Panama's Gamboa Rainforest Resort: A Relaxed & Easy Tour : Oct 29—Nov 05, 2009

Superb tropical birding, beautiful surroundings, and excellent accommodations are the highlights of a week in the heart of Central Panama.

Central Panama is one of the premier birding destinations in the Neotropics, renowned for its outstanding tropical forest habitats, superb birding, and high quality accommodations and cuisine.

The area around the Canal Zone has garnered much attention for the development of first-rate facilities from which to base a birding tour. One such place is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Situated on the periphery of Chagres National Park, Gamboa is an immaculate facility sitting near the banks of the Chagres River. The focus of this Relaxed and Easy tour is similar to that of our Canopy Tower tours in terms of the birds we see and the places we visit, but the pace of this tour will be less intense. We will spend our time finding, identifying, and learning about the wonderful tropical birds that characterize the region.

The hotel grounds offer limitless possibilities for exploration, and the nearby forest and river provide equally marvelous settings for finding a remarkable collection of trogons, toucans, motmots, kingfishers, hummingbirds, manakins, and tanagers.

While the area around Gamboa provides great entertainment, a whole world of birding awaits discovery in other nearby locations. The Canal Zone is home to several important wetlands where such gems as Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Wattled Jacana, American Pygmy Kingfisher, and Greater Ani are found. Nearby Summit Gardens offers open country and edge birding where Blue Cotinga and Yellow-backed Oriole are occasionally found, and famous Pipeline Road takes us into a wild corner of Soberania National Park, offering opportunities for deep forest birding. The scope of this trip, however, provides a broad cross section of Central Panama, and on at least one day we will venture further afield. Above Panama City, the cool highlands of Cerro Azul serve as a welcome contrast from the warmer lowlands. An entire morning walking trails and watching feeders around a private house promises many highlights, including glittering hummingbirds and tanagers, under truly relaxing conditions.

While ideal for those new to the Neotropics, Panama also offers plenty of challenges and local specialties for those who have birded elsewhere in the region.

Good to excellent accommodations and cuisine; all nights at a single location; easy walking and birding on roads and wide forest trails; warm and humid climate; rain possible.