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Day Tours - Half Day
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Day Tours - Full Day
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Birding Central Panama
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Central Panama & Chiriqui Highlands
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Hawk Migration Over Panama
BIRDING CENTRAL PANAMA
Day 1: Evening meet and greet orientation. Overnight at La Estancia Hotel or a similar hotel.
Day 2: After breakfast transfer to Panama Rainforest Discovery Center that is located on the famous Pipeline Road, one of the most recognized in the world for bird watching. In fact, a record was set in a bird count organized in 1985 by the Audubon Society, identifying some 385 bird species in 24 hours. Full day birding trip. BLD, Overnight.
Day 3: Full day birding deeper into the rainforest on the Pipeline Road, international birders flock to the Pipeline Road, a 17km forested trail inside Soberania National Park. This ecological tour takes in some of the most important areas of the Pacific rainforest to observe birds, butterflies and wildlife and lush tropical vegetation. BLD, Overnight.
Day 4: Transfer to Plantation Road, named for a long-overgrown cacao plantation on the road that is no longer there, extending 7 km to its junction with Camino de Cruces. Some species typical of the Atlantic slope begin to appear here, such as the Royal Flycatcher, Blue –crowned Manakin and others. In the afternoon, birding Summit Nature Park that is a small botanical garden and zoo located near the southern end of Soberania National Park. The park is especially good for hummingbirds, and during the early rainy season may have colonies of oropendolas or caciques. BLD, Overnight
Day 5: Early in the morning transfer to Old Gamboa Road and the sleepy small town of Gamboa, at the juncture of the Rio Chagres, the Gaillard Cut of Panama Canal and Gatun Lake. Gamboa was founded to serve as headquarters of the Canal’s Dredging Division. This is a good place to see some species like the Great Antshrike and Rosy Thrush-Tanager. Afternoon transfer to Metropolitan Nature Park, the park is an excellent place to find birds of dry and second-growth forest, as well as the more widespread forest species of the Canal Area. Among the dry-forest or Pacific-slope specialties found here are the Panama endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet and Blue-headed Parrot. BLD, Overnight
Day 6: Transfer to Chagres National Park, located near Madden Dam, which was built on the upper Rio Chagres to create Lake Alajuela a supplemental source of water for the operation of the Panama Canal, some of species that you see in this park are the Rufous-and-white Wren, Laughing Falcon and Black-headed Saltator. Afternoon transfer to Nattur Ecolodge, Sabanitas, Colón. Nattur Eco-Lodge has been strategically built as a touristic facility that connects us with the historic places of Portobelo, San Lorenzo, the operations of the Panama Canal, the Cruisers ports and the Duty Free Zone in Colón. BLD, Overnight.
Day 7: This day we will visit Achiote Road, at 11 km beyond the end of Gatun Dam, just as the Escobal Road leaves the forest, Achiote Road branches off to the right. It runs through forest for its first 5.4 km, at which point in leaves the National Park. The entire road is good so it is best to drive it slowly while watching for activity, then pulling off the road where possible and birding on foot, some of the species that can be seen along Achiote are the Hook-billed Kite, Spot-crowned Barbet, and Bare-Crowned Antbird. BLD, Overnight.
Day 8: Transfer to San Lorenzo National Park, established in 2004 which occupies much of the former U.S. Army Base of Ft. Sherman that reverted to Panama at the end of 1999. Most of the area, which stretches along either side of the lower Rio Chagres, is hilly and consists of wet lowland tropical forest, but there are also areas of grass, scrub, mangroves, swamps, marshes and coastline. BLD, Overnight
Day 9: Birding around Nattur Ecolodge. In the afternoon transfer to Panama to your Hotel. Farewell dinner. BLD, Overnight
Day 10: Transfer to International Airport for return flight.
Length of tour: 10 Days
Rate: US$1,580.00 per person
Single Supplement: US$455.00
Tour Dates:
• November 01-10, 2010
• November 15-24, 2010
TOUR SIZE: 4-8 people.
INCLUDED: Professional Bird guide, accommodations, meals as indicated, fees to parks, and transportation by mini Bus.
NOT INCLUDED: International Airfares, alcoholic beverages, others not mentioned in included, etc
