Panama is best known for its canal and its hats, but few people realise that there is lush rainforest with breeding Jaguars only 15 minutes drive from the capital. The country now has a stable government and is following its neighbour Costa Rica in embracing the concepts of eco-tourism. Panama is an S-shaped isthmus that joins South America to Central America and this has provided a passageway for the movement of birds and animals in both directions. Bird families typical of the Neotropics, such as the tinamous, jacamars, woodcreepers, antbirds and manakins moved into Central America, while the owls, swallows, wrens and thrushes spread in the other direction. As a result of this Panama now possesses the greatest species diversity of any of the Central American countries.
Next tour
PANAMA - Canal Zone & Chiriqui Highlands with Darien Pre-tour Extension.
Dates: 17 – 26 April 2009 (Darien Extension 12 – 17 April 2009)
We’ll begin our exploration of central Panama in the Canal Zone in Soberania National Park and the famous Pipeline Road. We’ll walk the wide road through pristine rainforest with vehicle support, hoping to find ant swarms with their attendant antbirds and roving flocks of understory species – classic Neotropical birding. We’ll add variety to our itinerary by calling in at some ponds for water-associated species before birding some subtly drier forest allowing us to become acquainted with a slightly different suite of birds.
The Chiriqui Highlands present us with a an opportunity to view cloud forests with Resplendent Quetzals, Three-wattled Bellbirds and a variety of montane hummingbirds and tanagers.
General Information: While Panama is known mostly for its famous canal, the country's natural attractions offer an irresistible lure to far-sighted travelers. This oft-overlooked country offers some of the finest birding, snorkeling and hiking in the Americas.
Panama's charms include its stunning coastline of palm-fringed beaches, its astounding wildlife - boasting an incredible diversity of tropical birds - and its proud, vibrant indigenous peoples, such as the Kuna. While in Panama, you'll find it hard to shake the inescapable feeling that you're in on a secret the rest of the traveling world has yet to discover.
(text from the lonely planet guide)
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2007 report - Read the tour report here
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