Itinerary
Canopy Tower's Birds and History
7-night All-Inclusive Tour
Day 1
Arrival, Orientation & Observation Deck
Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by our driver who will transfer you to the Canopy Tower, located at the top of Semaphore Hill in the rainforest of Soberanía National Park. A member of our staff will greet you as you arrive at the Tower, and you will be provided with an orientation on the use of the facilities. At this time we will answer any questions you may have. As your luggage is being ferried to your room, you may visit the dining/bar area and enjoy a refreshing drink. We highly recommend that you spend some time on the Observation Deck. The view from the platform is incredible! Here, you get a unique eye-level perspective of the rainforest canopy. Many birds, including Toucans, parrots, tanagers of various types, hawks, and dozens of others, as well as 2 species of sloths, monkeys and other mammals are commonly seen. From this vantage point you can also see ships traversing the Panama Canal, the majestic Centennial Bridge and miles of rainforest! You may also want to watch the hummingbird feeders at the base of the Tower for Long-billed Hermit, White-necked Jacobin, Violet-bellied & Blue-chested Hummingbirds and White-vented Plumeleteer. Occasionally, a Snowy-bellied Hummingbird is spotted! Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
Day 2
AM: Semaphore Hill Road
Your guide will be waiting for you at the Observation Deck for early morning birding. While you look for birds you can enjoy hot coffee, tea and orange juice. Some of the bird species that we are likely to see from the observation deck are Green & Red-legged Honeycreepers, Green Shrike-Vireo, Blue Cotinga , Scaled Pigeon, Mealy and Red-lored Parrots, Keel-billed & Collared Araçari, flycatchers and many others. After breakfast, at mid-morning, you’ll start exploring Soberanía National Park by taking a pleasant walk down the 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 & White-whiskered Puffbirds, Fasciated & Western Slaty Antshrikes, Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-headed & White-shouldered Tanagers, Black-throated Trogon, Broad-billed & Rufous Motmots are common, and Slate-colored Grosbeak, Bay-headed Tanager and Great Jacamar may be found. Great Tinamou is often heard, but harder to find. This road is also great for raptors. White, Tiny & Great Black Hawks have been seen, and during migration it's easy to see more than 10 species of warblers and migratory songbirds in one morning. Your morning bird list will be impressive, as you we ride back just in time to enjoy a delicious lunch.
PM: Miraflores Locks & Museum Exhibits
Panama is well known for the Canal, which is often referred to as one of the Eight Wonders of the Modern World. During this afternoon we’ll visit the Miraflores Locks, which is a short drive from the Tower. The Visitor Center features an ample, fully equipped theater, three observation terraces and four exhibition halls. The exhibits include historic pieces, video presentations, models of plants & animals encountered & fossils unearthed, models of the Panama Canal, and objects used in Canal operations.
•The History Hall portrays the background, technological innovations and sanitary initiatives that went hand in hand with the construction of the Canal. This exhibition hall honors the men and women who made this achievement possible.
•The Hall of Water: Source of Life emphasizes the importance of water, conservation of the environment, biodiversity and protection of the Canal Watershed.
•The Canal in Action depicts how the Canal operates and allows us the experience of being inside a navigation simulator at one of the lock culverts. A virtual ocean-to-ocean transit is also made possible through the use of a topographical model. This exhibition showcases Canal improvement, modernization and maintenance projects.
•The Canal in the World provides information on the importance of the Canal to world trade; describes the trade routes it serves; and identifies its main users, the various types of vessels that transit the waterway and the commodities they carry. In addition, it presents an overview of studies conducted in order to guarantee the future competitiveness of the Canal and the benefits to the Republic of Panamá. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
Day 3
Portobello & Historic Panamá Railroad FULL DAY
As we go out of the Soberanía National Park towards the Caribbean coast, we’ll make a quick stop at Las Cruces Trail, which was used by the Spanish conquistadors during colonial times for sending goods, such as gold and silver, from Peru to Panamá. Once in Portobello, you’ll visit several Spanish forts, the Custom House built in 1630 and its museum, which explains the famous "Triangle of Panama," the three different routes the Spaniards used to transport the gold & silver by ship to Spain. Also, you’ll stop at the Church of Portobello where you will hear the fascinating tale of the "Black Christ," the patron of the people of Portobello. Every October 21, Portobello relives a day of its glorious past in a celebration in honor of the Black Christ, with the city filled with people in a candlelight procession. You’ll enjoy a delicious Caribbean lunch at Restaurante Los Cañones. After lunch you depart to the Railroad Station in the City of Colon. In 1855 the Panamá Canal Railroad became the first transcontinental railroad and was built to accommodate the vast number of "49ers" heading to California during the Gold Rush of 1849. Additionally, the Canal would have been impossible to build without the railroad; also the railroad was instrumental in helping Panamá gain independence from Colombia. We embark on the historic Panamá Canal Railroad, and during our 47-mile, 1-hour return, we look for Snail Kites (often 10 or more!), Limpkins & others from our luxury, air-conditioned railway car. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 4
AM: Word Famous Pipeline Road
After breakfast you take the Birdmobile or the Rainfomobile, both open-air vehicles, that take you to Pipeline Road, the best place in Central Panamá to find forest birds, and one of the premier birding spots in the world! Eight species of wrens, 5 trogons, 4 puffbirds, 3 motmots, many antbirds and even more flycatchers and other birds have been recorded here, including the elusive Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo and the majestic Harpy Eagle! This morning we concentrate our efforts at the beginning of Pipeline, where secondary woods and brushy borders transition into mature forest, ideal for bird diversity! Greater Ani, Gray-necked Wood-Rail, Yellow-tailed Oriole, Masked Tityra, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Plain Wren, Streaked Flycatcher, Violaceous Trogon, Red-throated Ant-Tanager, Squirrel Cuckoo, Gray-headed Chachalaca, Southern Bentbill, Forest Elaenia, Panama Flycatcher, Blue Ground-Dove, Little Tinamou and many other birds have been recorded here. Army ant swarms are found frequently, attended by a flurry of birds including, Bi-colored, Ocellated & Spotted Antbirds. Plus, we will listen for manakins clacking at their leks, always a favorite of birders. Pipeline Road is also a great place for raptors. All three Forest-Falcons are heard if not seen, and Tiny Hawk, Plumbeous Hawk and Ornate Hawk-Eagle are occasionally seen. A Harpy Eagle was found once right beside the road!
PM: Summit Nature Park & Harpy Eagle Exhibit
Summit Nature Park-Panama is a center for recreation, education, conservation and investigation dedicated to reflect and enhance Panama’s tropical and cultural diversity. There is a small zoo where you can get a better look at King Vultures, Great Curassows and four species of macaws, as well as Jaguar, Spider Monkeys, and a host of other mammals. The botanical gardens are great for migratory warblers and other forest-edge species, including a colony of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, Yellow-margined Flycatcher, and even a Blue Cotinga has been found here! The Harpy Eagle is Panama's national bird, and this park is the site of the Harpy Eagle Exhibit, proudly sponsored by SONY Corp. You may view a video about this magnificent raptor. A life-size nest and several panels, which trace the importance of the Harpy Eagle in Panamanian history and culture dating back to Pre-Columbian times, are on display. There are also two Harpys in a gigantic aviary. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
Day 5
Historic City Tour FULL DAY
After breakfast you will depart for a tour of the major cultural & historical sights of Panamá City. You begin in the old city, Panamá La Vieja, founded in 1519 by Spain and later destroyed by the infamous pirate, Henry Morgan. You’ll visit the ruins and the museum, which contains exhibits of the pre-Hispanic and Colonial time. Afterward, you continue to the newly designated (2003) World Heritage Site, Casco Antiguo, which was originally built and settled in 1671 after the destruction of Panamá Viejo by Morgan. Casco Antiguo, also called San Felipe, was constructed as a walled city on a peninsula near Panamá City to protect its settlers against another siege such as that suffered in Panama Viejo. We also visit beautiful historical churches, the Heron's Palace (Palacio de las Garzas, the home of the President of Panamá), Plaza de Francia, Independence Plaza, National Theater and others. You’ll take some time to visit the Museo Interoceanico. This old building was once the Grand Hotel and later the French Canal headquarters. The museum gives you a good understanding why the isthmus is the center of world trade. It also explains the effect the isthmus and the canal have on Panamanian identity, as well as information on the construction of the Canal. Our lunch will be enjoyed at a restaurant on the Amador Peninsula, where a beautiful tree-lined causeway leads to hotels, fishing vessels and popular night spots. From the causeway, you can take in a view of both the old colonial city and the modern city of Panamá—with its impressive skyline as a backdrop! Your last stop will be the craft market located at the old YMCA building, at the head of the peninsula. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 6
AM: Panamá Rainforest Discovery Center
After breakfast we depart to the Panamá Rainforest Discovery Center, which is an ecotourism and environmental education facility created and administered by Fundacion Avifauna Eugene Eisenmann. It is located off Pipeline Road adjacent to Soberanía National Park. The center contains several attractions, the best of which is a 100-foot-tall observation tower, with 4 rest platforms—each stopping at a different layer of the rainforest. The view from the top is incredible! Here, we scan for hawks like the Semiplumbeous. Also, we explore the 1.1 kilometer circuit of well-maintained forest trails, one ending at a pond, which is excellent for birds! Snail Kite, Wattled Jacana, Little Blue Heron and Sungrebe are often resident at the pond, and along the trails we look for White-necked Puffbird, motmots, trogons, manakins, antbirds, wrens, tanagers, flycatchers and many others. The covered Visitor Center has several hummingbird feeders (attracting species that may be photographed easily), bathrooms, lunch tables and a small gift shop with drinks and snacks. Lunch at CANOPY TOWER.
PM: Plantation Trail
After lunch, we take a short ride to the bottom of Semaphore Hill to Plantation Trail, one of our premier birding areas. This easy trail passes through mature rainforest and follows a small creek (Rio Chico Masambi) and is a reliable place to find Golden-crowned Spadebills. Oftentimes at the parking area near the entrance, we find Black-chested Jays. Other birds to look for along the trail include Ocellated, Bicolored, Chestnut-backed, White-bellied & Spotted Antbirds; Broad-billed & Whooping Motmots, trogons, White-whiskered Puffbird, hummers (Blue-chested, White-necked Jacobin and others); Plain Brown, Northern Barred & Cocoa Woodcreepers; Cinnamon, Crimson-crested & Black-cheeked Woodpeckers; White-breasted Wood-Wren, Song Wren, Dot-winged, Checker-throated & White-flanked Antwrens; Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Bright-rumped Attila, Gray-headed Tanager, Long-billed Gnatwren, Western Slaty & Fasciated Antshrikes, Red-capped & Blue-crowned Manakins, Great Tinamou, Ruddy-tailed, Royal & Yellow-margined Flycatchers, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Scaly-throated Leaftosser and occasionally, a Great Jacamar or the endemic Yellow-green Tyrannulet! Dinner at CANOPY TOWER.
Day 7
AM: Jungle Boat Tour + Indian Village
After breakfast this morning at 7:30, we board a small boat for a spectacular tour on the Panama Canal. Most of the Canal is actually an artificial lake, Lake Gatun, and our tour will take you from Gamboa—just 15 minutes from the Canopy Tower—to the Atlantic side at Gatun Locks! Along the way you will pass huge cargo ships and ocean liners. You will also visit hidden caves and beautiful inlets with fascinating fauna and flora. We will pass by the world famous Barro Colorado Island, managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and, of course, we’ll stop at the “monkey island” for a closer look at White-faced Capuchins. On the way back we will visit a village where you’ll encounter the Embera Indians. This unique opportunity allows you to learn about their culture, their way of living and their knowledge of rainforest plants, a science known as ethnobotany. They’ll serve you a traditional Embera meal, hot fish and green plantain. You are also welcome to enjoy their variety of handcrafts. Lunch at CANOPY TOWER
PM: Old Gamboa Road & Summit Ponds
Old Gamboa Road and the associated ponds at Summit are great places to find Canal Zone birds of many types. At Summit Ponds we will scan for Green, Striated, Capped & Boat-billed Herons as well as Green, Ringed, Amazon, Green-and-rufous (rare) & American Pygmy Kingfishers, which are all resident here! Also we seek out Rusty-margined & Streaked Flycatchers, Mangrove Swallow, Bat Falcon, Cocoa Woodcreeper and Lineated Woodpecker. Going straight past the two ponds you'll be on Old Gamboa Road, one of the birdiest spots around. This road passes through a variety of habitats and has plenty of specialties, including Blue Ground-Dove, Great Antshrike, Jet Antbird, Black-tailed, Bran-colored & Royal Flycatchers, Lance-tailed & Golden-collared Manakins and the delightful Rosy Thrush-Tanager! We also search for White-bellied Antbird, Yellow-bellied Elaenia, Yellow-backed Oriole, Boat-billed & Fork-tailed Flycatchers, Yellow-headed Caracara and more. Also resident are Gray-headed Chachalaca, with Spectacled Owl a real possibility, too, as the guides know where they often roost. Dinner at CANOPY TOWER
Day 8
Breakfast & Good-byes
After breakfast and after one last look from the Observation deck for lasting memories, we take you to the airport for your international flight home.
