Harpy Eagles and Gamboa Panama

Harpy Eagles and Gamboa

Greetings!

I've just arrived in Panama for the fall Raptor Migration tour, and for birding the rainforest of Gamboa and the Panama Canal area.

My next available trip to Panama is late January 2027, spots left = 3

Here are the details:

Dates: January 24 - February 3, 2027
Group Size: 6 travelers, plus guides
Price: $3,650 per person double occupancy, ($900 extra for single occupancy)
Trip Length: 11 days
Rates include: Domestic transfers, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, park entrance fees and basic travel insurance.
Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, snacks, trip cancellation insurance.
Adventure level: Easy for Gamboa, moderate for the Darien, Please check the “Welcome” page for definition

Part 1 to Gamboa. On this trip there is very little walking involved and every day is a beautiful and relaxing experience. Gamboa and the Soberanía National Park is one of the best places to see Panama's wildlife, even from your Rainforest Reserve Porch! Wildlife includes over 100 species of mammals, 525 bird species and a long list of amphibians and reptiles. Soberanía National Park covers 55,000 acres and is the watershed for the Panama Canal. This trip will also include cultural and education stops such as the Smithsonian Tropical Research Center at Punta Culebra. On this trip we are never far from Panama City, but Gamboa feels like wilderness.

Part 2 to the Darien National Park. How to explain a trip to the Darien in one short paragraph? This amazing World Heritage site covers 1.7 million acres. This is a real adventure. Most people go to the Darien to view Harpy Eagles, and getting to a Harpy Nest is almost like a pilgrimage: There is a truck, to a boat, to a smaller boat, to another truck, to a horse back ride (these a very small horses and each horse is led by a guide), and then some walking, and then some waiting.... And while on this adventure, we will see old growth rainforest and plenty of birds and wildlife. On this tour you will experience the local culture as well because there are no big resorts or hotels, only small motels. We eat at local cafes. There is also time spent at private reserves, local trails, and rural communities.

Nando Quiroz, my Panamanian birding guide, was featured in the New York Times last April. He is truly the best bird guide in Panama. We have a lot of fun and all our birding adventures!

Here are some of our other destinations in Panama:

Gamboa _ Chiriquí _ The Darien _ Bocas del Toro - Bayano -Tortí

Pearl Islands: About 30 miles off the coast from Panama City is the island archipelago called the Pearl Islands, which includes over 200 islands. If you sign up for two tours, back to back, you will have a free day in between the tours. Or add a trip out to one of the islands after the main tour. We can help you schedule activities for that day. We recommend a visit to one of the Pearl Islands. It is a 1.5 hour boat ride and with opportunities to view sea birds such as boobies, terns, gulls, and other birds as well. The islands offer great swimming, snorkeling and other water activities.

Recommended Reading: The complete history of the Panama Canal, written by David McCullough and titled "The Paths Between the Sea". It is excellent, and everything you ever wanted to know about the 400 hundred year history of people who dreamed, attempted, and built the Panama Canal. The book was published in 1977 and so ends just before the time that President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1978 and gave the Panamanian government control of the canal. The book weighs about 3 pounds, seriously, it doesn't travel well, so read it before you travel to Panama.

More 2027 Tours

Sarasota Opera and Birding, March 8 - 14, 2027, spots left = 4

Utah Big Five, March 20 - 28, 2027, spots left = 2

Lake Erie Birding, April 3 - 10, 2027, spots left = 2

Colombia Hummingbirds, May 13 - 22, 2027, spots left = 4

Newfoundland, June 7 - 21, 2027, spots left = 4

Santa Fe Opera and Birding, August 1 - 7, 2027, spots left = 5

Mongolia Golden Eagle Festival, September 6 - 20, 2027, spots left = 5

Taiwan Raptor Migration, October 1- 12, 2027, spots left = 10

Taiwan Taroko Gorge, October 13 - 24, 2027, spots left = 10

Sydney Opera and Birding, November 1 - 8, 2027, spots left = 8

Sydney to Melbourne Birding, November 9 - 18, 2027, spots left = 6