Panama City Layover Tour from Tocumen Airport

Terrible experience and unfortunately not something I can recommend.

Terrible experience and unfortunately not something I can recommend. I booked a 4–5 hour private tour specifically during a short layover in Panama, so timing was particularly important. The guide arrived around 20 minutes late, which was already a very disappointing start given the limited time I had. More concerning, however, was the attitude throughout most of the tour. The guide was very unfriendly and made me feel uncomfortable rather than welcome. I have taken many private tours while travelling and have rarely experienced anything like this. At one point, I was seriously considering ending the tour early and simply taking an Uber back to the airport. A private layover tour should make limited time in a destination enjoyable, efficient and stress-free. Unfortunately, this experience was the opposite. I cannot recommend this tour or provider.

Response from the operator: Dear Mr. Phillip Hermann, First and foremost, before making this type of comment, we believe it is important to mention a word that is essential in any situation: responsibility. You requested a reservation outside of our regular schedule, and despite this, we accepted your request and did everything possible to accommodate your needs. In fact, before your scheduled pickup time, our guide contacted you to let you know that he would be approximately 10 minutes late due to the heavy traffic on the way to the airport. Therefore, it is not accurate to state that the guide arrived 20 minutes late. We understand that you were working with limited time, which is precisely why we made every effort to keep you informed. We also feel it is important to clarify what happened during the tour. When our guide arrived, you approached him in what he perceived as an aggressive and confrontational manner. We believe that treating anyone with respect is essential, especially when requesting a professional service. Regarding the vehicle, it was raining during the tour, and you wanted to lower the windows to take photographs. Our guide explained that this was not possible because of the rain and because he is responsible for maintaining the vehicle in excellent condition. He also offered you the opportunity to sit in the front seat, allowing you to feel more comfortable and take photographs without having to open the windows. If, from your perspective, these instructions made you feel uncomfortable, we sincerely regret that. However, asking a guest to help protect and maintain a new, high-value Toyota Hiace is not intended to make anyone feel unwelcome. Our guides are responsible for caring for the equipment they use every day and ensuring that it remains in optimal condition for all of our future guests. We respect every customer's right to share their experience, even when it is not positive. At the same time, we believe it is important that reviews accurately reflect what actually happened and take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the service. If at any point you felt uncomfortable during the tour, we are genuinely sorry. We are human, and mistakes or misunderstandings can happen. However, we also believe that these situations can be addressed respectfully and constructively rather than through statements that may unfairly discredit a company that has worked hard to maintain a strong reputation and positive standing in the tourism market. We sincerely wish you the best in your future travels and hope that your next experience in Panama is a more enjoyable one.

via Tripadvisor