Panama travel destinations
Panama Canal Cruise highlights outline the best way to experience the real Panama Canal. Take it from me, I cruised through the canal dozens of times, as an Acupuncturist-at-Sea. This engineering marvel is called One of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Read on and learn about tips and what to expects while experiencing a Panama Canal Cruise.
Panama Canal History
This canal is a manmade waterway 82 km or 51 miles long, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean. As the name says, it goes through the isthmus of Panama, connecting Central and South America. The canal finally opened in 1914, owned and run by the U.S. However, in 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter and the Panamanian leader signed a treaty. It turned the canal over to Panama by the end of the 20th century.
It’s important to understand the challenges faced more than a century ago. Firstly, France began the project in 1881, attempting to recreate the engineering plans of the successful Suez Canal with no locks. However, in Panama, they ran into varied elevations, torrential rains, mudslides and most tragically 5,600 deaths from the mosquito-spread Yellow Fever and Malaria. The United States took over the project in 1904 and completed it a decade later.
