The Best of Panama: Canopy Tower and the Darién

The Best of Panama: Canopy Tower and the Darién
July 2025/2026

Welcome to our Best of Panama birding tour! Panama is perhaps one of the best and most accessible birding countries in the neotropics. With easy access, an excellent infrastructure, and a huge bird list of 1,012 species, it is an obligatory birding destination. Panama is perfect for any newcomers to the neotropics, who will certainly fall in love with the natural history and the overwhelming number of birds, including colorful tanagers, sparkling hummingbirds, noisy parrots, and gorgeous motmots and trogons. For those who already have neotropical birding experience, Panama offers an exquisite set of seldom-seen and highly sought-after species, such as Bare-crowned and Ocellated Antbirds, Black-crowned Antpitta, and if we are lucky, the elusive Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo.

The rare Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo will hopefully be encountered on this trip.

During this 12-day birding tour you will start the adventure visiting Canopy Camp in the Darién Province, a beautiful and safe area to visit, far from the Colombian border. During the next four days we will look for a whole set of range-restricted species shared only with Colombia, some of them quite tough to find in other neotropical countries. The amenities at Canopy Camp are very comfortable; each camping unit provides a safari-style tent with wooden floors, beds, electricity, fans (however, no air-conditioners), a second room for luggage, and a private bathroom outside the tent. Some of the birds that we’ll be on the lookout for in the Darién include White-eared Conebill, Double-banded Greytail, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Oropendola, Spectacled Parrotlet, Black-crowned Antpitta, Bare-crowned Antbird, Black Antshrike, Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Spot-crowned Barbet, and Orange-crowned Oriole. We will also try for Blue Cotinga, Green Shrike-Vireo, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker and perhaps even the rare Harpy Eagle.

We hope to encounter the mighty Harpy Eagle in the Darién (photo Dr Uwe Speck).

Next, we will explore the Gamboa area near the Panama Canal, where we will be based at the world-famous Canopy Tower Lodge. This tower, a former US military center, built to house powerful radars used in the defense of the canal, is today one of the most magnificent birding lodges in Latin America. The tower allows guests a magnificent 360° view of the surrounding forests of the Soberanía National Park. Here, we will stay a total of four nights, exploring the great surroundings, including places like the Pipeline Road, Summit Ponds, Semaphore Hill Road, and the Gamboa Marina Resort. At these sites we will look for species such as Brown-hooded Parrot, Northern Mealy and Red-lored Amazons, Keel-billed and Yellow-throated Toucans, Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, American Pygmy Kingfisher, Boat-billed Heron, Crimson-backed and Golden-hooded Tanagers, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Spotted Antbird, Dot-winged Antwren, Long-billed Gnatwren, Song Wren, Slaty-tailed, Gartered, and White-tailed Trogons, and if we are lucky, Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo and Ocellated Antbird. The lodge’s surroundings are also good for other wildlife, including Brown-throated Sloth, Nine-banded Armadillo, Central American Agouti, and Lesser Capybara.

The brightly colored Yellow-throated Toucan will hopefully be seen on this tour.

Finally, we will visit Canopy Lodge in the Valle del Antón (Anton Valley), surrounded by lush, forested hills and ridges and home to several special species, such as Yellow-eared Toucanet, Snowcap, Ochraceous Wren, White-tipped Sicklebill, Black-and-yellow Tanager, Tiny Hawk, Tody Motmot, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Grey-headed Chachalaca, and Collared Trogon. Here, we’ll also have another chance for Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo. Canopy Lodge is a very comfortable and beautiful lodge, situated in a peaceful location, surrounded by gardens where we will try for Tropical Screech Owl and with luck, Uniform Crake as well as several tanagers such as Bay-headed and Dusky-faced Tanagers.

Itinerary (12 days/11 nights)

Day 1. Arrival in Panama City and transfer to the hotel

Arrival in Panama City and transfer to our nearby airport hotel.

Overnight: Hotel Riande, Panama Airport

Days 2-5. Transfer to and birding the Darién and Canopy Camp area

We will transfer to Canopy Camp in the Darién Province in Panama where we will spend the next three days exploring different locations looking for some Darién and regional endemics such as Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Antshrike, Grey-cheeked Nunlet, Black Oropendola, Double-banded Greytail, White-eared Conebill, Spot-crowned Barbet, Choco Sirystes and Speckled Mourner. Other species which we will be on the lookout for include Great Green Macaw, Rufous Piha, Rufous-winged Tyrannulet, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Bare-crowned Antbird, Black-crowned Antpitta, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Yellow-throated Toucan,  Pied Puffbird, White Hawk, Cinnamon Woodpecker, Gartered Trogon, Cocoa Woodcreeper, Golden-headed Manakin, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Collared Aracari, Keel-billed Toucan, Chestnut-headed Oropendola, Golden-hooded Tanager, Mottled Owl, Ochre-lored Flatbill, Barred Puffbird, and Tropical Royal Flycatcher.

Keel-billed Toucan is one of several toucan species we hope to encounter in Panama.

The Darién Province is a good area for the elusive and most-wanted Harpy Eagle which is often reported from active nests here. We hope to be lucky with an active nest in the area during our visit.

Overnight: Canopy Camp

Day 6 Transfer to Canopy Tower

We will return to Panama City and transfer to the famous Canopy Tower Lodge, near the Panama Canal area, where we will stay for the next three nights. We will enjoy birding the lodge surroundings and use it as our base to explore some nearby birding locations including the famous Pipeline Road. If time and our schedule permits, we may explore an area along the way to look for Great Jacamar, Panamanian Tyrannulet and Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker.

Overnight Canopy Tower

Day 7. Canopy Tower

We will meet at the observation deck before dawn to enjoy the forest’s chorus from the canopy with the early calls of Barred and Slaty-backed Forest Falcons. While enjoying some coffee we will try to detect the secretive Green Shrike-Vireo and the beautiful Blue Cotinga. Other birds likely here include Northern Mealy and Red-lored Amazons, Brown-capped Tyrannulet, Collared Aracari, and the striking Keel-billed Toucan.

We will look for Green Shrike-Vireo around Canopy Tower (photo Dr Uwe Speck).

After breakfast we will bird the famous Semaphore Hill, looking for Rufous and Broad-billed Motmots, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Plain-colored and White-shouldered Tanagers, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, and Green Honeycreeper. Before lunch we will check the hummingbird feeders around the lodge entrance, likely enjoying views of Blue-chested, Violet-bellied, and Snowy-bellied Hummingbird as well as White-necked Jacobin.

In the afternoon we will explore the Summit Ponds area, where we will try for the elusive White-throated Crake, Boat-billed Heron, Wattled Jacana, Rufescent Tiger Heron, and Purple Gallinule. Other birds include Lemon-rumped Tanager, Palm Tanager, Crimson-backed Tanager, Black-striped Sparrow, Isthmian Wren, and many others. We might also have our first mammal encounters here with Lesser Capybara and Brown-throated Sloth.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

Day 8. Birding the Pipeline Road

We will have a full day along the famous Pipeline Road, trying to see as many birds as possible and soaking them all in. The possible list includes species like Black-breasted Puffbird, White-tailed, Gartered, and Black-throated Trogons, Song Wren, Golden-collared Manakin, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Great Jacamar, and Fasciated and Black-crowned Antshrikes. If we are lucky to find any army ant swarms, we might see the striking Ocellated Antbird, along with Spotted and Bicolored Antbirds, and Northern Barred and Plain-brown Woodcreepers. We will visit some hummingbird feeders with species such as Long-billed and Stripe-throated Hermits, Crowned Woodnymph, and if we are lucky, Rufous-crested Coquette.

Overnight: Canopy Tower

Ocellated Antbird will be searched for near army ant swarms (photo Dr Uwe Speck).

Day 9. Transfer to and birding around Canopy Lodge

Today we will transfer to El Valle de Antón, with time to explore the surroundings. En route we’ll pay a visit to the Canopy Adventure Center, where we have seen the mythical Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo in the past.

After lunch we will explore the lodge surroundings, enjoying Grey-headed Chachalaca, White-tipped Dove, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Black-chested Jay, Black-striped Sparrow, Buff-throated Saltator, and Chestnut-headed Oropendola.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

Day 10. Birding the La Mesa and Cerro Valle Chiquito areas

Today we will explore the La Mesa and Cerro Valle Chiquito areas, looking for species such as White-tipped Sicklebill, Dusky-faced Tanager, Red-crowned Ant Tanager, Thick-billed Euphonia, Silver-throated Tanager, Bay-headed Tanager, Red-legged Honeycreeper, Black-faced Antthrush, and if we are lucky, White Hawk. We will also try for Tody Motmot and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Other birds include Grey-necked Wood Rail and perhaps even Uniform Crake. At night we will search for Tropical Screech Owl.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

The cute Tody Motmot (photo Dr Uwe Speck).

Day 11. Birding the Altos del Maria Road

We will have a full day at the Altos del Maria Road, focusing on special targets such as Yellow-eared Toucanet, Collared Trogon, Snowcap, Rufous-browed Tyrannulet, Ochraceous and Rufous-and-white Wrens, Barred Hawk, and with luck, the secretive Black-crowned Antpitta.

Overnight: Canopy Lodge

We will search for the striking Golden-collared Manakin near Canopy Tower (photo Dr Uwe Speck).

Day 12. Canopy Lodge and transfer to Panama City

Today we will transfer back to Panama City airport to connect with our international flights back home after a wonderful 12 days of birding in Panama.

Please note that the itinerary cannot be guaranteed as it is only a rough guide and can be changed (usually slightly) due to factors such as availability of accommodation, updated information on the state of accommodation, roads, or birding sites, the discretion of the guides and other factors. In addition, we sometimes have to use a different international guide from the one advertised due to tour scheduling.

Tour information

We consider this an easy trip. Most of the birding is along roads and near the vehicle. However, we will walk up to two miles (three kilometers) per day at a slow birding pace.

Canopy Camp is a comfortable African-safari-style setting with private bathrooms including sinks, showers, flush toilets, and electricity. We will bird around forest clearings, explore forest trails, and walk along roads.

Around Canopy Tower we will spend most of the time birding along paved roads and at the lodge observation deck. During our visit to Canopy Lodge almost all birding is along roads, except for the visit to the Canopy Adventure Center, where there is some steep terrain.

Canopy Tower lodge does not have elevators, and the rooms are located on the second and third floors, the dining room on the fourth floor, and the observation deck at the top. Tour participants should be able to walk up and down every day.

Accommodation Notes:

Accommodation in Canopy Camp is in comfortable safari-style tents (roughly eight feet high), with 173 square feet of wooden floor and proper beds, along with a private bathroom (outside the tent), complete with electricity. Canopy Tower is a unique but rather small lodge with different levels for dining, observation decks, and lodging. Due to its small size, Canopy Tower does not have an elevator, and sounds may occasionally be heard from other guests climbing the stairs in the evening. Additionally, we unfortunately cannot always guarantee participants a single room. For those who do require a single room, we encourage an early booking which will certainly help your chances. We will do our best to accommodate your requests, however, we are subject to the capacity limits of Canopy Tower.