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Embark on a special trip in cooperation with our local operator and guide Paco to explore Panama’s incredibly accessible biodiversity. Here you can ascend a canopy observation tower for breathtaking views of birds in the rainforest, encounter captivating mammals in the wetlands and rainforest of the Canal Zone, trek along the renowned Pipeline Road to discover avian wonders, search for endemic species in the cool foothills, and explore the picturesque Anton Valley and unique dry tropical forest of Cocles Province, all while experiencing the astounding diversity of flora and fauna in this beautiful country.
HIGHLIGHTS
SAFARI OPTIONS
NOTABLE EXPERIENCES
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Itinerary Updated: July 2024
| Date | Description | Lodge | Meals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15 | Arrive in Panama City, Panama. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | D |
| Mar 16 | Explore Soberanía National Park via Pipeline Road and the Rainforest Discovery Center. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 17 | Visit Metropolitan Nature Park to search for sloths and birds. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 18 | Drive up through the cool foothills of Cerro Azul and Cerro Jefe to a tanager paradise. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 19 | Make another trip up the famous Pipeline Road for wildlife sightings. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 20 | Bird Semaphore Hill and Ammo Dump. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 21 | Habitat-hop among Plantation Road, Summit Ponds, and Old Gamboa. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 22 | Day trip to Eastern Panama/Bayano Lake. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 23 | Decide as a group what favorite location to revisit. | Summit Rainforest Resort, Panama City | B, L, D |
| Mar 24 | Drive to Anton Valley. | Los Mandarinos Hotel, Anton Valley | B, L, D |
| Mar 25 | Discover the bird diversity in the Macho Falls region of the Anton Valley. | Los Mandarinos Hotel, Anton Valley | B, L, D |
| Mar 26 | Bird watch on Cerro Gaital and along Mesa Road. | Los Mandarinos Hotel, Anton Valley | B, L, D |
| Mar 27 | Explore the wildlife of Anton Valley. | Los Mandarinos Hotel, Anton Valley | B, L, D |
| Mar 28 | Survey the tropical dry forests of Cocles Province, and then drive back to Panama City. | Riande Aeropuerto Hotel, Panama City | B, L |
| Mar 29 | Continue on our Costa Rica trip or fly home. | B |
Paco has over 20 years of experience guiding wildlife, natural history, and birding tours throughout his native Costa Rica. He grew up in Sarapiqui near the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS) Station surrounded by his family's passion for the diverse local plants and animals. He was part of the very first World Wildlife Fund (WWF) intensive Naturalist training program and also worked at La Selva Biological Station before following his dream of starting his own tour company. His deep knowledge and charming personality make him one of our best leaders.
Though he holds a Nature Tourism degree from the National University in Panama, is involved with numerous national and international projects such as Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, has a confirmed record of sighting 778 birds in Panama’s 2019 Big Year, and comes fully equipped with Swarovski Optics, Kilo has a natural rapport with visitors as if going birding with a friend. He speaks fluent English and exhibits attentiveness and patience as he enjoys sharing his knowledge and his ability to recognize sounds and identify birds with people from all around the world.
Fly to Panama City where our local agent will transfer you from the airport to the resort. Many of the best birding areas are within an hour of Panama City, so you’ll use the resort as your basecamp for the next several days.
Explore world-renowned Pipeline Road, a Panamanian birding hotspot traversing Soberanía National Park. You’ll stop along the road to scout the diverging forest trails for songbirds such as trogons, antshrikes, and manakins. When you arrive at the Rainforest Discovery Center, climb the 32-meter-tall Observation Tower for spectacular 360-degree panoramic views of the rainforest canopy, enjoying a unique bird’s-eye view. In the distance, you will see the Panama Canal and Centennial Bridge. During this time of year, you may witness the wonders of hawk migration as they funnel northward along this land bridge connecting the Americas. At the base of the tower, enjoy hummingbird feeders frequented by long-billed hermits and white-necked jacobins.
Metropolitan Nature Park, conveniently located within the city limits, contains a surprising variety of birds and other wildlife. As you make your way through the forest you will discover hidden avian treasures including lance-tailed manakins, rosy thrush-tanagers, and yellow-rumped caciques. While exploring the forest you will also look for mammals including coatimundi (coati), three-toed sloth, and the endemic and adorable Geoffrey’s tamarin – the only tamarin species in Central America – feeding on its favorite fruits of the cecropia tree.
Today you travel east of Panama City for about two hours to a protected cloud forest within Chagres National Park. As you summit Cerro Azul and Cerro Jefe, at 2,500ft and 3,300ft above sea level, respectively, you will encounter trees dripping with epiphytes and orchids and discover dazzling new species for the trip. Enveloped in the cool mists, you will encounter a wide array of tanagers among the mixed-species flocks; if lucky, you will see emerald, speckled, rufous-winged, golden-hooded, silver-throated, bay-headed, hepatic, olive, and black-and-yellow tanagers! The ornate hawk-eagle inhabits this forest, as well as the scale-crested pygmy-tyrant and the endemic stripe-cheeked woodpecker.
You will spend a second day at Pipeline Road to revisit favorite wildlife hotspots and look for species you missed on your earlier visit.
At Semaphore Hill, wind along a jungle road in search of wildlife in this section of Soberanía National Park. Army ants commonly swarm here, drawing in mixed flocks of antbirds and woodcreepers. This area hosts other forest bird species such as the slaty antwren, great tinamou, and the spectacular rufous motmot. You may also encounter troupes of white-faced capuchins as you travel through these forests.
The pond at Ammo Dump is an excellent place for spotting waterbirds, including resident rufescent tiger-heron and American pygmy kingfisher. With some extra searching, you may encounter the striated heron or the capped heron. The surrounding fields and trees contain raptors, landbirds, and shorebirds, including collared forest falcon, Southern lapwing, and yellow-tailed oriole.
Today you will visit a variety of habitats with wonderful opportunities for spotting a plethora of wildlife. Plantation Road runs through both old-growth and secondary forest, and its relative lack of undergrowth increases your chances of viewing birds of the forest floor such as tinamous and the aptly named leaftossers. You may also encounter avian jewels such as the blue-crowned motmot, golden-crowned spadebill, and white-breasted wood-wren.
As you travel along the access road to Summit ponds, you have a chance to see the gray-headed chachalaca, buff-throated saltator, and other edge-associated birds. The ponds are home to an assortment of herons and kingfishers; all six species of kingfishers of the Americas have been spotted here! Scrub and grassland habitats along Old Gamboa Road contain more open-habitat species, including kiskadees and manakins.
During this day trip towards the east, you will visit Eastern Pacific lowland forests around Bayano Lake for bird specialties such as the black antshrike and the dazzling orange-crowned oriole.
As a group, you will decide which locations you would like to revisit for birds or mammals that you missed before or would like to see again!
Traveling into cloud forest country, discover exciting new flora and fauna while enjoying cooler temperatures and misty mountain landscapes. Along the way, look for colorful birds, including the flame-rumped tanager, blue-gray tanager, and red-crowned ant-tanager. The vocal and acrobatic chestnut-headed oropendula hang from high-up branches, swinging among their colony members and pendulous nests. In the afternoon, you will settle into the lodge and have time to explore this quaint mountain village nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano.
Spend the day scouting the lively forests around Macho Falls. Enjoy the breathtaking cloud forest and impressive diversity of wildlife as you seek the black-chested jay, white-throated robin, and other flora and fauna of the region.
As you ascend the mountain to Cerro Gaital, look out for the shiny cowbird and streaked saltator. With this rise in altitude, you have the opportunity to see the orange-bellied trogon and blue-throated toucanet. You may encounter many of the resident raptors, such as the black hawk-eagle, gray hawk, and barred forest falcon. Much of the day will be spent enjoying nature along Mesa Road. With its mix of habitats, from forest to pasture, you will see many birds!
Spend the day enjoying the incredible flora and fauna of Anton Valley. The route will depend on the weather and your preferences. The group may choose to journey to the Altos de Maria highlands or to traverse the birding trails closer to the hotel. Wherever you travel, you are sure to see a spectacular variety of wildlife.
On your drive back to Panama City, spend a good part of the day exploring the dry tropical forests of the Pacific coast lowlands. Some of the spectacular inhabitants of this area include the lesser yellow-headed vulture, the sapphire-throated hummingbird, and the rare Veraguan mango, a splendidly colored small hummingbird of Panama and Costa Rica. You will end the day at the hotel in Panama City, where you can enjoy dinner on your own at the hotel or in Panama City.
Fly straight to San José to join our Costa Rica trip. Or depart for home.
Conservation| Type | Cost Per Person |
|---|---|
| Trip Cost, double occupancy | $5,400 |
| Single Supplement | $1,200 |
Costs are per person, double occupancy, not including airfare, singles extra. See Included and Not Included sections for more details.
If you are a single traveler, we will find a roommate for you, but if we cannot find you a roommate, we may charge you a single supplement. Single rooms cost extra and are subject to availability.
| Payment | Due Date | Amount Per Person |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | Due now to reserve your space | $500 |
| Final | October 10, 2024 | Remaining balance |
Payments are due based on the schedule above. All reservations require a deposit to confirm reservation of your space.
Until the Final Payment due date, deposits are refundable except for a cancellation fee of $150 per person, which can be applied toward another trip if reserved within six months of the cancelled trip’s departure date. Cancellations are non-transferrable. No refunds are given after the Final Payment due date.
Temperatures vary greatly. The Pacific coast is often hot, while the cloud forests can be surprisingly cool. In March, the average daily temperature in the Panama Canal Zone and cloud forest of the Anton Valley are in the mid-80s°F (28°C), with highs up to low 90s°F (33°C); the evenings are typically in the low 70s°F (22°C). Although March is considered the dry season, it can still rain.
Minimal fitness level required. You may walk two to three miles per day at a slow pace, stopping for observation and photography. Most walking is on relatively level ground or gradual slopes. Please contact us if you have any health concerns that may make this trip challenging.
When you fill in your Reservation Form, please answer the following:
Detailed logistical information is included in the Trip Planning Materials we will send you.
Flights you book
Birds are the main focus, so it is geared toward bird watchers. That being said, you only need to enjoy bird watching to fully appreciate this trip. Our leader, Paco Madrigal, is really great with both beginner and advanced birders. You will also see mammals, reptiles, and beautiful plants and insects on this trip.
You’ll travel in spacious air-conditioned vehicles.
Our company ethos has always regarded conservation as inseparable from responsible tourism. We struggle with the dilemma that traveling worldwide expends climate-changing carbon. However, we wholeheartedly believe that traveling with us will cultivate your passion for conserving our beautiful world while stimulating each destination’s local economy. We encourage you to explore the various ways in which Cheesemans’ operates within this context:
Read our current Terms and Conditions.
Paco Madrigal
Euclides "Kilo" Campos