Who we are
The Real Panama Trs is a small, efficient, organized, reliable, trustworthy, resourceful, friendly and fun transportation provider for foreign visitors. Yes, we are all that. Lol.
Our job is to make your life easier while you vacation in Panama and to ensure your travel experience is memorable.
I, am Sorhay, the dreamer behind The Real Panama Trs.
Who am I? A simple woman, raised in a mid low class family in Colon, 1st street, on the Caribbean side of Panama.
I was the first daughter of a young sixteen years old. My childhood was under mi abuelita’s watch, her name was Myrtha Lidilia Simons (1936-2021). She was the best role model and by far, the toughest and kindest woman I've known, which was a rare combination.
My granny wanted for me to graduate from college and I was almost done with journalism and worked as journalist for more than a decade in the 90´s, but I didn't finish the career. I have 9 years of university: 1 year of radio, 1 year of graphic design, 2 years of architecture and 4 years of journalism. Just recently I realized I have more education than most people even though I didn't get a degree and everything I studied is serving me today. Being a journalist was not my call.
In 2001, I took off to explore a foreign country with a different language. I arrive to US and work my way up little by little, always in an honest way. As any immigrant I had to start from the bottom, so I worked as valet parker, then in a call center (when my English was a work in progress) and as soon as I was ready and the language barrier was broken, joined the banking industry in the US for 6+ years.
Many years of sacrifices show me the road that transform me into whom I have become today. I understand that only working with your heart, being disciplined and given 257% every day, you will obtain the best results. After 12 years living abroad, didn't take long for me to board that plane to start fresh one more time, and I didn't have a plan to do this but life rerouted me in the right direction and now I am working on what I am passionate about: travel. I found my purpose in life the moment I did my first tour.
The moment I started this business, I promise myself that I will always do the right thing, work with ethic, honesty and dedication. That's how The Real Panama Trs was born and is growing.
We hope you give us the opportunity to show you, our little and precious country.
A million thanks to all the beautiful people we've met during these 8+ years.
Thank you, Shalom, Muchas Muchas Gracias for such amazing reviews from the bottom of my heart.
I am very thankful and grateful for every opportunity to meet new people and show you my country: My Panama.
Sorhay
Our job is to make your life easier while you vacation in Panama and to ensure your travel experience is memorable.
I, am Sorhay, the dreamer behind The Real Panama Trs.
Who am I? A simple woman, raised in a mid low class family in Colon, 1st street, on the Caribbean side of Panama.
I was the first daughter of a young sixteen years old. My childhood was under mi abuelita’s watch, her name was Myrtha Lidilia Simons (1936-2021). She was the best role model and by far, the toughest and kindest woman I've known, which was a rare combination.
My granny wanted for me to graduate from college and I was almost done with journalism and worked as journalist for more than a decade in the 90´s, but I didn't finish the career. I have 9 years of university: 1 year of radio, 1 year of graphic design, 2 years of architecture and 4 years of journalism. Just recently I realized I have more education than most people even though I didn't get a degree and everything I studied is serving me today. Being a journalist was not my call.
In 2001, I took off to explore a foreign country with a different language. I arrive to US and work my way up little by little, always in an honest way. As any immigrant I had to start from the bottom, so I worked as valet parker, then in a call center (when my English was a work in progress) and as soon as I was ready and the language barrier was broken, joined the banking industry in the US for 6+ years.
Many years of sacrifices show me the road that transform me into whom I have become today. I understand that only working with your heart, being disciplined and given 257% every day, you will obtain the best results. After 12 years living abroad, didn't take long for me to board that plane to start fresh one more time, and I didn't have a plan to do this but life rerouted me in the right direction and now I am working on what I am passionate about: travel. I found my purpose in life the moment I did my first tour.
The moment I started this business, I promise myself that I will always do the right thing, work with ethic, honesty and dedication. That's how The Real Panama Trs was born and is growing.
We hope you give us the opportunity to show you, our little and precious country.
A million thanks to all the beautiful people we've met during these 8+ years.
Thank you, Shalom, Muchas Muchas Gracias for such amazing reviews from the bottom of my heart.
I am very thankful and grateful for every opportunity to meet new people and show you my country: My Panama.
Sorhay
Yes, I absolutely agree. The word AMAZING doesn't say enough!!"
Apr 24, 2017
Reviewed by Eric N
I travel frequently and Sorhay is hands down the best tour guide I have ever had. My husband and I spent 3 full days with her. She is delightful!! She gets to know you and wants you to have the best Panamanian experience tailored to YOUR interests. I like coffee and so we started our days out at a coffee shop. My husband is a very fit guy and she picked us up one morning at 5:30am to hike Anton hill and watch the sun rise over the Pacific. My husband wanted to see a sloth so she found a sloth. We happened to pass the President of Panama while he was jogging on the Amador Causeway. Sorhay says you are going to meet my President. My husband and I said, "There's no way we are going to meet the President." Well, we met the President. Never doubt Sorhay - if she says you are going to do something, you will do it!
Check our customers reviews on TripAdvisor and Facebook
Why we do this
We are travelers just like you and here are a few reasons WHY we do this:
First, we want you to feel Panama with all your senses, to take it all in: the bads & the goods
Second, we want you to talk to us, to interact with natives, to understand our cultural differences and to embrace them
Third, we want you to have time to explore. We can't understand tours were you are most of the time in a van and get out for pictures only. We want you to walk in Panama and get a sense of what's happening around
Fourth, we want to make you fall in love with our country, not to like Panama but to loooooove it and go back talking about it
You already know, that no matter where you go, there is no better way to explore a new place than doing so with the assistance and the companion of locals to get to know 'their' country.
The kind of service that we provide has a higher value because we add value to your tour, we truly do.
We are not a hop on hop off tourists bus that picks you up and drops you off and never hears again from you (and we use that service sometimes when we travel). We are a very warm tour service that cares about what you think, we are an organic experience and always make everything as easy as possible.
Private experiences are my personal preference.
After doing many different type of tours while traveling abroad I decided to specialise in couples and small family groups and here are a few of the reasons why:
While in Croatia, I booked an awesome bike tour with a croatian guide and we stop at a cool beach bar were I met more croatians. It was not only the bike ride, it was rhe favt that he knew the backroads, we went through some neighborhoods and then ended up, at a phenomenal beach. I couldn’t get in because the water was freezing cold but it was fun to see the croatians swimming on that thin ice... what a relaxing and fun day!
Personally I believe touring doesn't need to be fancy, it needs to be real. Of course, a little wine it’s always a nice addition uh!... hahaha...
In Rome... the hectic and crowded Rome, I found this amazing archeologist called Federico, a 'real' Roman that walked with me through empty streets and got me to the Gianicolo Mount surrounded by orange trees. Again, we walked thourgh back roads known by locals, passed by a church were a marriage was taking place and just, did what romans normally do. Only me and Federico. Fantastic!.
Both of them were private tours and I loved them.
On the other hand, I visited the Predjama Castle and the amazing caverns in Slovenia on a group tour, a totally different experience. Hundreds of people, organised lines but crowded, limited time to explore, everything on the clock. Would I recommend it? mmhhh. I am still thinking about it, because the european tours are not as spicy as the latin ones (if you know what I mean).
However, the group experience at Isla Saona in Dominican Republic was in my humble opinion, absolutely awesome because they are well organised, food is very good and the massage at the beach (not included) much needed + worthy..
In Panama, you can visit the attractions on your own, if you do the proper research, so you don't miss the history behind it. In order to do that you need to know the streets (because Waze is not perfect) and it may take you a little longer to go from point A to B.
If you are in the city, take the metro (subway) and get off at Plaza 5 de Mayo and walk to the Fish Market, Cinta Costera and Casco Antiguo.
If you wish to have the best view of the City and Casco Antiguo from the highest point in the City, the Ancon Hill is a 35 minutes walk to the top. The same applies to the Amador Causeway. It is close to the City by car but walking, may not seem that way. To go to The Panama Canal Miraflores Locks you will need a transfer as well. On the other hand, traveling to the world heritage site of Portobelo using public transportation although it is doable is not recommended because involves a couple of transfers and buses here don't arrive at specific times. A tour with us takes you there, on a private comfortable car, from your hotel and back in 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately. Well, we make stops whenever we see something interesting and it may take a bit longer. We try not to miss anything along the way. You choose!
Here is were The Real Panama Tours comes handy. We are a tailor made service, meaning, a tour designed to discover Panama in a relax way, without anybody reminding you how much time you have left, with the possibility of making last minute changes depending upon your preferences. This type of service has a different value than group tours prepared on the clock with an exact amount of time designated for every single activity.
We may change plans a bit once we meet you. You may have book a City Tour but while we are having a conversation it may come up that you've never seen an agouti or a sloth and would love to, so we will do our very best to make that happen. That won't happen if you are on a group tour.
With us , your input matters. What do I mean by that? If you book a group tour, normally, they will choose the place were you eat (wether you like or not, you will eat there). When you book a Real Panama Private Tour "you" will always have the last word. We can make suggestions but the final decision is YOURS.
I am totally aware The Real Panama Trs is the small fish in an ocean of tour services, and that is one of the reasons why we ALWAYS go above and beyond to exceed your expectations.
We've been around 8+ years providing CUSTOMIZED EXPERIENCES, SMOOTH, EFFICIENT and EXCELLENT customer service and will continue thriving to be the "bestest"... yes, that’s a word... (lol).
Our main goal is to make you happy, happy, happy you and when you hire us, we guarantee you will enjoy The Real Panama.
Sorhay
First, we want you to feel Panama with all your senses, to take it all in: the bads & the goods
Second, we want you to talk to us, to interact with natives, to understand our cultural differences and to embrace them
Third, we want you to have time to explore. We can't understand tours were you are most of the time in a van and get out for pictures only. We want you to walk in Panama and get a sense of what's happening around
Fourth, we want to make you fall in love with our country, not to like Panama but to loooooove it and go back talking about it
You already know, that no matter where you go, there is no better way to explore a new place than doing so with the assistance and the companion of locals to get to know 'their' country.
The kind of service that we provide has a higher value because we add value to your tour, we truly do.
We are not a hop on hop off tourists bus that picks you up and drops you off and never hears again from you (and we use that service sometimes when we travel). We are a very warm tour service that cares about what you think, we are an organic experience and always make everything as easy as possible.
Private experiences are my personal preference.
After doing many different type of tours while traveling abroad I decided to specialise in couples and small family groups and here are a few of the reasons why:
While in Croatia, I booked an awesome bike tour with a croatian guide and we stop at a cool beach bar were I met more croatians. It was not only the bike ride, it was rhe favt that he knew the backroads, we went through some neighborhoods and then ended up, at a phenomenal beach. I couldn’t get in because the water was freezing cold but it was fun to see the croatians swimming on that thin ice... what a relaxing and fun day!
Personally I believe touring doesn't need to be fancy, it needs to be real. Of course, a little wine it’s always a nice addition uh!... hahaha...
In Rome... the hectic and crowded Rome, I found this amazing archeologist called Federico, a 'real' Roman that walked with me through empty streets and got me to the Gianicolo Mount surrounded by orange trees. Again, we walked thourgh back roads known by locals, passed by a church were a marriage was taking place and just, did what romans normally do. Only me and Federico. Fantastic!.
Both of them were private tours and I loved them.
On the other hand, I visited the Predjama Castle and the amazing caverns in Slovenia on a group tour, a totally different experience. Hundreds of people, organised lines but crowded, limited time to explore, everything on the clock. Would I recommend it? mmhhh. I am still thinking about it, because the european tours are not as spicy as the latin ones (if you know what I mean).
However, the group experience at Isla Saona in Dominican Republic was in my humble opinion, absolutely awesome because they are well organised, food is very good and the massage at the beach (not included) much needed + worthy..
In Panama, you can visit the attractions on your own, if you do the proper research, so you don't miss the history behind it. In order to do that you need to know the streets (because Waze is not perfect) and it may take you a little longer to go from point A to B.
If you are in the city, take the metro (subway) and get off at Plaza 5 de Mayo and walk to the Fish Market, Cinta Costera and Casco Antiguo.
If you wish to have the best view of the City and Casco Antiguo from the highest point in the City, the Ancon Hill is a 35 minutes walk to the top. The same applies to the Amador Causeway. It is close to the City by car but walking, may not seem that way. To go to The Panama Canal Miraflores Locks you will need a transfer as well. On the other hand, traveling to the world heritage site of Portobelo using public transportation although it is doable is not recommended because involves a couple of transfers and buses here don't arrive at specific times. A tour with us takes you there, on a private comfortable car, from your hotel and back in 1 hour and 30 minutes approximately. Well, we make stops whenever we see something interesting and it may take a bit longer. We try not to miss anything along the way. You choose!
Here is were The Real Panama Tours comes handy. We are a tailor made service, meaning, a tour designed to discover Panama in a relax way, without anybody reminding you how much time you have left, with the possibility of making last minute changes depending upon your preferences. This type of service has a different value than group tours prepared on the clock with an exact amount of time designated for every single activity.
We may change plans a bit once we meet you. You may have book a City Tour but while we are having a conversation it may come up that you've never seen an agouti or a sloth and would love to, so we will do our very best to make that happen. That won't happen if you are on a group tour.
With us , your input matters. What do I mean by that? If you book a group tour, normally, they will choose the place were you eat (wether you like or not, you will eat there). When you book a Real Panama Private Tour "you" will always have the last word. We can make suggestions but the final decision is YOURS.
I am totally aware The Real Panama Trs is the small fish in an ocean of tour services, and that is one of the reasons why we ALWAYS go above and beyond to exceed your expectations.
We've been around 8+ years providing CUSTOMIZED EXPERIENCES, SMOOTH, EFFICIENT and EXCELLENT customer service and will continue thriving to be the "bestest"... yes, that’s a word... (lol).
Our main goal is to make you happy, happy, happy you and when you hire us, we guarantee you will enjoy The Real Panama.
Sorhay