day we will never forget. The captain deserves particular credit for handling the challenging conditions so skillfully.

The small boat had benches with seat cushions and a small canopy, this offered no protection at all for the torrential storm we passed through, we were soaked right through and everything in our bag was also soaked. Not suitable for anyone with back trouble or young children, the ride is very bumpy/choppy. We went for 4 hours and finally found some whales - they were amazing but not worth the journey. We returned to port 7 1/2 hours after leaving with no facilities / restroom break - had I known this prior to booking I wouldn’t have booked. Appreciate weather and appearance of whales cannot be guaranteed but 7 1/2 hours without break is just too much.

Perfect organization. Contact watsapp very appreciative waiting for pick up. We were at the end of the season, our guide turned 1 hour more than expected with the boat, thanks to which we could see 1 whale very close to the boat. We were offered to come back the next day to the choice for free to try to see more. The guide was very interesting and who knew his subject well. Small boat of 6 tourists.

The experience was amazing, seeing the monkeys so close I never thought it would be like that, it was great. The guide Daniel, an exceptional man, even sang me the happy birthday, one last!! And the rest of the team also great, Brayan the bus driver, and both the girl and the captain of the boat, a pass!! 100% RECOMMENDED.

Wonderful experience. Mario is the best, as well the guide, who came with us. We saw Whales, mum with a Baby, a ray who was jumping out of the water and luckily no rain. Thanks a lot 🫶

Good value for money. The trip was without a stop at Taboga Island due to the fact that at the end of the season most whales are gone already. The whales left are near Pearl Islands. That’s further away from Pansma City, therefore the island stop has been skipped. We saw many whales, that was great. At the end we had an engine failure on our boat. Within the hour Mario and Milton arranged another boat for us to go back to the city. Thanks guys!

Great adventure with many opportunities to watch whales. We also saw several dolphin pods and a ray jumping out of the water. Our guide, Milton, was very knowledgeable and engaging during our trip. Tito, the boat captain, did an amazing job of locating whales and directing those of us in the back of the boat where to look when whales were behind us. Things to know before going: Even though you’re under a Bimini top, the reflection of the sun can burn your skin; we didn’t get out of the boat at the islands, so the only bathroom available is before you go; bring snacks and water/drinks.

Seeing whales was awesome and amazing…. Would like to have had more time just whale watching! Host and captain were wonderful! Only two issues was that description doesn’t mention that you stop at Tobago for 90-minutes which is a complete waste of time. The stop makes sense for maybe 20-30-minutes for a restroom stop. (And, the $1 for island entry and $1-2 for bathroom should be included in excursion fee.) Wish I knew to have water shoes and a towel to wipe my feet when I got back in the boat. And, driver was not at the dock waiting for guests to return and we had to wait over 20-minutes and it was after 1:30P when we returned. MAKE SURE TO BRING SNACKS AND WATER - it is not provided and probably don’t want to purchase on Tobago. Otherwise excellent!

We felt extremely at risk during the trip. We did see lots of whales. However, the people driving the boat should’ve recognized a major major storm front coming in. We ended up having to divert and go to an island and it caused a two hour delay in getting back. The boat did not adhere to what I’m used to in terms of safety standards. They were not bumpers to insulate it when we docked it, and there was only one tie off point there should’ve been a second set of ropes. I felt very at risk just getting off the boat and potentially slipping.

Best experience ever! Pickup from hotel was easy, our staff was kind and helpful and did a great job following whales we spotted! Adriana was a great guide. We had a magical time following three playful humpbacks who flipped and jumped into the air along with a pod of dolphins who were equally as playful. Everyone was in tears. We had an hour to swim at a remote island and shell and then went to another beautiful island and had delicious lunch. The ride out is long…. Be prepared… but so worth it! BRING SUNSCREEN!!!! We got back around 4 pm when we left at 8 am.