Panama | Between Two Continents: Birding in Panama

Upon arrival at Tocumen International Airport meet your guide and transfer to the hotel. Check in starts at 3:00 pm.

Breakfast and orientation at the hotel restaurant then depart for the Rainforest Discovery Center, located at the world famous Pipeline Road. Begin at the visitor center, observing up to 14 species of hummingbirds that have been recorded at the feeders. Continue along the trails observing birds of the undergrowth such as manakins, anteaters and trogons. Ascend the 130-foot tower to observe birds in the canopy layer such as the Mealy and Red lored Parrots, Keel billed and Yellow throated Toucans, Blue Cotinga, Masked Tityra, and Green and Red legged Honeycreepers. Continue birding along Pipeline Road, looking for Crested Eagles and Hook billed Kites. Golden collared Manakin, White bellied and Blue throated Antbirds, and Pheasant Cuckoo may also be seen. Later, travel to the Panama Canal’s famed Miraflores Locks for lunch and exploration of the museum, hopefully seeing a ship passing through the locks. Return to the hotel for dinner. hot/humid // 72°-90° F // Elevation 100-400 feet // Lowland tropical rainforest, tropical secondary forest, lagoons and rivers with floating vegetation

After breakfast journey to Plantation Road. This old, graded dirt road passes along a mature forest and is approximately four miles long. Go birding along the road in search of interior forest birds, such as Spotted, Bi-colored and Ocellated Antbirds, Gray-headed Tanagers, and Plain-brown, Northern Barred and (if you’re lucky) Ruddy Woodcreepers, following army ant swarms. Be on the lookout for the Hook-billed Kite, while Golden crowned Spadebills are regulars around the creek, and White-breasted Wood Wrens, Tinamous and leaftossers are easy to spot. Enjoy a picnic lunch, and then head out for birding at Metropolitan Nature Park, perhaps the only forest reserve within a major capital city in Latin America. Despite proximity to Panama City, it boasts rich avifauna. Be joined by Dr. George Angehr, a researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Center and author of The Birds of Panama: A Field Guide.

Early morning birding before breakfast then birding on Lake Gatun land the Panama Canal by boat. Later, venture through the rainforest canopy on Gamboa's Aerial Tram for a unique view of the forest. The tram ends at an observation tower 100 feet high with expansive 360 degree views of Soberanía National Park. Have lunch at the lodge and have some free time. Later in the afternoon spend time birding at the Ammo Dump Ponds.

After breakfast, travel to the airport for the flight to David, Chiriquí. Stop for lunch at a local restaurant then travel 3,900 feet above sea level to the highlands of Boquete. Spend the day seeking out Quetzals on the Pipeline Trail. These magnificent birds, with their emerald green two foot tails flowing behind them, are exceedingly rare in Central America. Your chances of seeing them here are excellent.

Today travel to the Chiriquí midlands, south of Volcán in search of species such as the Red-headed Barbet, Sepia-capped Flycatcher, Emerald Tanager and Rufous-browed Tyrannulet. Stop at Birding Paradise, located in an intermediate zone providing species of birds from both the highlands and lowlands, more than 20 species of Hummingbirds can be found here. To follow is a stop at Macho de Monte Canyon to spot Fiery billed aracari, Riverside wren, Orange bellied trogon, and Orange collared manakin. Have lunch in Volcán at La Carbonera. After lunch you'll have the opportunity to spot some of the species that can be found at Las Lagunas ("the Lakes"), Panama's highest elevation natural wetlands that sit 4,000 feet above sea level. See the Masked Duck, Chiriquí Yellowthroat, Blue winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Crested Guan and more. Afterwards journey to Janson Coffee Farm for additional birding opportunity and some snacks before returning to Boquete. Dinner at the hotel this evening.

After an early breakfast, check out of the hotel and travel back to David, Chiriquí to board the flight back to Panama City. Have lunch, check in to your hotel then explore the Panama Bay Mudflats, a wetland of International Importance (Ramsar site), and a site of hemispheric importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN). The Bay of Panama is an important wintering habitat to thousands of shorebirds including Western Sandpiper, Semipalmated and Black bellied Plovers, Willet, Whimbrel, and Short billed Dowitcher. Also explore the Panama Viejo ruins, and Costa del Este areas. Resident raptors of interest may include the Gray lined Hawk, Crested Caracara, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. Transfer to Casco Antiguo historic district for a walking tour before your farewell dinner with folkloric dancing at Las Tinajas.

Transfer to the airport for the flight home. Check out is at 12:00 pm.