The Best of Panama: Canopy Tower and the Darién

The Best of Panama: Canopy Tower and the Darién
February 2024

Welcome to our Best of Panama birding tour! Panama is perhaps one of the best birding countries in the Neotropics. With easy access, an excellent logistics infrastructure, and a huge bird list of 1,012 species it is an obligatory birding destination. Panama is excellent for beginners in the Neotropics, who would certainly fall in love with the natural history and the overwhelming amount of birds such as colorful tanagers, sparkling hummingbirds, noisy parrots, and lovely motmots and trogons, and for those who are quite experienced Panama offers an exquisite set of seldom-seen and sought-after species, such as Bare-crowned and Ocellated Antbirds, Black-crowned Antpitta, Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, and the strange Sapayoa.

During this 12-day tour you will have the chance to visit the Gamboa area near the Panama Canal, where we will be based at the world-famous Canopy Tower Lodge. This tower, a former US military center that was built to house powerful radar used in the defense of the canal, today is one of the most magnificent birding lodges in Latin America, allowing the guest a magnificent 360° view of the forest of the Soberanía National Park. We will stay a total of four nights, exploring the great surroundings, including places like the Pipeline Road, Summits Ponds, Semaphore Hill Road, and the  Gamboa Marina Resort while looking for species such as Brown-hooded Parrot, Northern Mealy and Red-lored Amazons, Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucan, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Boat-billed Heron, Crimson-backed and Golden-hooded Tanagers, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Spotted Antbird, Dot-winged Antwren, Long-billed Gnatwren, Song Wren, Slaty-tailed, Gartered, and White-tailed Trogons, and if we are lucky Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo and Ocellated Antbird. The lodge’s surroundings are also good for wildlife, including Brown-throated Sloth, Nine-banded Armadillo, Central American Agouti, and Lesser Capybara.

Then we will visit the Canopy Lodge in the Valle del Antón (Anton Valley), surrounded by lush forested hills and ridges and home to several special species, such as Yellow-eared Toucanet, Snowcap, Ochraceous Wren, White-tipped Sicklebill, Black-and-yellow Tanager, Tiny Hawk, Tody Motmot, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Grey-headed Chachalaca, and Collared Trogon, and we’ll have another chance for Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo. The Canopy Lodge is a very comfortable, beautiful lodge, situated in a peaceful location and surrounded by gardens, where we will try for Tropical Screech Owl and, with luck, Uniform Crake as well as for several tanagers like Bay-headed and Dusky-faced Tanagers.

The brightly-colored Yellow-throated Toucan will hopefully be seen on this tour.

Finally we will spend four nights and days at the recently built Canopy Camp in the Darién Province, looking for a whole set of range-restricted species shared only with Colombia, some of them quite hard-to-get in other Neotropical countries. The amenities at the Canopy Camp are very comfortable; each camping unit provides an African safari tent with wooden floor, beds, electricity, fans (however, no AC), a second room to place the luggage inside the tent, and a private bathroom outside the tent. The birds in the Darién include White-eared Conebill, Double-banded Greytail, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Oropendola, Spectacled Parrotlet, Black-crowned Antpitta, Bare-crowned Antbird, Black Antshrike, Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Spot-crowned Barbet, and Orange-crowned Oriole. We will+

also try for Blue Cotinga, Green Shrike-Vireo, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, and the most-wanted Sapayoa.

Itinerary (12 days/11 nights)

Day 1. Arrival

Arrival in Panama City and transfer to Canopy Tower Lodge.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

Day 2. Birding the Canopy Tower, Semaphore Hill, and Summit Ponds

We will meet at the observation deck before dawn to enjoy the forest canopy with the early calls of Barred and Slaty-backed Forest Falcons. While enjoying some coffee we will try to detect the secretive Green Shrike-Vireo and the beautiful Blue Cotinga. Other birds include Northern Mealy and Red-lored Amazons, Brown-capped Tyrannulet, Collared Aracari, and the striking Keel-billed Toucan.

After breakfast we will bird the famous Semaphore Hill, looking for Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Plain-colored and White-shouldered Tanagers, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, and Green Honeycreeper. Before lunch we will check the hummingbird feeders around the lodge entrance, enjoying views of Blue-chested Hummingbird,Violet-bellied Hummingbird, White-necked Jacobin, and Snowy-bellied Hummingbird.

Semaphore Hill usually produces some great birds such as Green Honeycreeper.

In the afternoon we will explore the Summit Ponds area, where we will try for the elusive White-throated Crake, Boat-billed Heron, Wattled Jacana, Rufescent Tiger Heron, and Purple Gallinule. Other birds include Lemon-rumped Tanager, Palm Tanager, Crimson-backed Tanager, Black-striped Sparrow, Isthmian Wren, and many others.

We might also have our first mammal encounters here with Lesser Capybara and Brown-throated Sloth.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

Day 3. Birding the Pipeline Road

We will have a full day at the famous Pipeline Road, trying to see as many birds as possible and enjoying all of them. The list includes species like Black-breasted Puffbird, White-tailed, Gartered, and Black-throated Trogons,Song Wren, Golden-collared Manakin, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Great Jacamar, and Fasciated and Black-crowned Antshrikes. If we are lucky to find any army ant swarms we might see the striking Ocellated Antbird and also Spotted and Bicolored Antbirds and Northern Barred and Plain-brown Woodcreepers. We will visit some hummingbird feeders with species such as Long-billed and Stripe-throated Hermits, Crowned Woodnymph, and if we are lucky Rufous-crested Coquette.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

The impressive Fasciated Antshrike is possible along the Pipeline Road.

Day 4. Transfer to and birding at Canopy Lodge

Today we will transfer to El Valle de Antón, with time to explore the surroundings. En route we’ll pay a visit to the Canopy Adventure Center, where we have seen the mythical Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo in the past.

After lunch we will explore the lodge surroundings, enjoying Gray-headed Chachalaca, White-tipped Dove, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Black-chested Jay, Black-striped Sparrow, Buff-throated Saltator, and Chestnut-headed Oropendola.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

Day 5. Birding the La Mesa and Cerro Valle Chiquito areas

Today we will explore the La Mesa and Cerro Valle Chiquito areas, looking for species such as White-tipped Sicklebill, Dusky-faced Tanager, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia, Silver-throated Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Black-faced Antthrush, and if we are lucky White Hawk. We will also try for Tody Motmot and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Other birds include Grey-necked Wood Rail and if we are lucky Uniform Crake. At night we will search for Tropical Screech Owl.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

Day 6. Birding the Altos del Maria road

We will have a full day at the Altos del Maria road, focusing on special targets such as Yellow-eared Toucanet, Collared Trogon, Snowcap, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Ochraceous and Rufous-and-white Wrens, Barred Hawk, and with luck the secretive Black-crowned Antpitta.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

Day 7. Transfer to the Canopy Tower

Today we will transfer back to the Canopy Tower, focusing on any species we might have missed on previous days.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

Day 8. Transfer to Canopy Camp, birding on the way

A predawn start will take us to Nusagandi, where we will look for the most wanted Sapayoa and also for Checker-throated Stipplethroat, Dull-mantled Antbird, Black-striped, Cinnamon, and Stripe-cheeked Woodpeckers,White-ruffed and Red-capped Manakins, Speckled Mourner, Spot-crowned Antvireo, and if we are lucky Scarlet-thighed Dacnis.

Black-throated Mango is one of the many hummingbird species we should see visiting feeders.

We will have lunch in the village of Torti, enjoying some nice hummingbird feeders with species such as Scaly-breasted and Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds, Rufous-breasted Hermit, Black-throated Mango, and Long-billed Starthroat. We will continue to the Canopy Camp in the Darién Province, where we will spend the afternoon birding around the camp grounds, looking for Olivaceous Piculet and Spot-crowned Barbet.

Overnight: Canopy Camp

Day 9. Birding the Quebrada Felix trail and El Salto

We will explore the forest along the Quebrada Felix trail, looking for the sought-after Black-crowned Antpitta. Other birds here may include Rufous Piha,Speckled Mourner, Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Yellow-throated Toucan, Double-banded Greytail, Rufous-winged Antwren, and, as always, many others.

In the afternoon we will explore the secondary growth and open fields near El Salto to look for Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Pied Puffbird, White Hawk, and with luck Great Potoo in a day-roosting tree.

Overnight: Canopy Camp

Great Potoo are often seen at their cryptic day roosts.

Day 10. Birding the Nuevo Vigia area

Today we will have a boat trip in the morning to the Nuevo Vigia site to look specifically for the range-restricted Dusky-backed Jacamar among many other birds.

In the afternoon we will bird not far from Canopy Camp, looking for other Darien specialists such as White-eared Conebill and Choco Sirystes, and if we are lucky Great Green Macaw.

Overnight: Canopy Camp

Day 11. Darién clean-up day  

We will have this extra day to maximize our chances of finding all our targets and most wanted species in the area, including the range-restricted Black Oropendola near Yaviza (the southeastern end of the northern half of the Pan-American Highway).

Overnight: Canopy Camp

Day 12. Birding the San Francisco Reserve and departure

This is our last morning in the Darién with a visit to the San Francisco Reserve, near Torti, where we will have one more chance for Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker as well as Blue Cotinga, Great Jacamar, Orange-crowned Oriole, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, and the endemic Panamanian Tyrannulet.

After lunch we will transfer back to the Panama City airport to connect with our international flights.

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors.