Day 1 – Saturday
Arrival in Panama & Orientation

Today you will be arriving in Central America’s southernmost country!  Upon your arrival in Panama, you will be transferred to Riande Aeropuerto Hotel, just 5 minutes from Tocumen International Airport by hotel van.   While you acclimatize to the tropical heat and have a cold drink, you can watch the birds on the grounds of the hotel.  Great-tailed Grackle, Clay-colored Thrush, Variable Seedeater, Tropical Kingbird, Blue-gray Tanager, Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and more await your visit in the gardens.  Today all meals, except dinner, will be on your own.  Our tour will start the following day, bright and early.
 

 

Day 2 – Sunday
AM: Nusagandi and Bayano Region

This morning we will meet in the hotel restaurant for an early breakfast, 5 am.  Our guide will be there to help you with any questions you may have, and soon after breakfast, we’ll be heading for eastern Panama!  The journey to our final destination is approximately 5 hours, but we will make stops along the way in exciting birding areas.  As we drive east along the Pan-American Highway, we will scan for roadside birds and open-field raptors including Savanna Hawk and Crested Caracara.  Our first scheduled stop will be in the Nusagandi area, off the highway into the foothills of the Caribbean Slope.  As we follow the El Llano-Carti Road north, we will cross the Continental Divide and reach the Comarca (reserve) of Guna Yala.  Here we will explore the trails through the pristine forest of the Nusagandi Forest Reserve in search of rarities, including Sapayoa, Speckled Antshrike, Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Sulphur-rumped, Rufous-winged and Black-and-yellow tanagers, Yellow-eared Toucanet, the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Swallow-tailed Kite, Black Hawk-Eagle, Blue-fronted Parrotlet, Streak-chested Antpitta, Tawny-capped Euphonia and more.  We will stop at the bridge at Lake Bayano, Panama’s second largest lake.  This reservoir supports great amounts of water birds, including a large colony of Neotropic Cormorants, as well as Anhinga, Cocoi Heron and the rare Bare-throated Tiger-Heron.  We will scan the water’s edge for Purple Gallinule, Pied Water-Tyrant, Smooth-billed Ani and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater.  A short trail leading from the water’s edge is a great place to search for Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Rufous-winged Antwren and Golden-collared Manakin.  Carrying on down the road, we will make a stop at the Río Mono Bridge, where the surrounding forest is home to One-colored Becard, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Blue Cotinga, Pied Puffbird, Orange-crowned Oriole, Blue Ground-Dove and more.  We will also scan the river below for Green-and-rufous Kingfisher and the elusive Fasciated Tiger-Heron.  Lunch in TORTI.

PM: Arrival at Canopy Camp Darien

After a delicious lunch, we will head back to the Pan-American Highway and continue east.  We will carry on from here to Canopy Camp Darien, and arrive before daylight fades so we can settle into our tents and get acquainted with the setting.  After a delicious dinner of fresh American and Panamanian fare, we will gather to have a meeting about the days to come, and settle into our tents for the night.  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

Day 3 – Monday
AM: Canopy Camp Trails

We will meet before sunrise for a hot drink and to enjoy the sounds of the birds.  Black-mandibled and Keel-billed toucans call from the towering Cuipo trees; Red-lored and Mealy parrots fly overhead; White-bellied Antbird, Bright-rumped Attila, White-headed Wren and Golden-headed Manakin sing from the surrounding forests; while Pale-bellied Hermit and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird visit the flowers around camp.  Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Barred Puffbird are also seen frequently around the campsite.  We will be served a hearty breakfast at 7:30 am.  After breakfast we will work our way into the forest on “Nando’s Trail,” in hopes of finding Double-banded Graytail, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Royal Flycatcher and Russet-winged Schiffornis.  Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Plumbeous and Zone-tailed hawks are also possible.  Lunch at CANOPY CAMP.

PM: Canopy Camp Trails & Access Road

After lunch we can enjoy the hummingbirds and other species around the camp, dip our feet in the rocky stream or have a siesta.  At 3:00 pm we will meet again to continue birding around the camp property.  The forests are full of great birds that have not been fully explored, and could include Tiny Hawk, Black Antshrike, Great Antshrike, Olive-backed Quail-Dove, Cinnamon Becard and Black-tailed Trogon.  We will also be looking for groups of Red-throated Caracara, King Vulture and Zone-tailed and Short-tailed hawk overhead in the clearings.  As we walk along the access road to the camp, we will scan the roadsides and fields for Striped Cuckoo, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Black-crowned Tityra, Spot-crowned Barbet, Smooth-billed Ani, Ruddy Ground-Dove, and spend some time at the verbena shrubs to watch Blue-throated Goldentail, Black-throated Mango, Blue-chested, Rufous-tailed and Violet-bellied hummingbirds feeding late in the afternoon.  We will return to camp in time to freshen up for dinner.  After dinner we will gather to look for owls, including Striped, Crested, Barn, Black-and-white and Mottled owls, as well as Common and Great potoos and likely some nocturnal mammals.  We will end the day with our checklist, tallying our sightings for our first full day at the Canopy Camp!  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

 

Day 4 – Tuesday

AM: El Salto Road (30 minutes from Canopy Camp)

We will meet for an early breakfast, then head to El Salto Road for the morning.  El Salto Road extends 6 km north from the Pan-American Highway and ends at the mighty Río Chucunaque.  This open road and surrounding dry forest is a great place to search for regional specialties including Golden-green Woodpecker, Double-banded Graytail, Blue-and-gold and Chestnut-fronted macaws, Black and Crested oropendolas, Blue Cotinga, White-eared Conebill, Black-breasted Puffbird, Orange-crowned Oriole and the majestic King Vulture.  A trail at the end of the road will take us into low-canopy forest, where we hope to find Bare-crowned Antbird, Pale-bellied Hermit, Olivaceous Piculet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper and Forest Elaenia.  Lunch at CANOPY CAMP.

PM: Las Lagunas Road (30 minutes from Canopy Camp)

This afternoon we will bird along the road to Las Lagunas.  This road extends 12 km south off the Pan-American Highway through open farmland, dry scrub and roadside habitat.  The road eventually crosses a small stream and ends at small ponds.  Along the roadsides, we hope to find Red-breasted Blackbird, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, White-headed Wren, Smooth-billed and Greater Ani, Muscovy Duck, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Southern Lapwing, Blue-headed Parrot, Striped Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Ringed and Amazon kingfishers, Fork-tailed Flycatcher, Buff-breasted Wren, Bananaquit, Giant and Shiny cowbirds, Crested Oropendola, Laughing Falcon and Aplomado Falcon.  If we’re lucky, we may get a glimpse of a Chestnut-fronted Macaw or a shy Little Cuckoo, both having been seen along this road.  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

Day 5 – Wednesday
AM: Tierra Nueva Foundation (30 minutes from Canopy Camp)

We will meet for an early breakfast at the Canopy Camp.  This morning we will visit the property of the Tierra Nueva Foundation.  Fundación Tierra Nueva is a non-profit organization whose main mission is “working towards the sustainable development of people of the Darién Rainforest”.  The property is the home of a technical school focusing on applications in agriculture.  We will explore the trails of this large property, in hopes of finding Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Yellow-breasted and Black-billed flycatchers, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Cinnamon, Black-and-white and One-colored becards, White-eared Conebill, White-headed Wren and the magnificent Great Curassow.  We will also search for the eastern race of the Chestnut-backed Antbird, which shows white spots on the wings.  Lunch at CANOPY CAMP.

PM: Serranía Filo del Tallo Hydrological Reserve (40 minutes from Canopy Camp)

After some relaxation time during the hottest part of the day, we will head into the Serranía Filo del Tallo Reserve.  Serranía Filo del Tallo is a designated Hydrological Reserve that protects a small mountain range west of the Pan-American Highway.  The Canopy Camp borders this reserve, which protects an area of 300 km2 (74,000 acres). We will access the reserve via a trail located at the northern end of the range.  The trail crosses a small creek and passes through part of the reserve, then climbs upward to a plateau where there is a teak plantation.  Here we hope to have great looks at Olivaceous Piculet, Golden-headed Manakin, Royal Flycatcher, Dull-mantled Antbird, Buff-rumped Warbler, Great Curassow, White-bellied Antbird, Red-throated Caracara and Black-tailed Trogon, to name a few.  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

Day 6 – Thursday
AM: Nuevo Vigia (45 minutes from Canopy Camp)

We will awake once again to the energetic dawn chorus of oropendolas, wrens, antbirds, manakins, parrots and toucans, as the sun rises over eastern Panama.  After a satisfying breakfast, we will once again leave the Canopy Camp for a morning filled with great birds!  This morning we are off to Nuevo Vigia, an Embera village nestled north of the Panamerican Highway, surrounded by great secondary growth dry forest and two small lakes, all of which attract an enticing variety of birds.  We will spend the majority of the morning birding at the lakes, a great place to see Black-collared Hawk, Bare-crowned and White-bellied antbirds, Green Ibis, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Spectacled Parrotlet, Black-tailed Trogon, Striped Cuckoo, Black-bellied Wren, Little Tinamou, Golden-green Woodpecker and Green-and-rufous Kingfisher!  In the village of Nuevo Vigia, local artisans weave colorful decorative masks and plates out of palm fronds and carve cocobolo wood and tagua nuts into animals and plants, and we will have the opportunity to meet some of the community members and admire (and purchase) some of the beautiful products they make by hand.  After our visit at the village, we will return back to the camp for a scrumptious lunch.  Lunch at CANOPY CAMP.

PM: Birding the Panamerican Highway (1 hour from Canopy Camp)

After lunch, we will head southeast and will bird the forests and swampy meadows along the road toward Yaviza, to the end of the Pan-American Highway!  Black-billed Flycatcher, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Jet Antbird, Black Oropendola, Pied Water-Tyrant, Bicolored Hawk, Black-collared Hawk, Pearl Kite, White-tailed Kite, Limpkin, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius and Red-breasted Blackbird can all be found as we head farther into Darién today.  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

 

Day 7 – Friday

AM:  Tupisa Road, Marranganti and Rio Tuquesa (1 hour from Canopy Camp) FULL DAY

We have an exciting full day of birding ahead of us today!  Our adventure will take us back toward Nuevo Vigia, to continue to explore the matrix of roads and trails that access so much of this area of Darién!  Full of good secondary growth forest, ponds, and as well get further into the area, mature secondary forest, where there is the possibility to find macaws, large forest eagles and other regional specialties.  As we head east from Nuevo Vigia along Tupisa Road, we will stop at a small pond, where Capped Heron, Wood Stork and Green-and-rufous Kingfisher are often found.  As we continue birding along the road, we hope to find Double-banded Graytail, Moustached Antwren, Rufous-winged Antwren, One-colored Becard, Orange-crowned Oriole, Great Jacamar, Yellow-backed Tanager, Golden-green Woodpecker, Stripe-throated Wren and Buff-throated Foliage-Gleaner and Ornate Hawk-Eagle.  As we approach mid-day, we will stop for a picnic lunch in a shady area to cool off during the hottest part of the day.  After lunch, we will continue birding along this fantastic road!  Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Chestnut-backed Antbird (eastern race) and Red-throated Caracara are all possibilities.  As we work our way back toward camp, we will explore the road to the village of Marraganti, where a colony of Black Oropendola can be found along with Chestnut-fronted Macaw, Blue Cotinga, Black Hawk-Eagle, Double-toothed Kite and a mix of forest and open area birds. If time permits, a stop at Rio Tuquesa will give us the opportunity to explore the more open habitat, in search of water birds, shorebirds, raptors, puffbirds, flycatchers and other open area species.  Later in the afternoon we will head back to the Canopy Camp, with time to get in some final birding as the sun sets for the day.  We will enjoy a final dinner together to wrap up the tour, and once again listen for the calls of owls and night birds around the camp after dark.  Dinner at CANOPY CAMP.
 

 

Day 8 – Saturday
AM:  San Francisco Nature Reserve (2.5 hours from Canopy Camp)

We will wake before dawn to pack and have an early breakfast, say our goodbyes to the Canopy Camp, and start our journey back to Panama City.  We will stop at San Francisco Nature Reserve, a private forest reserve owned and managed by the St. Francis Foundation, covering 1,300 acres in eastern Panama Province, and we will spend the morning birding at this fantastic site.  The San Francisco Reserve was established in 2001 by Father Pablo Kasuboski, an American priest from Wisconsin who came to Panama in 1988. The reserve serves as a wildlife refuge and protects the headwaters of the main rivers of the area.  The foundation created by Padre Pablo, as Father Kasuboski is called, also works on infrastructure development in the area by building and maintaining aqueducts, roads, schools and churches.  In fact, the St. Francis Foundation built and maintains the largest private rural aqueduct in all of Panama and Central America.  The reserve has a variety of habitats including primary, secondary and riparian forests, forest edge, fields, farmland, ponds and wetlands.  During our morning here, we will explore the some of the different habitats along the short road that enters the reserve.  We will hope to find Great Jacamar, Broad-billed Motmot, Collared Aracari, Russet-winged Schiffornis, Royal Flycatcher, White-fronted Nunbird, Brownish Twistwing, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Central American Pygmy-Owl, Blue and Plain-breasted ground-doves, and if we’re very lucky, a Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle soaring overhead or a Wing-banded Antbird along the trails!  Lunch in TORTI.

PM: Return to Panama City

After our lunch, we can stop at Río Torti, Lake Bayano and other birding locations enroute to Panama City to pick up any birds we may have missed — Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Savanna Hawk, Barred Puffbird, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Bare-crowned Antbird, Orange-crowned Oriole and Cinereous Becard are all possibilities to find on our return trip.  We will end our tour at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel.  Here our group will split; some will continue to the Canopy Tower and start a new birding adventure, and others will stay in the Hotel and depart for home the next day.

Please note that this itinerary may change slightly in order or locations visited due to weather, changes in habitat or other conditions.