Panama City Like a Local: Customized Private Tour

Mario was simply the best. He knew I wanted good photographs. He set the tour up so I was able to maximize that opportunity. He was beyond helpful, gave history and knowledge that only someone who has lived there can offer. There was a point where there was potentially something dangerous and he safely moved me out of the way. Cannot recommend him enough as a thing you could ever want is what you will experience.

Really liked our local guy- had a sense of humor and well traveled with great advice on local transportation and Old Panama. Willing to take a really fun picture or two- he is also a professional photographer and journalist in other lives! He works as a private chef some so great food suggestions also. Perfect way to start a trip is with a local guide !

I had a short layover in Panama City . Decided to book this private tour to get a feel of the Panama City. I was told by the tour operator that this is a different type of experience - not with the trained tour guide but with the local person who is willing to share their experiences living in the city. I really liked the concept and decided to go with the tour. The person who was assigned to me was a really nice guy. He introduced himself via email and also whatsapp. We were suppose to meet at a location in old town of Panama City. I asked if he has transportation options available for me to get to the old city. The response was yes. My flight landed much earlier than the scheduled time and I asked my guide to meet earlier. He told me he will contact the transportation he booked to get me earlier. Well, this did not work as planned. They picked me up much later. And of course I was told by him to not get dinner while waiting, not to use uber, taxi, etc... by the time we made it to the city it was late, I was hungry. I mentioned I am a real foodie and like to eat in non touristy places... we ended up eating of course in a very touristly place. The whole dinner experience took a long time. By the time we were done - absolutely everything was closed and there was nothing happening in old city. One would think that a local person knows what is happening where at night and will be prepared to show something interesting... we walked for a bit , then i decided to head back. My guide told me that I should not be booking uber as it will be very expensive and his driver will be here very soon. A quick check with Uber revealed about the same price as his driver apparently is charging [i had no idea about the price of the transportation!]. I was also told that it is a policy of the travel agency to use this local driver ... [??] - later the head of the agency said there is no such policy in place!! I ended up waiting for the mentioned above driver for another 30 min and was extremely unhappy, tired and disappointed ... Looking back I just could of stayed in my hotel, enjoyed dinner and relaxed vs this experience...