Panama: The Land Between the Seas

February 27 - March 7, 2012 and March 11-21, 2012 (both sold out)

Feb-March, 2013 dates TBA

Panama has been blessed with three of the most important ingredients for high biodiversity – location, location, and location.  In addition to being a physical and ecological link between North and South America, it is biogeographically rich with cool mountains, dry forest, lowland rainforest, mangroves, beaches, and an abundance of rivers and streams, all of which contribute to a tremendous diversity of flora and fauna.

From the spoiled comfort of some of Panama’s finest accommodations – Gamboa Rainforest Resort and the Canopy Lodge – we’ll explore some of these habitats and their rich wildlife.  We’ll also do a tour of the canal, make a visit to the amazing Metropolitan Nature Park, enjoy a night safari drive and a boat trip along the canal and the Chagres River, and marvel at the wildlife just outside our doors.

While at Gamboa, we'll visit the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center and it's 100-foot tall canopy tower where we'll look for blue cotinga, green shrike-vireo, raptors, parrots and more. Along two of the areas most well known birding areas, Pipeline Rd. and Old Gamboa Rd., we'll have chances to see many antbirds (ocellated, bicolored, spotted, and jet), wrens (rufous-and-white, buff-breasted, black-bellied, and bay), lance-tailed manakin, cinnamon woodpecker, white-whiskered and black-breasted puffbirds, slaty-tailed trogon, white-vented plumeleteer, purple-throated fruitcrow, and many more.

At the Canopy Lodge in El Valle de Anton, the higher and cooler habitats are home to orange-bellied trogon, black-chested jay, dusky-faced tanager, black guan, tawny-capped euphonia, rufous motmot, white-bellied antbird, and emerald toucanet.

While seeing and learning about some of Panama’s 970+ species of birds – including toucans, woodcreepers, tanagers, antbirds, hummingbirds, trogons, manakins, raptors, waders, and more – we’ll likely encounter several mammals, reptiles and amphibians, dazzling butterflies, and other tropical treats.

Detailed itinerary and references available upon request.

 Ocellated antbird and Hoffman's two-toed sloth by Misty Vaughn

Last updated: February 17, 2012.