|
 14 days / 13 nights
An in-depth exploration of avian diversity across the isthmus. Bird watching in Panama is very easy and rewarding. Its geographical position allows contact with two great mother lodes of avian diversity. You can see Resplendent Quetzals and Umbrella birds in the West as well as four types of Macaws and Harpy Eagles in the East. Enjoy 14 days of birding in (1) Panama City (Pipeline Road, Summit Ponds, Plantation Loop, Achiote & Escobal Roads, Metropolitan Nature Park, Old Panama Mudflats), in Chiriqui (PILA, Tapir´s Canyon, Querevalo Road, (2) Finca Lerida (3)), and in the Darien (Cana Field Station (4), Pirre Cloud Forest (5)).
 Day 1 Arrive to Panama
On arrival to Tocumen International Airport, in Panama City, an Ancon Expeditions of Panama representative will greet you outside Customs. Transfer to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort near Soberania National Park. Night at GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT Day 2 Pipeline Road - Summit Ponds - Plantation Loop Early morning breakfast and orientation with other trip participants and your Birds of Panama guide. This morning you drive to the nearby Pipeline Road within Soberania National Park. Soberania is home to some 525 species of birds. Before entering the road you will bird the scrub habitat near the ponds looking for Crimson-backed Tanager, Rufescent Tiger Heron, White-throated Crake as well as several Tyrannulets and Greenlets. Located within this protected area Pipeline Rd. is the site where Audubon Society held its world Christmas bird count record for 19 years straight, with 357 species of birds identified in a period of 24 hours. As one of the most accessible rain forests in the world, Pipeline Road is a great place to look for birds like Slaty-tailed and Black-throated Trogons, Golden-collared Manakin, White-bellied Antbird, Semiplumbeous Hawk, Black-breasted Puffbird, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Blue Cotinga, Pheasant Cuckoo and army antswarm followers. A picnic lunch will be served at Summit Ponds. There you will look for the Boat-billed Heron, Rosy Thrush-Tanager and other Pacific woodland species. At Plantation Loop you will walk along a low ridge where you will find some of the humid forest birds such as Royal Flycatcher, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Blue-crowned Manakin and others.
Night at GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT (BLD) Day 3 Achiote & Escobal Roads An early morning drive will take you to the areas of Escobal and Achiote roads on the Caribbean side of Panama. These spots are probably some of the best places to search for diurnal raptors. They are also excellent places to look for specialties such as the Spot-crowned Barbet, Black Hawk-Eagle, Rufous-crested Coquette, Montezuma Oropendola, Brown-hooded Parrot, Black-bellied Wren, Pied Puffbird and rarities like Gray-cheeked Nunlet and White-headed Wren. Late afternoon birding around the hotel grounds back in Gamboa.
Night at GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT (BLD)
Day 4 Metropolitan Nature Park - Chiriqui Cloud Forest
Today you will drive to Metropolitan Nature Park (the only protected rain forest within capital city limits in Latin America). With an impressive list of 260 species the possibilities are great. Specialties include Lance-tailed Manakin, Orange-billed Sparrow, Green Honeycreeper, Rufous and White Wren and many more. You will also look for the Red-napped Tamarin on the trail named after them. You will take a mid-morning flight to David in the Chiriqui province. Chiriqui is known as “Panama’s breadbasket” having some of the most breathtaking highland scenery in Central America. Transfer by van to the western side of the Baru Volcano to the town of Volcan. Lunch will be at the hotel’s restaurant. In the afternoon you will proceed to a coffee farm which offers great birding such as Rufous-browed Peppershrike, White-winged Tanager, Fiery-billed Aracari in a transitional area between the highlands and lower foothills of the western mountain range. Night at HOTEL DOS RIOS (BLD) Day 5 La Amistad International Park & World Biosphere Reserve Shared with neighboring Costa Rica and recognized in 1982 as a Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site, La Amistad is located at a point on the Central American land bridge where flora and fauna from North and South America reach their maximum species mix, with great ranges in altitude, precipitation, soils and temperature. You will spend the morning hiking and exploring La Amistad in the area of El Retoño in search of Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Andean Pygmy-Owl, Barred Becard and many other western highland species. After lunch at a local restaurant you will drive to Baru Volcano National Park located along the Talamanca mountain range and also being the highest point of the country (3,475 meters above sea level). The Baru Volcano and La Amistad parks are part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. Here you will search for Buffy Tuftedcheek, Resplendent Quetzal, Ochraceous Pewee, Silvery-throated Jay, different hummingbirds and other highland species. Night at HOTEL DOS RIOS (BLD) Day 6 Tapir´s Canyon - Querevalo Road - Boquete This morning you will stop at Tapir’s Canyon to search for Lesser Elaenia, Bay-headed Tanager, Crested Oropendola, American Dipper, and a myriad other species. You will descend back to the lowlands and drive through some rice, corn and sugar cane fields where you will keep an eye out for Brown-throated Parakeets, Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Dickcissels, and other grassland birds. You will continue bird watching on the Eastern side of Baru Volcano on the way to Boquete, a countryside town surrounded by flower, fruit and vegetable farms, coffee plantations and also lush tropical cloud forests. The afternoon is spent birding around the hotel grounds.
Night at FINCA LERIDA LODGE (BLD) Day 7 Finca Lerida Cloud Forest
Today you will explore Finca Lerida, a privately owned preserve, just outside Baru Volcano National Park. At an elevation of 2,286 meters above sea level, you have an opportunity to see the elusive Resplendent Quetzal, Three-wattled Bellbird, Black-faced Solitaire, Volcano Hummingbird, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher and Prong-billed Barbet in their cool habitat of orchids, bromeliads and wild avocados. After a picnic in the cloud forest you continue birding before returning to the hotel to get ready for our transfer to David for our flight back to Panama City.
Night at HOLIDAY INN-PANAMA CANAL (BLD)
Day 8 Darien National Park - Santa Cruz de Cana This morning you will proceed to Albrook domestic airport where you are going to board a chartered plane headed for Santa Cruz de Cana, in Darien National Park and World Biosphere Reserve, where Ancon Expeditions of Panama manages a field station. As you fly in you can admire the vast forest cover of Panama’s largest park (1.3 million acres). Cana is located at the foothills of Pirre Mountain, located in the most remote area of Panama. Very few places in the world rival Cana in birding potential. From the plane be on the lookout for King Vultures and Macaws.
After getting settled at the Cana Field Station you will explore the Boca de Cupe Trail and surrounding area. Specialties here include Blue and Gold, Red and Green, Great Green and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Black tipped Cotinga, Swallow Tanager, Red-throated Caracara, Streaked Antwren, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Ornate Hawk-Eagle and others.
Night at CANA FIELD STATION (BLD)
Day 9 Cana Field Station Today you will explore the Mine and Seteganti trails, where rusting machinery is being overtaken by the jungle after the British Gold Mine ventures collapsed at the beginning of the last century. Specialties of this area include Great Curassow, Crested Guan, Dusky-faced Tanager, Olivaceous Piculet. Along the Seteganti Trail, with open scrub areas and mature forests, look out for various woodpeckers such as Crimson-bellied and Red-rumped, Red-billed Scythebill, Brown Violetear. Night at CANA FIELD STATION (BLD)Day 10 Pirre Cloud Forest Camp Early this morning you will begin a slow-paced 5-hour hike to the Pirre Cloud Forest. At 1,200 meters above sea level, the Pirre Cloud Forest is a good place to look for specialties such as Beautiful Treerunner, Tooth-billed Hummingbird, Slaty Antwren, Tody Motmot, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Rufous-breasted Ant Thrush, Immaculate Antbird, Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Pirre Warbler, Pirre Hummingbird, Pirre Bush Tanager, Greenish Puffleg, Orange-bellied Euphonia.Night at PIRRE CAMP (Screened tents with sleeping mats) (BLD) Day 11 Pirre Cloud Forest Camp This morning you hike to the top of Pirre Mountain in search of the Golden-headed Quetzal, Gray and gold Tanager, Sharpbill, Chlorophonia and several Tanagers among other Eastern Panama highland species. You will continue birding around the Pirre Tent Camp this afternoon.
Night at PIRRE CAMP (Screened tents with sleeping mats) (BLD)
Day 12 Cana Field Station
This morning you will start the descent back to the Cana Field Station. The afternoon is spent birding around the main camp. Possibilities include Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Spotted Barbtail, Barred Puffbird, Yellow-green Tyrannulet, Jet Antibird, Black-crowned, Fulvous-bellied, Ochre-breasted and Scaled Antpittas, White-fronted Nunbird, Cinereous Becard, Golden-headed Manakin.
Night at CANA FIELD STATION (BLD)
Day 13 Darien - Panama City - Old Panama Mudflats - Costa del Este
This morning you will fly back to Panama City on a chartered plane. Upon arrival, tide level permitting, you will visit the Old Panama Mudflats for a chance to see Collared Plovers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Marbled Godwit, Whimbrel and others. Lunch will be at a local restaurant.
You will continue birding at the Costa del Este mangroves looking for Straight-billed Woodcreeper, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Northern Scrub-Flycatcher, Mangrove Black-Hawk, Mangrove Warbler, Sapphire-throated and Scaly-breasted Hummingbirds, Rufous-browed Peppershrike among others. You will also stop at Costa del Este in search of Black-necked Stilt, Least Sandpiper, Cocoi Heron, Yellowlegs and Night-Herons. A farewell dinner will take place at a Panamanian restaurant tonight.
Night at HOLIDAY INN-PANAMA CANAL (BLD)
Day 14 Depart Panama
Today you will be picked up at the lobby of your hotel 2.5 hours prior to your scheduled departure flight and transferred to Tocumen International Airport. Fly home (B)
TRIP CLASSIFICATION
- Moderate/long hiking 3-5 hours per day over variable terrain, slippery, muddy
- Accommodations vary from hotel, comfortable lodges, field stations to tent camps
DEPARTURE DATES 2011
JAN 12 - 25, 2011 - 7 passengers already confirmed!
Feb 18 - March 3, 2011 - SOLD OUT!Feb 27 - March 12, 2011 March 20 - Apr 2, 2011 PRICE
US$2,895 per person + 7% tax (double occupancy) – minimum of 6 passengers -
Additional price for single occupancy: US$650 + 7% tax
INCLUDED NOT INCLUDED
- Lodging, meals as specified in the itinerary (B - breakfast, L - lunch, D - dinner)
| | | - Meals not specified in the itinerary
| - All land, air and water transportation within Panama
| | - All airport/hotel transfers on scheduled arrival and departure dates
| - Gratuities and extras in hotels (telephone calls, laundry, room service)
| - Guides´services and expenses
| | - Park, museum and related entrance fees
| | - Services of an in-bound land operator for airline re-confirmations and tour operations
| | DISCLAIMER & NOTE
Prices and itineraries are correct at the time of printing, however they are subject to change due to tidal/weather or local conditions, availabilities or factors beyond our control. Weight restrictions apply to luggage in commercial and chartered flights within Panama. A maximum of 25 lbs. (11 kg) of checked luggage and 10 lbs. (4.5 kg) of carry-on per person is allowed. Arrangements can be made with your hotel or Ancon Expeditions to store luggage that will not be needed while away from the city. Excess baggage charges assessed by commercial carriers are the responsibility of the passenger.
WHAT TO BRING
- Binoculars (preferably 7x35 or bigger, also available for rent at Ancon Expeditions of Panama)
| - Water bottle
- Lightweight/quick dry cotton clothes
| | | - Camera with extra batteries & film
| - Sandals, sneakers, hiking boots
| - Flashlight with extra bulb & batteries
| | - Insect repellant, Sunscreen
| - Money in small denominations
| | - Toiletries & personal medications
| | | - The Naturalist Guide carries a spotting scope
|
TIPPING
Ancon Expeditions is Panama’s top eco-tourism operator. Our Natural & Cultural History Guides are the country's finest. Due to frequently asked questions from our clients about suggested guide & staff gratuities, we would like to provide you with the following universal tipping guidelines: - Naturalist guide/Tour leader: US$10.00-US$20.00 per person/day
- Day tour guide: US$10.00 per person/day
- Transfer driver: US$2.00 per person
- Tour driver: US$5.00 per person/day
- Tour boat driver: US$5.00 per person/day
- Hotel bellman: US$1.00 per person per suitcase
- International airport bellmen (red caps): US$1.00 per piece of suitcase
GAMBOA RAINFOREST RESORT
Nestled among the vast Soberania National Park Rainforest, on the banks of the Chagres River and Panama Canal, this stunningly beautiful luxury hotel and resort will guarantee you a truly one-of-a-kind vacation experience. Escape to this jungle paradise just 45min outside Panama City to encounter nature without leaving the comforts of a full-service exotic resort. Among the total of 160 rooms the resort has 43 historic villas. Enjoy the relaxing spa (steam room, sauna, Jacuzzi, massage services), gym, large outdoor pool, tennis court, 2 bars, 3 restaurants, business center, gift shop and the beautiful wooden library.
|
Address: Zona 5, Soberania National Park, Gamboa, Panama
Website: www.gamboaresort.com
Phone: (+507) 314-5000
Fax: (+507) 314-9020
Check in: 3:00 p.m.
Check out: 12:00 p.m. HOTEL DOS RIOS 
| On the slopes of the Barú Volcano, surrounded by mountains and lush vegetation at an altitude of 1750m above sea level, Hotel Dos Rios is located in the beautiful town of Volcán, just 54km away from the domestic airport in David, the capital of Chiriqui. Dos Rios Hotel has 18 rooms, a restaurant, bar, pizzeria, conference room (50 persons), souvenir shop, Internet, fax, external medical services, and a butterfly garden. |
Address: Nueva California, Volcán, Chiriqui, Panama
Website: www.dosrios.com.pa
Phone: +(507) 771-5555
Fax: +(507) 771-5794
Check in: 2:00 p.m.
Check out: 1:00 p.m. FINCA LERIDA
 | This unique and beautiful privately owned preserve in Boquete, in the buffer zone of Baru Volcano National Park, is an idyllic lodging escape in the middle of the cloud forest and shade-grown coffee plantations. Finca Lerida has 13 comfortable rooms, a living room area for game nights or relaxation in front of the open fire place, a restaurant and many beautiful trails. The eco lodge is located just 20 minutes outside the charming town of Boquete. |
Address: Alto Quiel, Boquete, Chiriqui, Panama Website: www.fincalerida.com Phone: +(507) 720-2285 Check in: 3:00 p.m. Check out: 12:00 p.m. HOLIDAY INN PANAMA CANAL 
| Overlooking the Panama Canal Miraflores Locks and surrounded by lush tropical vegetation, the Holiday Inn has 137 rooms, 2 restaurants, business centre, coffee shop, elevators, jogging trail, outdoor pool, restaurants, and 5 meeting rooms. Located in the Canal Area, the hotel is close to the domestic airport and free shuttles run daily to the Albrook shopping mall. |
Address: Ave. Omar Torrijos Herrera, Clayton, City of Knowledge, Panama Website: www.hinnpanama.com/index2.html Phone: +(507) 317-4000 Fax: +(507) 317-4001 Check in: 3:00 p.m. Check out: 12:00 p.m. CANA FIELD STATION 
| Regarded by renowned ornithologists as one of the best birding sites in the world, Ancon Expeditions' Cana Field Station is located in the heart of the 1.2 million-acre Darien National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The lodge is located at 1,600 feet above sea level and it's reachable by chartered plane from Panama City. The rustic accommodations are made up of 8 comfortable double occupancy bedrooms sharing 2 bathrooms (hot water available), a dinning hall with spectacular views of the lush vegetation, an observation deck and a series of trails where birders spend time feeding their passion. |
Address: Cana, Darien National Park, Panama
Website: www.anconexpeditions.com
Phone: +(507) 269-9415
Fax: +(507) 264-3713
Check in & Check out: Depend on domestic flights Click here for more information about Cana Field Station. PIRRE TENT CAMP
| Pirre Tent Camp is remotely located in the cloud forests close to the top of the mountain at 4,900 feet above sea level (1,500 meters). The tent camp is made up of two-person screened tents located under a thatch roof structure for further protection against rains. Tents are provided with comfortable lightweight mattresses (2 per tent), sheets and blankets. There is no electricity and water is rationed strictly for drinking and washing up (no showers). Meals are prepared daily in a small outdoor kitchen and served on dinning tables. Guests are responsible for bringing their own overnight packs on the birding hike up to the tent camp. Porters carry the supplies necessary for making the guests' stay in this remote place a comfortable one. The uphill hike to Pirre Tent Camp is about 5 hours long including intermittent stops for birding, enjoying the magnificent vistas and resting. | Enjoy this trip report by Elise Faike who participated in the Birds of Panama March 22 - March 7, 2004 “A very good bird trip indeed.
Roberto did a very good job indeed and his knowledge of the birds of Panama and other wildlife is first class. I hope to be able to join Ancon Expeditions of Panama on a future expedition.” Birds of Panama Glenn Michael Duggan, UK “Ancon Expeditions have helped me as a photographer to see and photograph birds, animals, landscapes, and other wildlife in urban, and remote and wild areas of Panama. Their logistics are excellent. Ancon Expeditions have excellent naturalist guides with broad knowledge beyond only the nature of Panama; in addition they have very high level of ethics.” Birds of Panama Øyvind Martinsen, Norway
|
