Panama Canal, the world’s engineering marvel, has improved the sailing time going from the East to the West of the Americas. The once 2-month journey through the rock strewn and wind-battered seas has now become 8 to 24 hours. What a great ease of passage! And, if you’re planning your next getaway and wondering what else the world famous Canal has to offer, then I tell you there’s a lot more. Besides the short cut, you’ll certainly appreciate the Panama Canal as a unique tourist destination.

Panama Canal Has An Interesting History

The idea of building the Panama Canal started as early as the 16th century with the French being the first to do the construction. They started digging in 1881, but the workers were forced to stop because of major problems like serious illnesses and mud slides. In 1904, the American engineers took over the Panama Canal project. The US engineers did a great job technologically and medically. They did the excavation work while improving the sanitation in the surrounding towns, thereby reducing the risks of deadly diseases. In 1914, the Panama Canal was completed. Its cost was $387 million and 25,000 human lives.

Great Scenery To Enjoy In Your Panama Canal Cruise

Besides its mechanical wonders, Panama Canal has a number of stunning and great natural scenery to offer. There are the untouched, tangled jungles in the waterfront that has a variety of flora and fauna. You’ll also see more than 120 species of wild life in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument. If you want to enjoy Panama’s landscape, the best time to visit is during the dry season which is from December to April, when there is not too many rains.

The ports of call depend on the Panama Canal cruise line and the length of your itinerary. Regular trips range from 10 to 14 nights, but if you want, you can spend more days, say 30 days or more, at sea on some tourist towns. Tourists normally stop at Colon, Panama because it is where the world’s 2nd biggest duty free zone is located. Native crafts, along with brand-name items, are sold here. The San Blas Island is another destination worth visiting. And the Panama City offers a mixture of colonial and cosmopolitan sites, besides the ease of access to the surrounding rainforest.

The Panama Canal cruises allow you to explore the Latin America – from the shores of Costa Rica to the coffee country of Colombia. To lure you further are the pristine beaches, snorkeling activities, the panoramic view of Mexico’s Pacific Coast, partying in Miami, or having a stroll through San Diego

The Future of Panama Canal

The Panama Canal will celebrate its 100 years of construction in the year 2014 with a $5.25 billion engineering innovation and expansion. A third lane of shipping traffic and other amenities is under construction. And it is expected to accommodate “post-Panamax” vessels. These are the commercial carriers and mega ships that exceed the original limitations of 1,000-ft. long and 100-ft. wide. The official estimate is that after the renovation, shipping and tourism in Panama Canal will double, to give both Panama and Latin America a much needed boost in their economies.You should visit Panama Canal

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Panama Canal – You cannot miss it

Panama Canal is one of the greatest engineering projects in the world. It is also one of the most difficult. Nearly 100 years after it was completed, the canal has quickly become the most popular cruise itineraries. Visitors to Panama never miss seeing this famous canal, which is often regarded to as the “8th wonder of the world”. Panama Canal has made a big difference on shipping between the two oceans. It shortened the travel time by half of what the ship will take if it sail through the long route via Cape Horn.

Panama Canal – History

While the history of Panama Canal is full of tragedy as the canal historians relate, passengers in the Panama Canal cruise will never forget the enjoyment they experience with the eight hour transit of the canal. This is the highlight of the cruise, as six immense locks raise the ship by 85 ft. from sea level, and then lower it slowly once again. You will also enjoy watching big ships passing by. There are three view decks where you can stay and enjoy the canal and the landscape it navigates.

As you enjoy the cruise, you will also hear stories of how the canal was built, the human woe involved, the deaths of thousands of people caused by various diseases (malaria, H-fever), and over exhaustion from work. The building of Panama Canal was carried out under Spanish kings, conquistadores and five American presidents over a period of four centuries. The American builders continued the work when the French engineers stopped it because of so many deaths.

Panama Canal Cruises

The Panama Canal cruises are rarely restricted to the canal itself. Its port of call span the Carribean and the Mexican Riviera. It means that besides seeing the canal itself while you are on a cruise, you will also have the opportunity to view the Carribean Islands, rainforests, Mayan Ruins, and Mexican resorts. A visitor to the Panama Canal can never ask for more – you will have the history and the exhilarating experience that you will bring home after your holidays are over.

If you are planning to spend some holidays in Panama, take note that the cruise season for Panama Canal runs from September to April. And the best time to visit it is after the rainy season in November. Going on a holiday with family or friends is a great idea. You will be able to bond with your loved ones and at the same time enjoy the various tourist spots of Panama including he Panama Canal. It will also offer you time to relax and have some peace and quiet from your busy life.

The rates for cruising down the Panama Canal is affordably low. However, it is not something that anyone can do during their lifetime. There may be some things to consider such as a very busy life, lack of budget and others. But, for people who can do it for once, taking a cruise can mean an experience that is guaranteed to be remembered and treasured as long as you live and maybe tell your grandchildren about the Panama Canal.

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The Panama Canal is a key transportation route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Without the canal, shipping and other vessels would either need to travel south around the tip of South America, or they would need to offload their goods to be transported across land to another vessel.The Panama Canal consists of three sets of locks (Gatun Locks, Pedro Miguel Locks and Miraflores Locks), two artificial lakes (Lake Gatun and Lake Miraflores) and artificial channels. In addition, Lake Alajuela acts as a reservoir for the canal.

Entering from the Atlantic side of the canal, a ship arrives through the Caribbean Sea and then traverses the Gatun Locks. The Gatun Locks are a series of 3 locks, or steps, which lift a ship from the level of the Atlantic Ocean to the level of Lake Gatun.Once the ship has traversed through Lake Gatun, it then proceeds through the Chagres river and then the Culebra Cut (or Gaillard Cut), going under the Centennial Bridge, until it reaches the Pedro Miguel Locks. Unlike the Gatun Locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks consist of only one step. Once past the Pedro Miguel Locks, the sip travels through Miraflores Lake and then through the Miraflores Locks, which consist of two steps. The ship then continues underneath the Bridge of the Americas and then out through the Gulf of Panama to the Pacific Ocean.

Mules

Mules (mulas) are train locomotives that help steer large ships through the Panama Canal to prevent a ship from hitting and damaging the canal. The mules run on rack tracks, train tracks with a toothed rail down the middle to help the train climb steep inclines. The rack tracks run along both sides of the Panama Canal. Large ships are steered by 4 mules on each side of the ship, two in the front (bow) and two in the rear (stern). The mules are for steering and don’t actually tow the ships. Smaller vessels don’t use the mules, but instead use hand lines which are controlled by the ship’s crew.

Future of the Panama Canal

In October of 2006, Panama voters overwhelmingly approved a national referendum on a $5.25 billion expansion of the Panama Canal. The plan calls for the largest modernization plan in the 92-year history of the Panama Canal, which would allow the canal to handle modern container ships, cruise liners and tankers that are too large for its current 108-foot-wide locks. The plan is to build a third set of locks on the Pacific and Atlantic ends with a completion date of 2015.