Panama City mat tur

The tour ending was the most memorable part. What I am writing is the absolute truth, no filter, no opinion, just the facts. Prior to the start of my PANAMA CITY FOOD TOUR, I contacted Gonzalo and/or the company 3 times and each time asked if the tour was still on. 2. At no point did he ever say no. 3. He never changed the location or the time. 4. We arrived at 5pm and met up with with him. 5. He said that the place was about to close. 6. He then asked the place if they would allow us to sit down. 7. He then said that he was gonna look for the other couples. 8. There were no other couples. 9. He then brought us a half cup of coffee, black and asked us to share it. I explained to him that we paid for a food city tour for two people and should not be asked to share a half cup of straight coffee. 10. I then asked him, “where are we going next? What else is included in the tour? He then said, we will sample some rum, beer and ceviche.” 11. I asked him, where is the food? He then said that it is more of a sampler tour and then showed me the tour description from his job that mentioned, “sampler.” 12. I then showed him the description from Viator that listed it as a “Panama City FOOD Tour, with the word “food,” emphasized in bold. 13. I paid $130 US for a service that I did not receive. 14. The Food tour did not include pick up. We were asked to share a half cup of coffee (no exaggeration) and all of the places were closed or closing. The place where we were asked to share a half cup of coffee closed at 5pm and the tour was scheduled to start at 5pm. 15. I was issued half of my money back.

I was a bit skeptical at our guide at first since Ross is not born and raised in Panama, but right away he proved to be very well-versed in all aspects of Panama. He has studied up on the historical and cultural aspects of Panama, and since he has lived in Panama a number of years, he takes pride in being a resident of Panama and keeps up with current issues. He even goes the extra mile to promote local Panamanian growers and to have visitors try the best Panamanian products out there. When we walked into the meeting place, we saw that Ross had already set up our table with local chocolate and coffee. As we tasted the products, we were introduced to the locally produced items. Ross was very informative about other flavors and types of products made by the same companies. Our next stop was the brewery to sample several types of beers. The many samples placed in small glassware were arranged on a wooden ship. It was very original and appropriate for an old port town feel. We chose our favorite and toasted to a start of a wonderful visit. Next, we talked about Panama's old towns and pirates as we strolled to our next destination and savored different types of fresh ceviche. Our last stop was the top floor of a restaurant which is known for its changing displays of local art work. With our guide's many years of connections, we were led to a prime spot at an open air bar with a gorgeous view of the city! Amazing taste of Old Town Casco Viejo with an experienced guide who takes care of all of the details so you can feel free to take in the unique experiences. An excellent guide and a wonderful intro to Panama. Definitely recommend! Ross is an expert in and out of the city and during our tour he was a wonderful resource. He was able to steer us away from what could have been a big disappointment involving a long drive and lots of effort. He knew exactly where we should go to find what we were looking for and pointed us in the right direction. Due to his guidance, we were able to do everything and see everything we wanted in just a few days including the highlights of seeing a mother and baby sloth just a meter away in their natural habitat as well as a baby and mama whale. There were even extras along the way as we had not planned to go to an almost secluded beach and walk around a very peaceful and charming Contadora Island. It was almost as if we had reserved the island for ourselves!

I booked this tour 1.5 prior and Viator accepted my booking and charged me. The next day the tour operator advise there is no tour and wasn’t sure why/how I was able to book online. Still waiting for my refund!