Fall at Panama's Canopy Tower

Straddling the Continental Divide, the foothills of Panama harbor a unique avifauna that includes both lowland and highland species, as well as birds of both the Pacific and Caribbean slopes. Our tour, designed to pick up where traditional Canal Zone tours leave off, offers some of Central America’s most exciting birding, set amidst beautiful middle-elevation forest and in a refreshingly moderate climate.

This tour will be based in the very comfortable Canopy Lodge at El Valle, sister property to the famed Canopy Tower. Nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano, and surrounded by jagged ridges and hills, our lodge enjoys a magnificent scenic backdrop and ready access to lush forests that are alive with colorful hummingbirds and tanagers. Among the many species that we will be searching for are such gems as Spectacled Owl; Rufous-crested Coquette (rare); Snowcap; White-tipped Sicklebill (rare); Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer; Violet-headed Hummingbird; Veraguan Mango (endemic); Orange-bellied Trogon; Northern Emerald (Blue-throated) Toucanet; Tody Motmot; Spotted Woodcreeper; Dull-mantled Antbird; Tufted Flycatcher; Lance-tailed Manakin; Ochraceous Wren; Silver-throated, Dusky-faced, Tawny-crested, Black-and-yellow and Bay-headed tanagers; Common Chlorospingus; Scarlet-thighed Dacnis; the very rare Blue Seedeater; and the nearly mythical Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo.

Experience the incredible bird diversity of Central Panama from one of the world’s most unique ecolodges—the Canopy Tower. Perched above Soberania National Park, this former U.S. radar station offers a bird’s-eye view of lush rainforest canopy alive with color and sound. Each morning begins with the calls of toucans, motmots, and manakins, and the chance to spot dazzling Blue Cotinga and Green Shrike-Vireo right from the observation deck.

Nearby lie some of the most famous birding sites in the Neotropics. On world-renowned Pipeline Road, we’ll explore primary and secondary forests alive with puffbirds, trogons, antbirds, and tanagers. The Panama Rainforest Discovery Center and its canopy tower provide an unparalleled perspective on forest life, while the foothills of Cerro Azul reveal an array of hummingbirds, toucanets, and colorful tanagers. Throughout, hawk migration adds another spectacle—thousands of Broad-winged and Swainson’s hawks and Turkey Vultures streaming southward across the sky.

From the lively wetlands of Gamboa to the drier forests of Metropolitan Natural Park, each day offers new species and unforgettable moments. With excellent accommodations, tropical wildlife encounters, and easy access to an astounding variety of habitats, this classic VENT tour offers the perfect introduction to Neotropical birding.