Birding Panama

You are met at the airport and driven to the hotel located at the Old Canal Zone. The place is in a nice area surrounded by nature and with easy access to the main bird spots of the Panama Canal Rainforest. Night: Radisson Summit Hotel

This day your specialist leader will guide you through the famous Pipeline Road. We'll walk the forests of Pipeline looking for Golden-collared Manakin and Slaty-tailed Trogon. We’ll help you to find and identify some of the tiniest ones, such as the Southern Bentbill. In the afternoon we’ll explore several aquatic habitats around Gamboa, searching for Rufescent-Tiger-Heron and Yellow–tailed Oriole. Night:Radisson Summit Hotel (B,L,D)

Old Gamboa Road & Plantation Road Explore another hot spot at the Canal Corridor, looking for Spectacled Owls and Blue-crowned Motmots. 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! Night:Radisson Summit Hotel (B,L,D)

With a list of 267 species, the Metro Park is the largest tropical forest park within the limits of a Latin American City, a good place to find birds of the Pacific forest of the Panama Canal. We’ll look for specialties like: the Panama endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet (rare), Lance-tailed Manakin, Pheasant Cuckoo and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. After lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll be driven 1 ½ hour west to El Valle. Night:Anton Valley Hotel (B,L,D)

This morning explore the Cerro Gaital and La Mesa area. This area is at higher elevation than the town itself; here look for wet forest species typical of the Western Foothills of Panama such as Tody Motmot, Spectacled Owl, Spot-crowned Barbet, Flame-rumped Tanager, Yellow-eared Toucanet and more. Night: Anton Valley Hotel (B,L,D)

Morning Birding El Valle, a picturesque town, located in the crater of an extinct volcano. The town has year-round spring weather thanks to its 700meter altitude. Some other birds that could be found are; Silvery-throated Tanager, Orange Bellied Trogon and Blue-throated Toucanet. Afternoon transfer to Panama City, to take our flight (50 minutes) to David, upon arrival we will be greeted by our excellent driver to be taken to the Western Highlands (Volcan Town), where we will stay 3 nights to find Highland Birds and many endemics. Night: Hotel Dos Rios - Chiriqui Highlands (B,L,D)

Volcan Baru National Mark & Los Quetzales Trail. Find Resplendent Quetzals with the help of your specialist guide. The bird could be found eating the wild avocados and everyone will like to have the perfect photo. The Quetzal was the most sacred symbol of the Aztecs and Mayas. The name quetzal is an ancient Indian term for tail feather and the bird itself represents liberty. We should look also for Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Black-faced Solitaire, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, Black-capped Flycatcher, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner Blue-throated (Emerald) Toucanet and more. Continue birding around the area of Cerro Punta looking for more highland birds and endemics. Night: Hotel Dos Rios - Chiriqui Highlands (B,L,D)

Visit to La Amistad International Park. This Park also known as PILA, is a World Heritage site and part of the Talamanca Mountain Range, a volcanic origin formation that congregates the highest concentration of endemic and threatened species in Panama, such as Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Yellow-thighed Finch, Collared Redstart, Flame-throated Warbler, Prong-billed Barbet and Wrenthrush (Zeledonia). Afternoon visit to Cielito Sur, a private reserve with a trail, that winds through hillside forest, passing several streams, providing an opportunity to see some of the highland bird species. Enjoy several sets of hummingbird feeders around the reserve where you can watch the White-throated Mountain Gem, Green Violet-ear, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, Scintillant Hummingbird, Green-crowned Brilliant and more. Night: Hotel Dos Rios - Chiriqui Highlands (B,L,D)

The lakes near Volcán are very good to find species not found on the higher slopes of Cerro Punta. Some species include: Masked Duck and Northern Jacanas. Interesting birds of woodland areas such as Golden-winged Warbler, Olivaceous Piculet, Spotted Wood-Quail, Pale-breasted Spinetail and Collared Trogon could be found. After lunch, the small group we’ll go back to David to take the afternoon flight to Panama City. Night:Radisson Summit Hotel (B,L,D)

Depending on your schedule, we will make sure you are at the airport on time to catch your flight back home.