(This is a checklist of the birds that we have seen on this trip)
We expect to see 300 - 350 different species of birds on our next trip.
Animals we saw: Four species of monkeys including Night-Monkeys, Anteaters, both 2-toed and 3-toad sloths, Coati, Agouti, Squirrels, and Capybara. Many of the mammals had babies. We also saw many reptiles and amphibians including the spectacled Caiman and the American Crocodile.
If you would like to see photos from the trip, please click here:
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Darien Tour Dates: January 26 - February 6, 2023**
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Gamboa Tour Dates: March 28 - April 3, 2022**
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Group Size: 6 travelers, plus guides
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Trip Length: 7 - 12 days (shorter or longer trip options)**
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Darien Tour Rate: $4,720 per person ($1,800 extra for single occupancy)
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Gamboa Tour Rate: $3,650 per person ($1,200 extra for single occupancy)
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Rates include: Domestic transfers, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, park entrance fees and basic travel insurance.
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Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, trip cancellation insurance, Covid testing.
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Adventure level: Moderate, please check the “Welcome” page for definition
**Tour Options: If you cannot travel for 12 days and/or if you are only interested in visiting the Darien to see Harpy Eagles and other specialty birds, you can join the trip for a shorter period of time at a reduced price. Or if you would like a private tour, please contact us for other dates. The Gamboa Tour visits locations in the Gamboa area and along the Panama Canal as described on days 2 - 4, and 10, with one additional day of birding along the Panama Canal. There is an option to take a boat tour through the Panama Canal.
**Private Trips: We are increasingly taking people on private trips. If a group trip does not interest you, please contact about a private tour and dates you prefer.
Special offer: Included with your trip (one per room) is a copy of the field guide “The Birds of Panama” by George Angehr and Robert Dean. You will receive this when you reserve your trip so you will have time to study and know the beautiful birds of Panama.
Basic Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Panama City
Most flights from the United States arrive late in the evening. We will meet you at the Tocumen International Airport (PTY) with a shuttle to a hotel located very close to the airport.
Day 2: Gamboa
Early morning departure for a full day of day of birding starting at the Panama City Metropolitan Park and ending in the village of Gamboa located along the Chagres River near the Panama Canal. In the afternoon, on our way to Gamboa, we will stop at the Miraflores Locks to view ships going through the canal. The Panama Canal is an astonishing engineering marvel and only in Panama will you have the opportunity to experience how massive ships traverse through the canal locks that connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. A few notable birds for the day: Keel-billed Toucan, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Red-lored Parrot, Black-bellied Wren, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Barred Antshrike, White-bellied and Dusky antbirds, many flycatchers and tyrannulets, Lance-tailed Manakin, migratory warblers, Spectacled Owl, Yellow-backed Oriole, Bat Falcon, Double-toothed Kite, Snow-bellied Hummingbird, Green-shrike Vireo, White-bellied Antbird and Whooping Motmot (recent split from Blue-crowned). Overnight in Gamboa at the Rainforest Resort, where we will spend 3-nights.
Day 3: Gamboa
A full day of birding the Gamboa area and Chagres River.
Day 4: Pipeline Road
We will spend the day birding the Pipeline Road area: During WWII, a petroleum pipeline and its service road were built across the isthmus of Panama as an emergency back-up for getting across Panama in case the canal was blocked. The pipeline was never used, but the single-lane, gravel-and-dirt road persists and allows entry through the center of the incredible of Soberanía National Park. According to George Angehr, “Pipeline Road is one of the best places to see tropical forest birds in the Americas, with a species list exceeding 400.” Along the Pipeline Road is the Discovery Center Tower and Hummingbird feeder areas; both locations are excellent for birds and photography. Last stop for the day are the "Summit Ponds". Birds: Great Tinamú, Pied Puffbird, Blue Cotinga, White-necked Jacobin, Blue-chested Hummingbird and Rufous Motmot, to name a few. Overnight in Gamboa at the Rainforest Resort.
Day 5: Travel to the Darién
Early departure and birding through Nusagandi and Guna Yala provinces in search of Sapayoa, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, and several mid-altitude hummingbird and tanager species. We will stop for lunch in Tortí, roughly half-way to Darién on the Pan-American Highway. We will spend most of our afternoon birding along the Tortí River, searching for Little Cuckoo, Jet Antbird, Red-billed Scythebill, Red-breasted Blackbird. Overnight in Metetí.
Day 6: Vigía
Early morning departure towards the village of Vigía, an indigenous community home to 105 Emberá families. In the forest around their village we will search for Dusky-backed Jacamar, Golden-green Woodpecker, Agami Heron, Orange-crowned Oriole, Black Antshrike, Black Oropendola, and roosting Crested and Mottled owls. For lunch we will have the choice between a packed lunch and the local Emberá food. Drive back to Metetí in time for dinner at the hotel in Metetí.
Day 7: The Darién
This day is fully dedicated to the Harpy Eagle. We will visit a remote Emberá community where there are active Harpy Eagle nests. The location of active nests changes every year. Depending on which nest is active, sometime the location is a long truck ride and a short walk, or sometimes reaching the nest might require a boat trip up the Chuchunaque River and 1.5 hour walk through mostly level forest terrain. The trip is not physically strenuous, and you don’t have to be a great shape, but you will need to be able to easily get in and out of a small boat and walk along a forest trail in hot and humid conditions. There is an option to ride a horse (a small pony size), either one way or both ways. The canoe ride offers some excellent river and forest birding, with possible Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Oropendola, Great Curassow and Red-throated Caracara, among many other species. We will spend enough time at the Harpy Eagle nesting site to secure the best possible views of the adult birds as they come to the nest platform to feed and tend for their chick. Overnight in Metetí.
Day 8: The Darién
We will depart Metetí early in the morning and drive along Salto Road, a dirt road through some excellent secondary forest next to the Chucunaque river, searching for local specialties like Double-banded Graytail, White-eared Conebill, Rufous-winged Antwren, White-headed Wren, and Blue Cotinga. After lunch we will drive to Yaviza, the last stop before the end of the Pan-American Highway, searching for Black Oropendola, Orange-crowned Oriole, Bicolored Hawk, Bicolored Wren and Spectacled Parrotlet, among other species. We will return to Metetí for dinner and hotel stay.
Day 9: Travel to Panama City
We start our drive back to Panama City. Along the way we will stop at the San Francisco reserve, where we will search for Yellow-Green Tyrannulet, White Fronted Nunbird, Blue Cotinga, Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle, Black Hawk-Eagle, King Vulture, Barred Puffbird. San Francisco is one of the few places in Central America where the critically endangered Brown-headed Spider Monkey can still be seen. We will have lunch at nearby Tortí, where hummingbird feeders regularly produce Long-billed Starthroat, Black-breasted Mango and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, among other species. Lodging for the next 3-nights will be in Panama City at a hotel overlooking the water and along the Amador Causeway, the Puente de Las Américas and entrance of canal, which is a great birding location as well.
Day 10: Panama City and the Causeway
Morning birding along the causeway next to the hotel, and an afternoon visit to the beautiful historic colonial center of Panama City.
Day 11: Panama Canal and Colón
The railroad that connects Panama City on the Pacific side and Colón on the Atlantic side has a long history dating back to the year 1851. In 2001, the railway was updated to handle both cargo and passenger travel and as of 2018 a regular schedule exists for passenger travel. From Panama City the trip to Colon takes about 1-hour. It leaves Panama City at 7:15am and departs Colon at 5:15pm, there are no other stops. Originally intended for daily worker transportation, the train has also become a popular day trip to Colón for travelers. Across the bay from Colón is the Fort San Lorenzo and San Lorenzo Protected Forest, which makes for a great day of birding and exploring this historic area. During the day when the train is not being used to transport people, the tracks are used to transport cargo and containers in between ports; sometimes it is cheaper to put the cargo on a train, rather than send the whole ship through the canal.
Day 12: Fly Home
Shuttle to the airport for your trip home. Most flights back the States leave early in the morning.
