Tour Information
Dates: January 11-23, 2027
Start/End City: Panama City (PTY)
Tour Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $8845 CAD
The tour fee above is based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, internal flights, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services, does not include GST for Canadian residents. Single supplement is available for $1115 CAD.
Maximum of 10 participants
Start/End City: Panama City (PTY)
Tour Leader: Gavin McKinnon + local guides
Cost: $8845 CAD
The tour fee above is based on double occupancy and includes all ground transportation, internal flights, accommodation, all meals and professional guiding services, does not include GST for Canadian residents. Single supplement is available for $1115 CAD.
Maximum of 10 participants
Itinerary
Day 1 – January 11, 2027: Arrival
Welcome to Panama! After arriving at Tocumen International Airport you will transfer to Riande Aeropuerto Hotel. This afternoon you can enjoy the hotel grounds at your leisure. Many common birds can be seen here, including Clay-colored Thrush, Crimson-backed and Blue-gray Tanagers, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Yellow-headed Caracara, and Variable Seedeater, among many others. This evening, we will enjoy dinner and prepare for the upcoming days of birding in eastern Panama. Overnight at Riande Aeropuerto Hotel.
Day 2 – January 12, 2027: Nusagandi & Río Torti
After an early breakfast we will leave Panama City and begin our journey toward the Darién, one of the most biodiverse areas of Panama. Our first stop will be Nusagandi, a protected area of the Guna Yala indigenous people. This forest along the continental divide shelters several important species, such as the rare Sapayoa and Speckled (Spiny-faced) Antshrike, as well as Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Black-crowned Antpitta, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and Rufous-winged and Black-and-yellow Tanagers. After exploring these productive Caribbean-slope forests, we will carry on toward Torti. If time permits, the areas around the Torti River offer great habitat for Barred Puffbird, Amazon Kingfisher, White-eared Conebill, Little Cuckoo, Pacific Antwren, and Orange-crowned Oriole. Overnight at Avicar Hotel Torti.
Day 3 – January 13, 2027: San Francisco Reserve & the Pan-American Highway
San Francisco Reserve near Torti offers habitats from open savanna to mature rainforest, and is home to the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Royal Flycatcher, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Sulphur-rumped Tanager, Rusty-winged Antwren, Great Jacamar, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Speckled Mourner, Golden-collared Manakin, Central American Pygmy-Owl, and — if we're lucky — the rare Wing-banded Antbird. It's also a great spot for soaring raptors: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle and King Vulture are regular, and Harpy Eagle is seen on occasion. The reserve's mature forests are also home to Ocelot and Colombian Spider Monkey. After lunch in Torti, where feeders offer excellent hummingbird viewing, we continue east into Darién province. This afternoon we'll explore the far reaches of the Pan-American Highway, scanning the Yaviza wetlands for Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius, and, with luck, a Gray-breasted Crake. Overnight at Bellagio Hotel Meteti or similar.
Day 4 – January 14, 2027: Harpy Eagle Nest
Today we enter the realm of the Harpy Eagle. After an early start, our journey includes about an hour's drive, a crossing of the Chucunaque River by dugout canoe, and a hike through Darién forest to an active Harpy Eagle nest. Sightings of the eagles themselves can't be guaranteed, but the hike regularly turns up Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Choco Sirystes, Black Oropendola, and Golden-headed Manakin, along with mammals such as Northern Tamandua, Mantled Howler Monkey, Geoffroy's Tamarin, sloths, and possibly Tayra. We'll retrace our steps to the hotel, birding strategic spots along the way as time allows.
Day 5 – January 15, 2027: Darién Lowlands Birding
We continue exploring the best sites along the Pan-American Highway for the Darién's spectacular birds and wildlife. El Salto Road offers productive roadside birding for Ochre-lored Flatbill, Black Antshrike, Blue Cotinga, Red-throated Caracara, and Double-banded Graytail, among many others. Other regional specialties include Red-rumped and Golden-green Woodpeckers, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, and raptors such as Bicolored Hawk, Slender-billed Kite, and White Hawk. In the evening we'll head out along the highway for nocturnal wildlife, including Common and Great Potoos, Striped Owl, and Crab-eating Fox.
Day 6 – January 16, 2027: Nuevo Vigia, Return to Panama City & Onward to Summit
Darién is home to several indigenous communities, among them the Emberá. Today we visit one of their villages, Nuevo Vigia, surrounded by excellent bird habitat. We start the day in a dugout canoe on the Chucunaque River, watching for Capped and Cocoi Herons, Green Ibis, Gray-lined Hawk, Mangrove Swallow, and roosting Great Potoo along the water's edge. Along shaded trails at the village we'll look for Red-billed Scythebill, Agami Heron, Bare-crowned Antbird, and Olivaceous Piculet, plus the very range-restricted Dusky-backed Jacamar, Barred Puffbird, and Spectacled Parrotlet in the open riverine habitat. The community offers hand-made woven plates, bowls, carved cocobolo wood, and other artisan handicrafts for sale. After the morning's birding, we drive back to Panama City and transfer to Summit Rainforest Resort, where we're joined by travelers coming for the Canal Zone portion of the trip. We'll settle in and spend the afternoon birding the hotel grounds, where Blue-gray, Palm, and Crimson-backed Tanagers, Clay-colored Thrush, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Ruddy Ground Dove, Tropical Mockingbird, Bat Falcon, and Collared Aracari are all possible right on the property.
Day 7 – January 17, 2027: Pipeline Road & Gamboa
Morning birding at the world-famous Pipeline Road. Our first stop is the Ammo Dump Ponds, scanning the open wetland for Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, White-throated Crake, Greater Ani, Yellow-tailed Oriole, and forest-edge species. Pipeline Road runs through the lowland rainforest of Soberanía National Park and holds hundreds of species, including Red-capped Manakin, Black Hawk-Eagle, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Spotted Antbird, and Cinnamon Woodpecker, along with less common rainforest species such as Ocellated Antbird, Streak-chested Antpitta, and Pheasant Cuckoo. In the afternoon we'll stroll around the town of Gamboa and the Gamboa reserve — an area of trails, forest, open ground, and wetlands that's particularly "birdy," with a chance at Gartered Trogon, Golden-hooded Tanager, Yellow-throated Toucan, and Black-striped Sparrow.
Day 8 – January 18, 2027: Panama Rainforest Discovery Center & Summit Ponds
A visit to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center brings us above the rainforest canopy on their 100-foot tower, where Yellow-throated Toucan, Blue Cotinga, Black-breasted Puffbird, and Gray-headed Kite are often seen, and it's a great vantage point for raptor migration. On the trails we'll look for Blue-crowned Manakin, Black-headed Antthrush, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, White-whiskered Puffbird, and more, while the covered veranda's hummingbird feeders bring us close to White-necked Jacobin, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, and Long-billed Hermit. After lunch and a rest, we'll head to Summit Ponds and the Old Gamboa Road for American Pygmy Kingfisher, Lesser Kiskadee, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Collared Forest-Falcon, and Gartered Trogon.
Day 9 – January 19, 2027: Cerro Azul & the Bay of Panama
Today we bird the cooler foothills of Cerro Azul and Chagres National Park, one of the best places for Yellow-eared Toucanet, Sulphur-rumped, Emerald, Speckled, and Rufous-winged Tanagers, Black-eared Wood-Quail, White-ruffed Manakin, and the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker. We'll scan the open vistas for King Vulture and Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, but Cerro Azul is above all a paradise for hummingbirds: White-tipped Sicklebill, Violet capped Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, and Rufous-crested Coquette can all be found here. We'll enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by Cerro Azul's scenery, and in the afternoon stop at Costa del Este or Panama Viejo to scan the mangroves and mudflats for shorebirds and waterbirds.
Day 10 – January 20, 2027: Metropolitan Natural Park & Drive to El Valle de Antón
A short drive brings us to Metropolitan Natural Park, a protected dry forest within Panama City's limits and a great place to find Yellow-backed Oriole, Bright-rumped Attila, Lance-tailed Manakin, Rufous-and-white Wren, Common Potoo, Orange-billed Sparrow, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, and Collared Forest-Falcon, along with many flycatchers and the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet. After a morning on the park's trails, we drive to El Valle, arriving mid-afternoon, then head out for foothill specialties at Sendero Las Minas and La Mesa, on a small plateau along the crater rim a good place for Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Spot-crowned Antvireo, White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Hermit, Black-faced Grosbeak, and Bay-headed, Golden-hooded, and Silver-throated Tanagers, along with Spotted Woodcreeper, Dull-mantled Antbird, and even the occasional Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo.
Day 11 – January 21, 2027: La Mesa, Cerro Gaital & Cara Iguana Road
We continue exploring the El Valle area, returning to La Mesa and visiting Cerro Gaital National Monument, scanning open fields and skies for Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Barred Hawk, Swallow-tailed Kite, Crested Oropendola, Lineated Woodpecker, and Southern Lapwing. Along the trail at Gaital Hill we'll look for Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Olive-striped Flycatcher, Green-crowned Brilliant, Stripe-throated Hermit, Song Wren, Tawny-crested Tanager, White-ruffed Manakin, and Slaty Antwren, among others. After lunch and a rest, we visit Cara Iguana Road on the edge of town, a quiet area of dry forest species: Lesson's Motmot, Rufous-breasted Wren, White-winged Becard, White Hawk, Spectacled Owl, Garden Emerald, Long-billed Starthroat, Barred Antshrike, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Yellow Tyrannulet, Boat-billed Flycatcher, and more.
Day 12 – January 22, 2027: Back Road to Altos del María
Traveling by 4x4, we climb in elevation toward Altos del María. The back road to this beautiful highland region on the eastern rim of the caldera is a great place for Barred Hawk, Dull-mantled Antbird, White-tipped Sicklebill, Russet Antshrike, Black-and-yellow Tanager, Snowcap, Ochraceous Wren, Common Chlorospingus, Dusky-faced Tanager, Red-faced Spinetail, and Black-crowned Antpitta, with sweeping vistas of the surrounding forest and the occasional Ornate Hawk-Eagle or Barred Hawk overhead. This afternoon we'll stop at the local market in El Valle to browse artisan handicrafts and local products.
Day 13 – January 23, 2027: Pacific Lowlands, Return to Panama City & Departure to Bocas
We leave El Valle early and travel to the open fields and dry scrubby areas of Juan Hombrón and El Chiru in the Pacific lowlands, a great area for raptors including Crested Caracara, Pearl Kite, Great Black and Savanna Hawks, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. Across wetlands, rice fields, scrubland, and farm fields we'll look for Pacific lowland specialties such as the near-endemic Veraguan Mango, Crested Bobwhite, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Lance-tailed Manakin, Plain-breasted Spinetail, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, and Straight-billed Woodcreeper, along with Wood Stork, herons, ibises, and waders. As time permits, we'll visit the mangroves of Antón or Punta Chame for American Oystercatcher, Willet, Reddish Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and more. After a late lunch we drive back to Panama City and transfer to Albrook Airport for our flight to Bocas del Toro on the Tranquilo Bay Extension.
Welcome to Panama! After arriving at Tocumen International Airport you will transfer to Riande Aeropuerto Hotel. This afternoon you can enjoy the hotel grounds at your leisure. Many common birds can be seen here, including Clay-colored Thrush, Crimson-backed and Blue-gray Tanagers, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Yellow-headed Caracara, and Variable Seedeater, among many others. This evening, we will enjoy dinner and prepare for the upcoming days of birding in eastern Panama. Overnight at Riande Aeropuerto Hotel.
Day 2 – January 12, 2027: Nusagandi & Río Torti
After an early breakfast we will leave Panama City and begin our journey toward the Darién, one of the most biodiverse areas of Panama. Our first stop will be Nusagandi, a protected area of the Guna Yala indigenous people. This forest along the continental divide shelters several important species, such as the rare Sapayoa and Speckled (Spiny-faced) Antshrike, as well as Slate-throated Gnatcatcher, Black-crowned Antpitta, Chestnut-backed Antbird, and Rufous-winged and Black-and-yellow Tanagers. After exploring these productive Caribbean-slope forests, we will carry on toward Torti. If time permits, the areas around the Torti River offer great habitat for Barred Puffbird, Amazon Kingfisher, White-eared Conebill, Little Cuckoo, Pacific Antwren, and Orange-crowned Oriole. Overnight at Avicar Hotel Torti.
Day 3 – January 13, 2027: San Francisco Reserve & the Pan-American Highway
San Francisco Reserve near Torti offers habitats from open savanna to mature rainforest, and is home to the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Royal Flycatcher, Red-breasted Meadowlark, Sulphur-rumped Tanager, Rusty-winged Antwren, Great Jacamar, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Speckled Mourner, Golden-collared Manakin, Central American Pygmy-Owl, and — if we're lucky — the rare Wing-banded Antbird. It's also a great spot for soaring raptors: Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle and King Vulture are regular, and Harpy Eagle is seen on occasion. The reserve's mature forests are also home to Ocelot and Colombian Spider Monkey. After lunch in Torti, where feeders offer excellent hummingbird viewing, we continue east into Darién province. This afternoon we'll explore the far reaches of the Pan-American Highway, scanning the Yaviza wetlands for Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius, and, with luck, a Gray-breasted Crake. Overnight at Bellagio Hotel Meteti or similar.
Day 4 – January 14, 2027: Harpy Eagle Nest
Today we enter the realm of the Harpy Eagle. After an early start, our journey includes about an hour's drive, a crossing of the Chucunaque River by dugout canoe, and a hike through Darién forest to an active Harpy Eagle nest. Sightings of the eagles themselves can't be guaranteed, but the hike regularly turns up Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Choco Sirystes, Black Oropendola, and Golden-headed Manakin, along with mammals such as Northern Tamandua, Mantled Howler Monkey, Geoffroy's Tamarin, sloths, and possibly Tayra. We'll retrace our steps to the hotel, birding strategic spots along the way as time allows.
Day 5 – January 15, 2027: Darién Lowlands Birding
We continue exploring the best sites along the Pan-American Highway for the Darién's spectacular birds and wildlife. El Salto Road offers productive roadside birding for Ochre-lored Flatbill, Black Antshrike, Blue Cotinga, Red-throated Caracara, and Double-banded Graytail, among many others. Other regional specialties include Red-rumped and Golden-green Woodpeckers, Chestnut-fronted Macaw, and raptors such as Bicolored Hawk, Slender-billed Kite, and White Hawk. In the evening we'll head out along the highway for nocturnal wildlife, including Common and Great Potoos, Striped Owl, and Crab-eating Fox.
Day 6 – January 16, 2027: Nuevo Vigia, Return to Panama City & Onward to Summit
Darién is home to several indigenous communities, among them the Emberá. Today we visit one of their villages, Nuevo Vigia, surrounded by excellent bird habitat. We start the day in a dugout canoe on the Chucunaque River, watching for Capped and Cocoi Herons, Green Ibis, Gray-lined Hawk, Mangrove Swallow, and roosting Great Potoo along the water's edge. Along shaded trails at the village we'll look for Red-billed Scythebill, Agami Heron, Bare-crowned Antbird, and Olivaceous Piculet, plus the very range-restricted Dusky-backed Jacamar, Barred Puffbird, and Spectacled Parrotlet in the open riverine habitat. The community offers hand-made woven plates, bowls, carved cocobolo wood, and other artisan handicrafts for sale. After the morning's birding, we drive back to Panama City and transfer to Summit Rainforest Resort, where we're joined by travelers coming for the Canal Zone portion of the trip. We'll settle in and spend the afternoon birding the hotel grounds, where Blue-gray, Palm, and Crimson-backed Tanagers, Clay-colored Thrush, Red-crowned Woodpecker, Ruddy Ground Dove, Tropical Mockingbird, Bat Falcon, and Collared Aracari are all possible right on the property.
Day 7 – January 17, 2027: Pipeline Road & Gamboa
Morning birding at the world-famous Pipeline Road. Our first stop is the Ammo Dump Ponds, scanning the open wetland for Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Purple Gallinule, Wattled Jacana, White-throated Crake, Greater Ani, Yellow-tailed Oriole, and forest-edge species. Pipeline Road runs through the lowland rainforest of Soberanía National Park and holds hundreds of species, including Red-capped Manakin, Black Hawk-Eagle, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Slaty-tailed Trogon, Spotted Antbird, and Cinnamon Woodpecker, along with less common rainforest species such as Ocellated Antbird, Streak-chested Antpitta, and Pheasant Cuckoo. In the afternoon we'll stroll around the town of Gamboa and the Gamboa reserve — an area of trails, forest, open ground, and wetlands that's particularly "birdy," with a chance at Gartered Trogon, Golden-hooded Tanager, Yellow-throated Toucan, and Black-striped Sparrow.
Day 8 – January 18, 2027: Panama Rainforest Discovery Center & Summit Ponds
A visit to the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center brings us above the rainforest canopy on their 100-foot tower, where Yellow-throated Toucan, Blue Cotinga, Black-breasted Puffbird, and Gray-headed Kite are often seen, and it's a great vantage point for raptor migration. On the trails we'll look for Blue-crowned Manakin, Black-headed Antthrush, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, White-whiskered Puffbird, and more, while the covered veranda's hummingbird feeders bring us close to White-necked Jacobin, Violet-bellied Hummingbird, and Long-billed Hermit. After lunch and a rest, we'll head to Summit Ponds and the Old Gamboa Road for American Pygmy Kingfisher, Lesser Kiskadee, Gray-cowled Wood-Rail, Collared Forest-Falcon, and Gartered Trogon.
Day 9 – January 19, 2027: Cerro Azul & the Bay of Panama
Today we bird the cooler foothills of Cerro Azul and Chagres National Park, one of the best places for Yellow-eared Toucanet, Sulphur-rumped, Emerald, Speckled, and Rufous-winged Tanagers, Black-eared Wood-Quail, White-ruffed Manakin, and the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker. We'll scan the open vistas for King Vulture and Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle, but Cerro Azul is above all a paradise for hummingbirds: White-tipped Sicklebill, Violet capped Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy, and Rufous-crested Coquette can all be found here. We'll enjoy a picnic lunch surrounded by Cerro Azul's scenery, and in the afternoon stop at Costa del Este or Panama Viejo to scan the mangroves and mudflats for shorebirds and waterbirds.
Day 10 – January 20, 2027: Metropolitan Natural Park & Drive to El Valle de Antón
A short drive brings us to Metropolitan Natural Park, a protected dry forest within Panama City's limits and a great place to find Yellow-backed Oriole, Bright-rumped Attila, Lance-tailed Manakin, Rufous-and-white Wren, Common Potoo, Orange-billed Sparrow, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, and Collared Forest-Falcon, along with many flycatchers and the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet. After a morning on the park's trails, we drive to El Valle, arriving mid-afternoon, then head out for foothill specialties at Sendero Las Minas and La Mesa, on a small plateau along the crater rim a good place for Northern Emerald-Toucanet, Spot-crowned Antvireo, White-tipped Sicklebill, Green Hermit, Black-faced Grosbeak, and Bay-headed, Golden-hooded, and Silver-throated Tanagers, along with Spotted Woodcreeper, Dull-mantled Antbird, and even the occasional Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo.
Day 11 – January 21, 2027: La Mesa, Cerro Gaital & Cara Iguana Road
We continue exploring the El Valle area, returning to La Mesa and visiting Cerro Gaital National Monument, scanning open fields and skies for Wedge-tailed Grass-Finch, Barred Hawk, Swallow-tailed Kite, Crested Oropendola, Lineated Woodpecker, and Southern Lapwing. Along the trail at Gaital Hill we'll look for Red-crowned Ant-Tanager, Olive-striped Flycatcher, Green-crowned Brilliant, Stripe-throated Hermit, Song Wren, Tawny-crested Tanager, White-ruffed Manakin, and Slaty Antwren, among others. After lunch and a rest, we visit Cara Iguana Road on the edge of town, a quiet area of dry forest species: Lesson's Motmot, Rufous-breasted Wren, White-winged Becard, White Hawk, Spectacled Owl, Garden Emerald, Long-billed Starthroat, Barred Antshrike, Yellow-crowned Euphonia, Yellow Tyrannulet, Boat-billed Flycatcher, and more.
Day 12 – January 22, 2027: Back Road to Altos del María
Traveling by 4x4, we climb in elevation toward Altos del María. The back road to this beautiful highland region on the eastern rim of the caldera is a great place for Barred Hawk, Dull-mantled Antbird, White-tipped Sicklebill, Russet Antshrike, Black-and-yellow Tanager, Snowcap, Ochraceous Wren, Common Chlorospingus, Dusky-faced Tanager, Red-faced Spinetail, and Black-crowned Antpitta, with sweeping vistas of the surrounding forest and the occasional Ornate Hawk-Eagle or Barred Hawk overhead. This afternoon we'll stop at the local market in El Valle to browse artisan handicrafts and local products.
Day 13 – January 23, 2027: Pacific Lowlands, Return to Panama City & Departure to Bocas
We leave El Valle early and travel to the open fields and dry scrubby areas of Juan Hombrón and El Chiru in the Pacific lowlands, a great area for raptors including Crested Caracara, Pearl Kite, Great Black and Savanna Hawks, and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. Across wetlands, rice fields, scrubland, and farm fields we'll look for Pacific lowland specialties such as the near-endemic Veraguan Mango, Crested Bobwhite, Pale-eyed Pygmy-Tyrant, Lance-tailed Manakin, Plain-breasted Spinetail, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, and Straight-billed Woodcreeper, along with Wood Stork, herons, ibises, and waders. As time permits, we'll visit the mangroves of Antón or Punta Chame for American Oystercatcher, Willet, Reddish Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, and more. After a late lunch we drive back to Panama City and transfer to Albrook Airport for our flight to Bocas del Toro on the Tranquilo Bay Extension.
Additional Information
Canadian and United States citizens need a valid passport (with at least three months’ validity beyond your departure date) and an onward or return ticket. You do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 180 days
