Birding in Panama
Details for 8 Day Trip:
Panama Isthmus Tour
Details for 8 Day Trip:
Panama Isthmus Tour
| Day 1: Arrival into Panama City You will be met by a representative of the tour at the airport and driven to the Albrook Inn Hotel. The Hotel is located in a nice area, surrounded by nature and with easy access to the main bird spots of the Panama Canal Rainforest. Upon arrival at the hotel, you will be able to bird the grounds effectively, likely picking up your first trip birds and first Panama life birds. Though this is mostly an arrival day, we will offer afternoon birding for anyone arriving by 1 PM. That evening, we will all have supper together and have a full trip orientation. We will finish up by 8 PM so that everyone can get a good night's sleep for an early start in the morning. Day 2: Metropolitan Nature Park We will start early and head to the nearby Metropolitan Nature Park. With a list of 267 bird species, the Metropolitan Park is the largest tropical forest park within the limits of a Latin American city, this a good place to find birds of the Pacific forest of the Panama Canal. Some of the key birds, which we will be looking for on our first full day of birding, include several Panama endemics: Yellow-green Tyrannulet (rare), Lance-tailed Manakin, and the elusive Rosy-thrush Tanager. We will also look for the difficult to find Pheasant Cuckoo. After lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll go to the Smithsonian Nature Center at Culebra Island to look for the Mangrove (Yellow) Warbler and the Northern Scrub- Flycatcher. Day 3: Pipeline Road & Discovery Center Tower Day of Birding at the famous Pipeline Road and the surrounding areas of the Soberania National Park. From a new observation tower, 100 feet’s high, enjoy fantastic views of the tropical moist forest and several Canopy Dwellers, such as the Blue Cotinga and flocks of Keel- billed Toucans. Visit to the Rainforest Discovery Center gardens where some of the easy to photograph birds include: Slaty-tailed Trogon, Black-breasted Puffbird and Broad-billed Motmot. Admire hummingbird feeders teeming with acrobatic fliers who are in a battled dominated by the White-necked Jacobin. Visit to the ammo-dumps near Gamboa, to look for water birds, such as the Rufescent Tiger-Heron. Day 4: Old Gamboa Road & Plantation Road Explore another hot spot at the Canal corridor, looking for Spectacled Owls and Blue-crowned Motmot. Scan the Summit Ponds for Amazon, Green, Ringed Kingfishers and nesting Boat-billed Herons. Bird walk under the evergreen forest of Plantation Road, there are possibilities to find army ant-swarms and many of the birds that follow these ants, such as Spotted Antbird, and Ocellated Antbird. Some other specialties of the Plantation Road include: Golden-crowned Spadebill, Olivaceous Flatbill, White-whiskered Puffbird and more. The rainforest of the Panama Canal are highly diverse, we go over the list every day! Afternoon transfer to the Caribbean Slope, we’ll spend two nights there. Day 5: Achiote Road – Atlantic side of the Panama Canal We'll spend the day on the Western Caribbean bank of the Panama Canal. Along the Achiote Road, on the edge of the San Lorenzo National Park, we’ll search for Spot- crowned Barbet, Pied Puffbird, and White-headed Wren. At mid-morning we'll go to the Trogon Trail, a short loop under ever-wet forest to look for forest-interior birds, such as Chestnut-backed, Spotted, Bicolored and Ocellated Antbird. Several species of trogons could be found, like White-tailed Trogon, and Black-throated Trogon. Achiote is an important site for diurnal raptors. Skies should be watched for King Vulture, Gray-headed Kite and Hook- billed Kite. Lunch we’ll be at a community owned restaurant at Achiote. Day 6: Sierra Llorona – Caribbean Slope Morning birding on the slopes of Sierra Llorona, the place is located 300m above see level on the Caribbean slope, conditions are good to find some foothill tanagers such as Sulphur-rumped Tanager and Rufous-winged Tanager. The private trails of the reserve are good to find Syristes, Olive-striped Flycatcher, Olivaceous Flatbill and more. Sierra Llorona is an excellent place to find Owls such as: Crested Owl, Mottled Owl, Black and White Owl and Common and Great Pooto sometimes call right out from your window. Afternoon transfer to Cerro Azul, we’ll stop on the way to look for shorebirds at the Panama City mudflats. Day 7: Cerro Azul Foothills & Birder’s View at the Chagres National Park Visit to the Chagres National Park. The 129,000 hectares of forest, protects the headwaters of the Chagres River, the main provider of water of the Panama Canal. From the gated community of Cerro Azul there is easy access to several trails and roads that leads into the Park. Visit to Birder’s Views, a lookout with hummingbird feeders and trails where we'll go in search of the national endemic Striped-cheeked Woodpecker, Rufous-crested Coquette, Violet-capped Hummingbird, and Scaled Pigeons. Gardens and feeders lure a colorful mixture of tanagers such as Emerald, Bay-headed, Speckled and Rufous- wing Tanagers. Soaring Black-and-white-Hawk Eagle is often seen at Cerro Azul. Day 8: Cerro Azul Foothills & Cerro Jefe at the Chagres National Park Morning birding around the hotel grounds, look for Yellow- bellied Seedeater, Swallow-tailed Kite and a nearby colony of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas. Transfer to Tocumen Airport for flights out in the afternoon or consider the Darien Extension Trip. |
| Detailed Itinerary |
| 8 Days Birding in Panama |
| For More Information or to Register for this Trip, call Charles at 888-203-7464 or directly at 720-320-1974 or by email at info@PIBird.com. |
| This site is under construction, going under final design and editing. Though content is rough at points, the information should be helpful for birders looking for a good birding trip to Panama. Trips from $1,690. |
| Canal Zone and Rainforest (Metropolitan Park, Pipeline Road & Discovery Center Tower, Plantation Road & Old Gamboa Road), Atlantic Side of Canal (Achiote Road), Caribbean Slope (Sierra Llorona), Cerro Azul Foothills & Chagres National Park Extensions to Darien or Chiriqui Highlands |