Our Best of Panama birding tour is a joy, as long travel days and arduous hikes are not necessary. We spend several days in the Canal Zone, allowing us an unrivalled opportunity to explore the rainforests of Soberanía National Park. These exquisite forest and wetland sites provide diverse birding, while mammal opportunities are excellent. Pipeline Road, Ammo Dump Ponds, Rainforest Discovery Centre, and the Parque Metropolitano Panama are among the most famous birding sites we will visit. The diversity and quality of birds and birding in the area very near to the Panamanian Capital makes this area perhaps the most convenient and fruitful birding anywhere in Latin America. Some 350 species can be found within a 30-mile radius of the city! We then head to the delightful hill country of El Valle de Antón where we explore cloudforest and a new range of mouth-watering Panama birding species!
Panamanian Tyrannulet, Veraguan Mango, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Blue Cotinga, Rosy Thrush-Tanager, Great & Little Tinamous, Keel-billed and Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Collared Aracari, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Purple-throated Fruitcrow, Spot-crowned Barbet, Black-eared Wood Quail, Fasciated, Russet & Black-crowned Antshrikes, Red-capped, White-ruffed, Lance-tailed, Blue-crowned & Golden-collared Manakins, Broad-billed and Rufous Motmots, White-whiskered & White-necked Puffbird, Spotted, Dusky, Bicolored, Ocellated & White-bellied Antbird, Black-faced Antthrush, Dot-winged, White-flanked, Slaty, Moustached & Checker-throated Antwrens, Red-lored & Northern Mealy Amazons, Blue-headed & Brown-hooded Parrots, Slaty-tailed, White-tailed Trogon, Black-bellied Wren, White-breasted Wood Wren, Crimson-crested and Lineated Woodpeckers, Scaled, Black-crowned and Streak-chested Antpittas, Bay-headed, Speckled and Black-and-yellow Tanagers, Green Shrike-Vireo, Black-chested Jay, Yellow-rumped Cacique, Southern Bentbill, White-winged Becard, Northern & Russet-winged Schiffornis, Northern Barred Woodcreeper, Speckled Mourner, Spot-crowned Antvireo, Black-and-white & Ornate Hawk-Eagles, Crested Owl, Barred Forest Falcon, Scarlet-thighed Dacnis, Spotted Barbtail, Black Guan, White Hawk, Red-faced Spinetail, Ochraceous Wren, White-vented Euphonia. Hummingbird fans: Rufous-crested Coquette, White-tipped Sicklebill, Band-tailed Barbthroat, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Thorntail, Violet-capped, Violet-headed & Snowy-bellied Hummingbirds, Green Hermit, White-tailed Emerald, Green-crowned Brilliant, Purple-throated Mountaingem, Snowcap (rare).
Mantled Howler Monkey, White-faced Capuchin, Ocelot, sloths
rainforest, cloudforest, marshes, rivers
mostly tropical conditions; warm and humid
8 with 1 Rockjumper leader & local birding leader
mostly relaxed pace with some longer hikes
comfortable hotels
moderate with some tricky species
280+
Panama Canal, pristine rainforest
good
Rich Lindie was an excellent guide and he really tried hard to find something interesting in the poor birding areas.
First let me just say that the tour was excellent, the birding sites were interesting, the pace was perfect, Rob and both local guides were amazing. Top marks.
Forrest is an outstanding guide. I often have trouble getting on a bird and he was very patient with me. He lived up to all the hype my friend told me. Looking forward to more trips with Rockjumper and especially with Forrest.
Forrest is truly a pleasure. His bird-finding skills, both by sight and ear, are phenomenal, but even more striking is his singular personality and people skills. Always enthusiastic. Not only would I travel with Forrest again, I preferentially would select a tour if he was guiding.
Eliecer Rodriguez was a wonderful guide. Of primary concern, he knew the birds--their vocalizations, their habits, their microhabitats--extremely well. He could imitate most of their vocalizations and knew how they would appoach, and could help folks with weaker skills "get on the bird". He showed patience with the participants, the birds, and the weather etc., was consistently cheerful and helped to maintain a positive mood in the group. The more difficult species seemed to be his specialty. For example, we saw 17 species of "antbirds" (thamnophilids), plus an antthrush and two antpittas and, the " mega" of the trip, two different Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoos, miles apart on two different days. Wow! He knew the other vertebrates well too. He didn't miss a beat.
Tour Leader: Alexander Alvarado
Tour price (Per person): USD4,295 * GBP3,537 * EUR4,066 * AUD6,730
Single Supplement: USD630 * GBP519 * EUR596 * AUD987
Tour Leader: Alexander Alvarado
Pricing notes : *Prices are estimated and dates may change*
Tour price (Per person): USD5,000 * GBP4,118 * EUR4,734 * AUD7,835
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