Upon arrival at the airport, be met and transferred to Canopy Tower, located at the top of Semaphore Hill in the rain forest of Soberania National Park. At Canopy Tower there will be an orientation on the use of the facilities. At this time staff will answer any questions one may have. As luggage is being ferried to the room, one may visit the dining/bar area and enjoy a refreshing drink. Yampu highly recommends that travelers spend some time on the Observation Deck. The view from the platform is incredible! Here, there is a unique eye-level perspective of the rain forest canopy. Many birds, including toucans, parrots, tanagers of various types, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as two species of sloths, monkeys and other mammals are commonly seen. From this vantage point travelers can also see ships transiting the Panama Canal, the majestic Centennial Bridge and miles of rain forest! One may also want to watch the hummingbird feeders at the base of the Tower for Long-Billed Hermit, White-Necked Jacobin, Violet-Bellied and Blue-Chested Hummingbirds and White-Vented Plumeleteer. Occasionally, a Snowy-Bellied Hummingbird can be spotted! Dinner at Canopy Tower. ...read less

In the morning the guide will be waiting for Yampu Travelers at the Observation Deck for early morning birding. While looking out for birds, enjoy hot coffee, tea and orange juice. Some of the bird species that are likely to see from the observation deck are Green and Red-legged Honeycreepers, Green Shrike-Vireo, Blue Cotinga, Scaled Pigeon, Mealy and Red-Lored Parrots, Keel-Billed Toucan, Collared Araçari, flycatchers of various kinds and raptors, including King Vulture and Ornate Hawk-Eagle. After breakfast, at mid-morning, begin exploring Soberania National Park by taking a pleasant walk down Semaphore Hill Road. This winding, shady paved road, festooned on the shoulders by wildflowers of many types, is a little more than a mile long and crosses a large creek about half-way down. The bird list here is extensive, and includes birds from the forest interior as well as edge-dwellers. Olivaceous Flatbill, Plain Xenops, Lesser Greenlet, Black-breasted and White-Whiskered Puffbirds, Fasciated and Black-Crowned (formerly Western Slaty) Antshrikes, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-Headed and White-Shouldered Tanagers, Black-Throated Trogon, Broad-Billed and Rufous Motmots and Great Jacamar may be found. Great Tinamou is often heard, but harder to find. This road is also great for raptors. White, Tiny and Great Black Hawks have been seen, and during migration it's easy to see more than 10 species of warblers and other songbirds in one morning. The morning bird list will be impressive. Catch a ride back just in time to enjoy a delicious lunch at the Canopy Tower. In the afternoon, enjoy an excursion to the Ammo Dump Ponds which are located just past Gamboa on the way to Pipeline Road. It is the best place to see the elusive White-Throated Crake, as well as a host of other water birds. Least Grebes and Purple Gallinules are common, and Rufescent Tiger-Heron and American Pygmy-Kingfisher are also resident. Here, find Greater Ani, Red-Legged Honeycreeper, Whooping Motmot (recent split from Blue-Crowned), Yellow-Tailed Oriole, Southern Lapwing, Yellow-Crowned Tyrannulet, Tropical Kingbird, Scrub Greenlet, Lesser Kiskadee, Black-Bellied Whistling-Duck and Panama, Social and Rusty-Margined flycatchers and even an Olivaceous Piculet! Birding here will be excellent for adding to the impressive list of birds! Dinner at the Tower. ...read less

After breakfast, board the Birdmobile or the Rainfomobile, both open-air vehicles, that take explorers to Pipeline Road, the best place in Central Panama to find forest birds, and one of the premier birding spots in the world! This morning, concentrate efforts at the beginning of the Pipeline, look for Greater Ani, Gray-Necked Wood-Rail, Yellow-Tailed Oriole, Masked Tityra, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Plain Wren, Streaked Flycatcher, Red-Throated Ant-Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gray-Headed Chachalaca, Southern Bentbill, Forest Elaenia, Panama Flycatcher, Blue Ground-Dove and Little Tinamou. Other birds recorded here are Black-Bellied and Buff-Breasted Wrens, Golden-Collared Manakin, White-Necked Puffbird, Gartered, Slaty-Tailed, Black-Throated, White-Tailed & Black-Tailed Trogons, Purple-Crowned Fairy, Yellow Tyrannulet, White-Bellied and Dusky Antbirds, Fasciated and Black-Crowned Antshrikes. During migration this entrance road is excellent for migrant warblers, flycatchers, grosbeaks and tanagers. Lunch at Canopy Tower. After lunch, visit the Summit Gardens which is a center for recreation, education, and conservation. It is dedicated to reflect and enhance Panama's tropical and cultural diversity. The botanical gardens are great for migratory warblers and other forest-edge species, including a colony of Chestnut-Headed Oropendolas, Yellow-Margined Flycatcher, Laughing Falcon, Gray-Lined, Crane and Great Black Hawks, Collared Forest-Falcon, Tropical Pewee, Masked Tityra, Golden-Fronted and Scrub Greenlets, Yellow-Crowned Tyrannulet, Yellow-Rumped Cacique, Giant, Shiny and Bronzed Cowbirds and Blue Cotinga. This park is the best place to find Streak-Headed Woodcreeper, a difficult species to get elsewhere. The Harpy Eagle is Panama's national bird, and this park has an exhibit, including a life-size nest and interpretive panels, tracing the importance of the Harpy in Panamanian history and culture dating back to Pre-Colombian times. Dinner at Canopy Tower. ...read less

Today, leave the Canopy Tower and transfer back to the Panama City airport for the flight to David. Upon arrival reception at the airport and transfer to Finca Lerida in Boquete. This afternoon, enjoy some time to take a hike in the national reserve. It is a unique place to study and experience the cloud forest environment and to discover the flora and fauna hidden within. Many of the birds found in Panama can be seen in Finca Lerida's Estate, as well as many species of plants and trees. Hike through the forest to a hidden waterfall leaving civilization behind and relax listening to the sound of birds. The trails vary in degree of difficulty and one is handicap accessible. Overnight at Finca Lerida. ...read less

Today, enjoy a half day bird watching tour in Boquete's highlands. As suggested in Robert S. Ridgley's A Guide to The Birds of Panama, Finca Lerida is a place to go searching for quetzals and other specialties. A unique collection of over 1600 bird specimens collected in the vicinity of Lerida by its previous owner Mr. Tollef B. Monniche was donated to the Birds Department of Zoology in the Field Museum in Chicago. Finca Lerida has a network of professionally built trails which have been visited by birdwatchers looking to see the Resplendent Quetzal, and by those interested in the magnificent flora and fauna within the estate grounds. Finca Lerida is home to over 300 species of birds. Cesar Caballero, the guide, easily identifies their calls and songs. ...read less

This morning, leave for the David airport and fly to Bocas del Toro. Upon arrival on the main island, be transferred to Isla Bastimentos and Tranquilo Bay. Upon arrival at the eco lodge, settle in and become familiar with the beautiful surroundings. The lodge is situated in one of the most biologically diverse and protected areas in Panama and Central America. It has over a kilometer of Caribbean coastline covered in coral gardens and tropical fish. There are over 100 acres that one can explore hiking trails with guides that are full of wildlife. Bird watching is very popular at Tranquilo Bay, which has listed nearly 200 species on site. Take the opportunity to talk to the guides about the birding excursions around Tranquilo Bay.


Prior to dinner each night, there is a cocktail hour to watch the sunset and enjoy delicious nibbles. The dinner menu is posted each day at breakfast. If one would prefer another entree, they may select from a few offerings and notify the lodge at lunch or prior to departure for the day's activities. Entrees vary nightly - one night they may serve seafood and the next night it may be South American beef. Each evening they end with a little something sweet to end the day
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This morning, enjoy a continental breakfast or one may have a choice of eggs and one special breakfast entree. After breakfast, head out with a guide in search of birds to photograph and watch. The area is geologically gifted, creating extreme species diversity for travelers to explore. There is an incredible variety of ecosystems, habitats, and altitudinal zones only a short distance from the lodge. The guides are passionate about observing wildlife so they are excellent at spotting as well as identification. Explore one of the many areas where good birding can take place around the lodge, or choose to not leave the property at all. In one week it is possible to identify over 100 species of birds without leaving the property. There are several elevated porches throughout the facility, creating an incredible eye-level view. While birding onsite one might also encounter white-faced capuchin monkeys, night monkeys, two and three toed sloths, iguanas, caiman, butterflies, a variety of frogs and lizards, and within the canopy a collage of rain forest hardwood and fruit trees, lianas, mangroves, ferns, orchids, and cycads. A delicious lunch will be packed for those partaking in offsite activities for the day. For those remaining on site, the lodge has a selection of salads, sandwiches, and soups which highlight local ingredients.


Return to the lodge for an evening of leisure as well as cocktails and dinner.
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After breakfast, head off with a guide. A Panama birding tour is not complete without visiting western Panama's Caribbean slope, one of the most important areas for restricted range avifauna in the world. In western Panama the Caribbean Slope of the Talamanca mountain range, Tranquilo Bay's back yard, plunges some 11,000 feet from the high alpine forest of La Amistad National Park into the lowland rain forests bordering the Caribbean Sea, in a span of less than 40 miles. Within the areas we explore from our comfortable facility the altitude ranges from 7,000 feet to sea level in a zone where nearly 500 species of birds can be found. This extreme biodiversity and high level of endemic species is due to abrupt changes in altitudinal zones and extreme geographic features creating many distinct ecosystems, as well as, migratory corridors. Enjoy a packaged lunch and head back to the lodge.


Spend the remainder of the afternoon at leisure to explore the lodge's amenities. The secluded facility was designed to remove visitors from the pressures of the real world and to comfortably immerse them in nature's wonderful biodiversity. Dinner and cocktails in the evening.
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After breakfast spend the morning packing and relaxing before getting ready to head back the mainland for the flight back to Panama City to connect with an international flight home.