Caribbean Catamaran Day Cruise: Beaches, Snorkeling & Lunch
Description
Embark on an unforgettable journey to Panama's breathtaking Caribbean gems—only reachable by sea! With over 20 years of sailing experience, we know exactly where to take you for that “hidden paradise” vibe. Get picked up at 7:00 AM from your Panama City accommodation for a scenic 2-hour drive to historic Portobelo—a Spanish port founded in 1597, or meet us at the dock by 9:00 AM to catch a speedboat to our catamaran. We’ll sail 50 minutes to Venas Azules, a turquoise mangrove lagoon, which we’ll explore by dinghy for 1.5 hours—swimming or relaxing in calm shallow waters. Next, it’s a 30-minute sail to Playa Drake, where you’ll have 2.5 hours to snorkel vibrant coral reefs, paddleboard, kayak, swim, or simply kick back on the beach or boat. At 1 PM, enjoy a delicious local meal onboard. After soaking in all that beauty and fun, we’ll cruise back to Portobelo with hearts full of unforgettable memories. Love cruising? Craving off-the-beaten-path spots? This is your perfect escape!
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will be picked up from the comfort of your accommodation in Panama City and driven to Portobelo if you select the option that includes pickup.
You will arrive at the dock in Portobelo, where the tour begins. Here, you can admire the historic Spanish fortifications built over 500 years ago, including Fort Santiago. From the dock, a speedboat will take you out to the catamaran to begin your adventure.
Our first stop is Blue Veins. This beautiful mangrove lagoon features crystal-clear waters. Here, we’ll explore the lagoon by dinghy, allowing you to fully appreciate its natural beauty and peaceful surroundings.
Then we’ll sail for about 30 minutes to Playa Blanca. This tropical white-sand beach is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the Caribbean vibes. Here, you can go snorkeling to admire beautiful coral reefs and colorful fish, enjoy kayaking, take a refreshing swim, or simply unwind on the beach or on the catamaran.
After enjoying our time at the beach, we will head back to Portobelo.
If you’ve selected the return transportation option, you will be comfortably driven from Portobelo back to Panama City, where you’ll be dropped off at your hotel.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We offer pickup from Airbnbs or any type of accommodation in Panama City or Colon City IF THE PICKUP OPTION IS INCLUDED in your booking. If you book the tour with a start in Portobelo, PICKUP IS NOT INCLUDED. You must either add and pay the pickup option or meet us directly at the Portobelo dock.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Not recommended for travelers with limited mobility
- Not suitable for travelers who are unable to go barefoot
- Not suitable for travelers who are unwilling to follow safety guidelines and onboard instructions
Reviews(37)
Good tour, the tour guide was very fun.
Hola Santiago! Muchísimas gracias por su reseña. Nos alegra muchísimo saber que disfrutó el tour y que valoró el trabajo de nuestro guía. ¡Será un placer recibirlo nuevamente, siempre será bienvenido!
They played loud music all day on the boat, forget nature and quietness. Our group consisted of noisy Americans drinking tequila at 9am in the morning. The food was very basic. Overall I was disappointed specially considering the price paid.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the experience did not match your expectations. As your booking was for a shared tour, the atmosphere on board depends on the group joining that day. Some guests enjoy a more social and lively experience, while others may prefer a quieter nature-focused trip. We also offer private tours for guests looking for a more personalized and peaceful experience. We appreciate your comments regarding the music and food, and we will certainly keep them in mind as we continue improving our tours. Thank you again for joining us and for sharing your thoughts.
Juan David and Martin were great everything went well, we had a great time, highly recommend
Thank you so much for your kind words! 😊 We’re really happy to hear that Juan David and Martin made your experience special and that everything went smoothly. It was a pleasure having you on board, and we truly appreciate your recommendation. We hope to welcome you again soon for another great adventure!
Here’s a corrected version of your text: "The tour offers a relaxing sailing experience on a private catamaran, complete with snorkeling, paddleboarding, and kayaking. You'll explore the Caribbean beaches and enjoy a homemade lunch. Pick-up and drop-off at the hotel are included. The crew is awesome!"
Hi Irina! Thanks a lot for your review! We’re happy you enjoyed the tour. It was a big pleasure to have you with us! Welcome back any time
Short on time in Panama City?! Then I would suggest this tour. Though the boat is a bit older and not what I expected, it was comfortable and the captain and staff were amazing. Venas Azules and Drake beach are an adventurous hidden wonder. And the drive from the city to Colón was gorgeous and showcased areas of real Panama. Would definitely do this again.
Hi La Chante! Thank you for your review. We’re happy that you enjoyed our tour, especially the places we go to and the crew. Welcome back any time.
This was a wonderful day to spend a Saturday in Panama if you want to see some of the Caribbean beaches and have more of a authentic local experience. We were able to look at some of the clear inlet waters and do some snorkeling, and Spent the rest of the day at Playa Blanca. The beach was very peaceful and we were able to do some snorkeling, relaxing, and the provider made us a nice lunch. Juan David and Charlie took great care of us The entire day. This excursion included transport to the port and from the port back to our Airbnb and made everything really easy. Our Driver Manuel Made several stops for us to get food and bathroom trips on the way to the port. I highly recommend This excursion for the value and everything you get to do.
Hi Christina Thank you for your wonderful review. We’re very happy that we accomplished our goal: that you enjoyed the beaches, the activities, the food provided and our crew. It was our big pleasure to have you with us. Welcome back any time
We really enjoyed the Catamaran Experience, even though it was relatively expensive for the duration, but we got to do different things. We also got lucky because we traveled only the 2 of us so we had the boat to ourselves aside with the captain & skipper. We aldo could go kayaking and paddle boarding together as there was only 1 of each.
Hi Rivenski! Thank you for your review. We’re happy you had a good time. It was a pleasure to have you with us. Welcome back any time.
Our Catamaran trip with Jenny and Captain Juan David was wonderful! It started with pick up at our hotel and a 2 hour drive towards Porto Bello, an start to the beautiful Caribbean. We swam in a peaceful lagoon, went fishing, snorkeled, hunted for sea shells,, swam and went swinging on a beach that is only accessible by boat. My son caught a fish which Jenny cooked for us! It was delicious! The Caribbean is very beautiful but a bit rough so bring your band/motion sickness meds just in case!
Hi Lucy! We’re happy you had a good time! It was a pleasure to have you with us. Welcome back any time. Grazie mille :)
The day on the water was so much fun!! Lucas and Juan-David were so friendly and welcoming, as well as informative about the area. We thoroughly enjoyed swimming and snorkeling, as well as the delicious lunch prepared by Lucas! Who knew that such wnderful food could be prepared in a catamaran? We highly recommend this excursion when visiting Portobello!
Hi Robert Thanks a lot for your review. We’re very happy that you enjoyed our tour, crew and lunch. It was a pleasure to have you with us. Welcome back any time
If this is the same company in instagram @catamaran_experience.pa I DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM. It was a horrible experience. 14 people group, we fully paid 48 hour before the trip. The night before the trip, Jenny contacted us saying the speaker was not working and we accepted a small one (we all know good music is a must). The trip day when we all 14 with a good mood, expecting to have a great trip, 30 minutes before to arrive “Portobello” (after 1 hour from Panama City) she contacted us again saying the Yatch bathroom was not working!!! Come on guys!!! No bathroom??? It was a full day trip, drinks, food… we tried to agree for a discount or a additional solution and she offered $4 discount per person and change the stops to have a public bathroom close in a different Island. This was a BIG change in our trip. We discussed internally with the 14 people group and Jenny started pushing to have an answer in 5 minutes and with a very rude attitude. So, because her attitude, we decided to cancel the trip and she refund us. The only good point was the transportation from Panama City to Portobello and viceversa, the driver was very friendly. Obviously was a external contractor and she asked a picture of us when back to the City, to paid the transportation contractor. Jenny, customer service is not your best skill.
Hi I’m sorry that my efforts to offer solutions were not appreciated. Unfortunately we can’t predict when something runs out of service like an electrical toilet, which is something very delicate and not easy to fix. I offered two options: -pay at every stop the toilet for your group plus an extra refund, or - full refund plus I paid out of my pocket the return transportation to Panama city. And you decided the second option of full refund, which I gave you immediately. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t have your understanding on this situation. All the best
