Miraflores Visitor Center Reopens
What Panama Travelers Need to Know
The Panama Canal’s Miraflores Visitor Center reopened on Sunday, October 18, after the earthquake. Here is what is open, what it costs, and what to check before you make the trip.
The useful update for visitors is simple: the Miraflores Visitor Center is open again. The Panama Canal reopened the popular Pacific-side attraction on Sunday, October 18, after the October 9 earthquake. That gives tourists and expats in Panama City a normal way to see the locks while recovery work continues elsewhere.
What Reopened at Miraflores?
I Go Panama reported that the Panama Canal reopened the Miraflores Visitor Center on Sunday, October 18, with regular hours. The report also says the Santiago Interactive Center remains closed, with no reopening date announced yet.
This is a meaningful distinction for anyone planning a Panama itinerary. A working attraction in Panama City does not mean every tourist site across the country is back to normal. Miraflores is open. Santiago still requires a separate check before you travel.
Current Hours and Ticket Prices
The official Visit Canal de Panamá page lists the visitor center as open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The ticket office runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Canal says the tour takes about 1.5 hours, so do not arrive at the end of the ticket-office window expecting a quick entry.
For non-residents, the listed price is B/.17.22 for adults and B/.7.22 for children ages 6 to 12. Children under 6 enter free. The ticket includes the IMAX film about the Canal’s history and operations. Residents and Panamanians have different rates with valid identification.
How to Plan the Visit Without Wasting Half a Day
1. Go early if the Canal is a priority
The center opens at 8:00 a.m. and the first listed IMAX screening is at 8:45 a.m. An early visit gives you more flexibility if you want the viewing platforms, the film, and time for another neighborhood afterward.
2. Buy from the official ticket channel
Use the official Visit Canal de Panamá page and its ticket link rather than relying on a random tour listing. That gives you the current price, schedule, and operating status from the Canal itself.
3. Separate the attraction from the earthquake recovery story
Miraflores reopening is good news for a Panama City itinerary. It is not a blanket update for every road, bridge, hotel, or inland attraction. If you are adding an interior destination after the Canal, confirm that route and property separately.
4. Leave room for transit changes
The official page notes that ship transits may vary. Treat the lock viewing as the main experience, not as a guaranteed appointment with one specific vessel. The museum, viewing decks, playground, and IMAX film still make the stop useful even when ship timing changes.
What This Means for Expats and Future Residents
For expats already living in Panama City, the reopening is a small but useful sign that the city’s visitor infrastructure is returning to routine. You can recommend Miraflores to guests again, but you should still check current conditions before sending people toward affected interior communities.
For anyone considering a move, this is also a reminder to read Panama at the neighborhood level. A headline about the country can be too broad to guide a real decision. The questions that matter are local: Is the attraction open? Is the route clear? Is the building operating? Can you get reliable information before you leave?
The Bottom Line
Miraflores is open again, and that is genuinely useful news for visitors. The current official schedule is 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., non-resident adult admission is listed at B/.17.22, and the Santiago Interactive Center remains closed according to the latest English report.
Put Miraflores back on your Panama City list, but check the official page before leaving. Plan around the published hours, do not assume a ship will pass at a particular minute, and verify any onward route that takes you outside the capital.
Sources: Visit Canal de Panamá official visitor-center page, I Go Panama English report, Telemetro original report, and U.S. Embassy earthquake alert. Information checked October 19, 2026. This is editorial information, not emergency, immigration, tax, legal, or medical advice.