Wild Panama: Rainforest, Birding & the Quetzal

Today you begin your immersion in Panama's biodiversity beside the great canal. You visit the Miraflores Locks to stand beside the mighty Panama Canal, watching giant ships pass between the oceans and learning how the rising isthmus shaped world trade, and the striking Biomuseo by Frank Gehry, which tells the epic story of how the emergence of the land bridge changed the world's oceans, climate and life, and Panama's astonishing biodiversity. You may walk a trail in the Metropolitan Natural Park or the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center right at the city's edge, spotting monkeys, sloths, toucans and countless birds in tropical forest within sight of the skyscrapers. The wildlife amid the city is remarkable. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, savour Panamanian cuisine. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to the rainforests of Gamboa.

Today you journey into the rainforest of the canal zone. You transfer a short way to Gamboa, at the edge of Soberania National Park, and settle into your rainforest lodge amid the trees beside the Chagres River and the canal. With an expert guide you explore the world-famous Pipeline Road, one of the greatest birding sites on the planet, walking the quiet forest track through pristine lowland rainforest alive with trogons, motmots, antbirds, woodcreepers, flashing tanagers and the roar of howler monkeys, and marvelling at the sheer abundance of tropical birdlife. Toucans, parrots and raptors pass overhead. The richness and thrill are extraordinary. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, surrounded by the sounds of the forest. This evening, enjoy dinner at the lodge and a night alive with frogs and insects. Rest well amid the rainforest, for tomorrow you cruise Gatun Lake and explore the canopy.

Today you explore the wildlife of the lake and the forest canopy from Gamboa. In the morning you take a boat safari across vast Gatun Lake, cruising among rainforest islands to watch troops of howler, capuchin and squirrel monkeys in the trees, sloths dozing in the branches, crocodiles basking on the banks, and a wealth of birds, with great ships passing in the distance. Later you ride an aerial tram or climb an observation tower high into the treetops, coming eye to eye with canopy birds and enjoying sweeping views over the forest and canal, and may visit a wildlife rescue centre or travel by dugout canoe to meet an Embera community. The abundance and immersion are wonderful. As the day ends, you return to your lodge. This evening, savour the rainforest night. Rest well, for tomorrow you fly to the cloud forests of the highlands.

Today you journey from lowland rainforest to highland cloud forest. You transfer to the airport for a short, scenic domestic flight west to David, then drive up into the cool green Chiriqui highlands to Boquete, set amid misty peaks, coffee slopes and cloud forest beneath Volcan Baru, Panama's highest peak. The fresh mountain air and different world of highland wildlife are a wonderful contrast to the steamy lowlands. You settle into your highland lodge and, in the afternoon, take a first gentle walk with your guide amid gardens and forest edge alive with jewel-like hummingbirds and colourful tanagers, or simply savour the cool air and mountain views. As the day ends, you savour the beauty and birdsong of the highlands. This evening, enjoy fine local cuisine and world-class Panamanian coffee. Rest well amid the misty mountains, for tomorrow you seek the resplendent quetzal in the cloud forest.

Today you seek the magnificent resplendent quetzal in the cloud forest. You set out early with an expert birding guide into the misty cloud forest on the slopes of Volcan Baru, among the best places on earth to see the quetzal, walking quiet trails such as the famous Quetzal Trail and watching for the shimmering emerald and crimson bird feeding on wild avocados amid the mossy, orchid-hung trees. You marvel too at jewel-like hummingbirds at close range, colourful tanagers, and highland specialities like the collared trogon and flame-throated warbler. The beauty and birdlife are magical. As the day ends, you return to your lodge, thrilled by the cloud forest. This evening, savour highland cuisine and coffee, reflecting on the birds you have seen. Rest well amid the mountains, for tomorrow you explore more of the highlands' rich wildlife.

Today you explore more of the rich wildlife of the highlands. You visit a private cloud forest reserve or continue birding on trails around Volcan Baru and the Chiriqui highlands, watching for more quetzals, a dazzling array of hummingbirds at feeders, motmots, toucanets, and the many highland birds of this biodiverse region, perhaps walking hanging bridges through the canopy. You may tour a world-class coffee farm, learning how the prized Geisha beans are grown amid this bird-rich landscape and tasting coffee at its source, and take in beautiful waterfalls and mountain views. The birdlife, beauty and coffee are wonderful. As the day ends, you return to your lodge. This evening, savour a final highland dinner and coffee, reflecting on the extraordinary wildlife of Panama you have encountered. Rest well amid the mountains, for tomorrow you return towards Panama City and home.

This morning you savour a final breakfast and birdsong in the highlands before driving down to David for a short, scenic domestic flight back to Panama City, connecting with your onward international departure (or enjoying a final few hours in the capital). You leave having immersed yourself in the extraordinary biodiversity of Panama, the world-famous Pipeline Road and its birds, the monkeys, sloths and crocodiles of Gatun Lake, the rainforest canopy and Embera community of Gamboa, and the magnificent resplendent quetzal and hummingbirds of the cloud forest. The images stay vivid long after you land, the flashing tanagers of the Pipeline Road, the monkeys in the lakeside trees, the shimmering quetzal in the mist, and the jewel-like hummingbirds at close range. Panama offers extraordinary wildlife and biodiversity in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to the wild rainforests and cloud forests of the isthmus.