Day 1
Arrival To Panama

Upon arrival to Panama you will be met in the Tocumen International airport by a bilingual, interpretive, and birding expert and escorted to your accommodations.  From your lodging, guests can wander the tree-lined streets of this former Canal Zone neighborhood.  Frequent evening and morning visitors to this area include a variety of tanagers, toucans, thrushes, flycatchers, and more.  This evening we will host a “Get Acquainted” event with cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and a tour briefing.

Day 2
Chiriqui Highlands: Volcan and Cerro Punta

This morning we take the early morning flight to David and the Chiriqui Highlands located in western Panama.  Upon arrival, we’ll set out for Laguna de Volcan where we’ll be looking for the Red-rumped Woodpecker, Chiriqui Yellowthroat,

Next, we’ll move to Finca Hartman.  The owners of this old farm, concerned about disappearing habitat, are allowing the majority of the land to revert back to forest.  The area still used for farming is dedicated to shade-grown coffee under towering remnant rainforest trees, with some land still covered by highland cloud forest. Access roads ranging in elevation from 400-6000 ft provide a good altitudinal gradient for birding. Christmas bird counts on the finca yield nearly 200 species and over 280 species have been recorded in total, including Turquoise Cotinga, Elegant Euphonia,

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 3
Parque International La Amistad (PILA) and Los Quetzales

Parque International La Amistad (PILA) lies along the Talamanca mountain range was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990 due to the great importance it has for the preservation of biodiversity in Panama and the American continent.  The park’s plant and animal life is some of the most diverse in Panama.  Among the nearly 600 types of birds identified in the area are such spectacular species as the Resplendent Quetzal, the Three-wattled Bellbird, and the rarely seen Bare-necked Umbrella Bird. 

Exploring the area around Los Quetzales Inn, where we will be staying, is perhaps the best place to find Resplendent Quetzal. Many other highland specialties can also be found, including Black Guan, Prong-billed and Red-headed Barbets, Buffy Tuftedcheek, White-fronted Tyrannulet, Tufted Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Black-faced Solitaire, Flame-throated Warbler, Collared Redstart, Sooty-capped Bush-Tanager, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Yellow-thighed Finch, and Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch.

 Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 4
Panama City

Today we head back to Panama City but not before stopping at Macho de Monte to look for some of the lower elevation species as the River-side Wren, Bay-headed Tanager, Fulvous-vented Euphonia, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, and Crested Oropendola.

Meals Included: B, L, D

Day 5
Panama Departure

Today we’ll say “hasta luego” to this enchanting country and return home, where you’ll be eager to share your incredible Panama birding experiences and your newly expanded life list!

Meals Included: B

Each departure itinerary may vary slightly. Although the day in which a stop is listed may differ, you will enjoy the same experiences listed here.