The Darién Province in eastern Panama has long been regarded as one of the most diverse and species-rich regions in the Americas playing host to both Central American birds as well as South American species at the northern limit of their range. Renowned for rare and endemics species and nesting Harpy Eagles, access to this area has been limited. In 2013, with a new road and the fantastic Canopy Camp, birders can enjoy the avian specialties of this rich area in comfort.

Built in a shaded clearing adjacent to the tall forests of La Reserva Natural Filo del Tallo, the Canopy Camp incorporates the custom of Panama’s Canopy Family offering the combination of comfortable accommodation, superb food and hospitality, and fabulous birding. The “camp” features permanent, well appointed, safari-type tents on raised metal platforms with wood decking and private baths positioned right on the doorstep of fabulous avian offerings of the Darién lowlands including 25 species restricted to eastern Panama. The habitats here house so many species and emphasis will be given to indigenous birds special to the Darién lowlands.

Some of the birds possible to see at the Camp and in the surrounding areas include Golden-collared Manakin, Barred Puffbird, Black Antshrike, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Spectacled Parrotlet, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Beautiful Treerunner, Green-naped Tanager; Sooty-headed Wren, White-headed Wren, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Red-throated Caracara, Blue-and-yellow Macaw, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Double-banded Graytail, Viridian Dacnis, Black Oropendola, and the stunning Orange-crowned Oriole to name a few. Our itinerary will feature an excursion to look for the magnificent Harpy Eagle (details below).

CANOPY CAMP & ACCOMMODATIONS:
The unique Canopy Camp features luxury African safari-style tents including two Tent Suites and several Standard tents. Inside, the tents have a wood floor and screened windows with zip openings so they can close partially or completely. All of the tents have private bathroom facilities including shower, sink, and flush toilet. Both Tent Suites, one of which has a queen bed while the other has two twin beds, have more space than a standard tent. The Camp’s central building has a dining room, kitchen, and library (with a charging station for batteries, laptops, cameras, etc.), and a terrace overlooking the forest. Energy is provided by solar panels plus propane in the kitchen.

Visiting Darién is truly an adventure, so expect the unexpected and be prepared for excitement around every corner! Top local guides know well how to find the regional specialties that live here. The itinerary, therefore, is very flexible to our targets and current conditions. For sure, this will be a memorable trip with many birds and a unique experience in the wilderness of Darién!

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ITINERARY:
Please note that the itinerary is flexible and may change without prior notice due to weather, alterations in habitat, birds, or other conditions.

Day 1: October 24, 2026 – Arrival in Panama City
Plan to arrive in Panama City (Airport code: PTY) today and take the hotel shuttle to the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel. Those arriving in time can meet for dinner at the hotel.

Days 2, 3, 4, 5: October 25, 26, 27, 28, 2026 – Canopy Camp & surroundings
Frank Nicoletti and your local guide will meet you bright and early (after breakfast) at the hotel to head to the Canopy Camp, where you will stay for the following 4 nights. This is an all-inclusive tour with an active itinerary—daily morning and afternoon guided birding trips are included for the full duration of your Panama wildlife tour. Meals included from breakfast. These days will feature birding in a variety of habitats in and around the Canopy Camp. Descriptions of the areas that may be visited are below. Your local guides will brief you on each day’s plan. One day will be devoted to a search for the Harpy Eagle.

Day 6: October 29, 2026: Transfer to Canopy Tower to begin main Panama tour

In addition to the Harpy Eagle excursion, there are a variety of birding areas you may visit during your Canopy Camp Darién tour:

Bayano Lake Area & Torti Area
As we drive along the Pan-American Highway, we will scan for roadside birds and open-field raptors including Savanna Hawk and Crested Caracara. At the bridge at Bayano Lake, a great opportunity awaits to see what we can see along the lakeside. This reservoir supports great numbers of water birds, including a large colony of Neotropic Cormorants, as well as Anhinga, Cocoi Heron and the rare Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. We will scan the water’s edge for Purple Gallinule, Pied Water-Tyrant, Smooth-billed Ani and Ruddy-breasted Seedeater. A short trail leading from the water’s edge is a great place to search for Black Antshrike, Bare-crowned Antbird, Rufous-winged Antwren and Golden-collared Manakin. Just 10 minutes down the road at Río Mono Bridge, the surrounding forest is home to One-colored Becard, Black-headed Tody-Flycatcher, Blue Cotinga, Pied Puffbird, Orange-crowned Oriole, Blue Ground Dove and more. We will also scan the river below for Green-and-rufous Kingfisher and the elusive Fasciated Tiger-Heron. The forest edge and scrubby roadsides around Rio Torti offer good opportunities to see Pacific Antwren, Double-banded Graytail and Little Cuckoo. At a lovely Panamanian restaurant in Torti, the hummingbirds at the feeders will no doubt capture our attention, as Long-billed Starthroat, Sapphire-throated Hummingbird, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Black-throated Mango and more take their lunch as well; great hummingbird photo opportunities abound throughout this Panama wildlife tour!

Canopy Camp Grounds & Nando’s Trail
Yellow-throated and Keel-billed Toucans call from the towering Cuipo trees; Red-lored and Mealy Parrots fly overhead; White-bellied Antbird, Bright-rumped Attila, White-headed Wren and Golden-headed Manakin sing from the surrounding forests; while Pale-bellied Hermit and Sapphire-throated Hummingbird visit the flowers around camp. Rufous-tailed Jacamar and Barred Puffbird are also seen frequently around the grounds. We will work our way into the forest on “Nando’s Trail,” in hopes of finding Tiny Hawk, Black Antshrike, Great Antshrike, Olive-backed Quail-Dove, Cinnamon Becard, Black-tailed Trogon, Double-banded Graytail, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Royal Flycatcher and Russet-winged Schiffornis. We will also be looking for groups of Red-throated Caracara, King Vulture and Short-tailed Hawk overhead in the clearings. Ornate Hawk-Eagle, Plumbeous and Zone-tailed hawks are also possible.

In the open areas, the verbenas are full of hummingbird and butterfly activity, where we hope to see Violet-bellied Hummingbird, Pale-bellied Hermit, Long-billed Starthroat, Blue-throated Goldentail and if lucky, the stunning Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird feeding here. Spot-crowned Barbet, Olivaceous Piculet, White-headed Wren, Red-rumped Woodpecker and Streak-headed Woodcreeper are other birds we may encounter. If desired, we can hike up the slope to stand in the shadows of two giant Cuipo trees. There will be an opportunity during the week to explore the grounds of the Canopy Camp at night in search of nocturnal birds and mammals, including Black-and-white and Mottled Owls, Great and Common Potoos, Kinkajous, Central American Woolly Opossum and more!

Birding the Pan-American Highway
We will head southeast and bird the forests and swampy meadows along the road toward Yaviza, at the end of the Pan-American Highway! Black-billed Flycatcher, Sooty-headed Tyrannulet, Jet Antbird, Black Oropendola, Pied Water-Tyrant, Bicolored and Black-collared Hawks, Pearl and White-tailed Kites, Limpkin, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Yellow-hooded Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobius and Red-breasted Meadowlark can all be found as we head further into Darién.

El Salto Road
El Salto Road extends 6 km north from the Pan-American Highway and ends at the mighty Río Chucunaque. This open road and surrounding dry forest is a great place to search for regional specialties including Golden-green Woodpecker, Double-banded Graytail, Blue-and-yellow and Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Black and Crested Oropendolas, Blue Cotinga, White-eared Conebill, Black-breasted Puffbird, Orange-crowned Oriole and the majestic King Vulture. A trail at the end of the road will take us into low-canopy forest, where we hope to find Bare-crowned Antbird, Pale-bellied Hermit, Olivaceous Piculet, Streak-headed Woodcreeper and Forest Elaenia.

Tierra Nueva Foundation
Adjacent to El Salto Road is the property of the Tierra Nueva Foundation. Fundación Tierra Nueva is a non-profit organization whose main mission is “working towards the sustainable development of people of the Darién Rainforest.” The property is the home of a technical school focusing on applications in agriculture. We will explore the trails of this large, forested property, in hopes of finding Streak-headed Woodcreeper, Yellow-breasted and Black-billed Flycatchers, Red-rumped Woodpecker, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Cinnamon, Cinereous and One-colored Becards, White-eared Conebill, White-headed Wren and the magnificent Great Curassow. We will also search for the eastern race of the Chestnut-backed Antbird, which shows white spots on the wings.

Las Lagunas Road (Aguas Calientes) & Aruza Lagoons
This road extends 12 km south off the Pan-American Highway through open farmland, dry scrub and roadside habitat. The road eventually crosses a stream and ends at some small ponds. Along the roadsides, we hope to find Red-breasted Meadowlark, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, White-headed Wren, Smooth-billed and Greater Anis, Muscovy Duck, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Southern Lapwing, Blue-headed Parrot, Striped Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Hummingbird, Ringed and Amazon Kingfishers, Buff-breasted Wren, Bananaquit, Giant and Shiny Cowbirds, Crested Oropendola, and Laughing and Aplomado Falcons. If we’re lucky, we may get a glimpse of a Chestnut-fronted Macaw or a shy Little Cuckoo, both having been seen along this road. At the lagoons, we hope to find Pied Water-Tyrant, Capped Heron, the beautiful Yellow-hooded Blackbird and the extraordinary Black-capped Donacobius—this is great habitat for all these wonderful species.

Quebrada Felix
Quebrada Felix is nestled in the base of the Filo del Tallo Hydrological Reserve, and is just a short drive from the Canopy Camp. Surrounded by tall trees and mature lowland forest, we will walk the rocky stream in search of some of Panama’s most wanted species, including Black-crowned Antpitta, Scaly-throated Leaftosser, Speckled Mourner, Ocellated Antbird, Rufous-winged and Moustached Antwrens, White-fronted Nunbird, Wedge-billed Woodcreeper, Royal Flycatcher and the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker. It is also a great spot to find Fasciated Tiger-Heron, Green-and-rufous Kingfisher, Bicolored Antbird, Golden-crowned Spadebill, Double-banded Graytail and much more. Crested and Solitary Eagles have even been spotted here, a great testament to the mature forest of the area. Quebrada Felix is becoming a favorite spot among our guides and recent visitors!

Lajas Blancas
On this Panama wildlife tour, we eagerly explore the open areas and mixed forests of the area of Lajas Blancas. Lajas Blancas is the closest Embera community to the Canopy Camp, a large town with a population of over 1000 residents. Just 15 minutes away, the area around the community boasts great birding and the opportunity to find many Darién specialties! After turning off the Pan-American Highway, we drive through pasture and open farmland—a great place to see One-colored Becard, Great Potoo, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Yellow-crowned Tyrannulet, Yellow-breasted Flycatcher, Black Antshrike and Black Oropendola. During the dry season, a bridge across the Chucunaque River provides us easy access to some mature secondary forest where Double-banded Graytail, Rufous-tailed Jacamar, White-winged and Cinnamon Becards, Cinnamon and Golden-green Woodpeckers, manakins and others can be found. Beyond the community, the road continues and there is much more forest, including primary forest at its far reaches, waiting to be explored on your Panama wildlife tour.

Aligandi
Aligandi is a huge area with unique scrub forest and much to be explored. We head out from the Camp toward the end of the Pan-American Highway, taking a turn prior to reaching Yaviza. Along the roadsides here, we scan for Red-breasted Meadowlark, Striped Cuckoo, Ruddy-breasted Seedeater, Thick-billed Seed-Finch, American Kestrel and other open area birds. A Great Green Macaw nest is tucked up in the canopy of a huge Cuipo tree, visible from the road, and if lucky, an adult or a chick may be seen poking its head out of the cavity. At Finca Doncella, we continue on foot along the road through the scrub forest, seeking out Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Bat Falcon, Giant Cowbird, Orange-crowned Oriole, Red-billed Scythebill, White-eared Conebill and mixed feeding flocks. It is possible to see macaws flying over as we further explore the area on this Panama wildlife tour.

Again, please note that the itinerary is flexible, and may change without prior notice due to weather, alterations in habitat, road or other conditions.