Best Panama Canal Tours in Autumn

Many people will already be familiar with this marvel of human engineering that connects the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Started by the French in 1881, harsh conditions forced them to hand the Panama Canal project over to the Americans, who finally finished it in 1914. Administered by Panama since 1999, nearly 14,000 ships pass through the canal each year. One of the best places to catch a glimpse of the Canal in action is from the viewing platform at the Miraflores Locks near Panama City, but true canal buffs may want to take one of the nine-hour tours that traverses the entire length of the canal.