We were the only two on the Chagres River Kayaking Daytrip with Edgar, our guide, so it turned out to be a private tour. Edgar was a great guide, very enthusiastic and you can tell that he loves his job. We enjoyed the peaceful kayaking down the Chagres river very much, and saw (and heard) a family of Howler Monkeys immediately after we set into the water - amazing. We also saw several cranes, a lizard, birds of prey and a kingfisher after that. Edgar had regaled us with stories about toucans, snakes, alligators, sloths, and even sharks, so we had high expectations - alas, we didn't see any of these.
After a few hours of paddling, and a detour into an inlet that made us feel like we were one with the rainforest, we reached the mouth of the river and the San Lorenzo Fort, where we had lunch. The Fort is picturesque and you can finish exploring it in about 20-30 minutes. There was no one there aside from us in the first few minutes, so we felt like we had it all to ourselves.

Lunch was sandwiches, fruit, and snacks, and was good. We were amused by all the insects that came to feed on our lunch as well. Do have the pineapple, it is delicious!

Note that breakfast is not provided in this tour, so you'll probably want to eat before you get in the car. There is a store along the way where we requested a stop, since we hadn't had anything to eat in the morning, but it doesn't have coffee (sadly).
Another thing to note is that when I asked Edgar what his favorite kayaking trip was, he said it was the Portobello trip, which includes visiting other Spanish forts and snorkeling near a beach. While we still would have picked the Chagres river trip since we wanted to see San Lorenzo and the Gatun Locks, this information may be helpful if you are trying to decide between trips!
Overall, a very good trip and a great way to spend the day.

Visited March 2014

NeoKT
New York City, New York