Activities For Everyone & Non-Birders
We offer specialized tours for visitors who are interested in things other than birds. Please check our Vacation Packages page and, specifically, these tours: Birds and History, Panama's Natural and Cultural History and Tamarin Tour: Mammal and Birding Adventure.
In addition, if you are a partner of a birdwatcher considering a stay at the Canopy Tower, you have plenty to do and see. A library of interesting books and magazines awaits you; there is also Wi-Fi available and an Apple computer for your use; enjoy a snooze in a hammock, rocked by the gentle breezes; enjoy a soft drink, fresh tea or coffee and a snack; listen for squeaks and shrills, signs that a troop of Mantled Howlers or Geoffroy's Tamarins are on the way; listen for the throaty croaking of the gaudy Keel-billed Toucan making an appearance; look for the huge basking Green Iguanas clambering among the Cecropia branches, along with 2 species of sloths (Hoffmann's Two-toed & Brown-throated Three-toed!) — all in search of tender, juicy shoots; visit the nature store on the bottom floor, where native-made bracelets, t-shirts and other articles of interest, including CDs identifying the local wildflowers may be purchased! Or watch for huge ships as they negotiate the Culebra Cut of the Canal; we also recommend a tour to a nearby attraction of historical, human or natural interest. Below is a list of favorite activities that can easily be arranged — we just request the favor of one business day's advance notice, please. Finally, at dusk, enjoy the glimmering lights of distant Panamá City — one of the great urban centers of Central America — alive with energy and vibrance, but quiet and serene from your Canopy Tower perspective. Who knows, you just may have more to brag about at the dinner table than the hotshot birders!
1. Panama Canal Visitor Center in Miraflores Locks
There are four exhibition halls, which include historic artifacts used in the construction of the Canal, interactive modules, video presentations, models of the Panama Canal, and objects used in Canal operations.
2. Panama City Tour
On this full- or half-day excursion to one of the America's pivotal cities, you will see the ruins of Old Panamá, destroyed by the infamous English pirate, Sir Henry Morgan. A visit to Colonial Panamá and the Interoceanic Museum explaining the role Panama has played in commerce, beginning with the Spanish conquest, to the Panamá Railroad and Canal.
3. Interoceanic Museum
The setting is a lovely building which was the original headquarters of De Lesseps' company in Panamá's Plaza de la Catedral. The museum has artifacts from the French period and also the American effort, which finally succeeded in completing the Canal. It has excellent audio-visual presentations.
4. Colonial Panama
This area of the city has been declared a World Heritage Site and contains wonderful architecture of the Spanish period with strong French influence of the late 1800s. This can be combined with a visit to the Canal Administration Building to see the murals depicting the construction of the Canal by William B. Van Ingen of New York, an outstanding artist who had achieved considerable fame for his murals in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia.
5. Barro Colorado Island
This island is administered by the STRI (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) and is the largest island in Gatun Lake. BCI is the site of an internationally recognized biological research station. To get to the island, visitors board a boat in Gamboa. This tour takes an entire day.
6. Smithsonian Marine Exhibit in Naos
This open-air museum at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal offers exhibits on marine and coastal environments.
7. Biomuseo designed by Frank Ghery
The new Bio Museo, designed by Frank Gehry, cannot be missed as you reach the Amador causeway, with its bright colors and unique angular structure. The museum features galleries dealing with Panama’s ecosystems and biodiversity, both terrestrial and aquatic. The Bio Museo is planning to open in late 2013.
8. Canopy Adventure in El Valle de Antón
This is an exciting full-day trip across the Canal and into the Panamanian hinterlands to visit El Valle de Anton, site of the Canopy Adventure. For more information about this visit, click on Canopy Adventure.
9. Embera Drua indian Village
This full-day excursion takes you to an authentic indigenous settlement at the headwaters of the Chagres River.
10. Nature Exhibits at Gamboa Rainforest Resort
Half-day excursion for orchids and butterfly exhibits at a nearby resort.
Exhibits include:
* Orchid & plant nurseries
* Serpentarium
* Butterfly house
* Fresh water fish & reptiles ecology exhibit
11. Shopping in Panama City
Panamá City, literally the crossroads of the world, is rightfully renowned for its shopping. Enjoy browsing for French perfumes, Oriental table cloths, Italian jewelry and thousands of goods from all over the world at duty-free prices.
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