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Panama
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© Jamie McMillan/Nature Portfolio  Watching birds from the Canopy Tower roof at sunrise |
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Teu-teu-teu ... a Greenshank? Not up here, high above the rainforest of Panama's Canal Zone! That was a Green Shrike-vireo calling, and we can see it now - down there in the treetops: leaf-green body, yellow throat, blue nape, the lot. There is much more to follow. From the valley below, a noisy party of Keel-billed Toucans call. We train our 'scopes on them and, suddenly, a startling flash of electric blue blasts into sight - a Blue Cotinga, one of the very loveliest of this spectacular Neotropical family! The views of such notoriously hard-to-see canopy dwellers are incredible, yet typical of the many delights that await as we settle in for a week of exhilarating forest birding at Panama's unique Canopy Tower.
Located within an hour or so of Panama City, the Canopy Tower stands proud amid Panama's bird-rich forests. From our perch aloft the roof-top gallery of this remarkable transformation of what was formerly a US radar tower, the views are almost as spectacular as the birding. With views overlooking the famous Panama Canal (which we will later visit), we can gaze out across the narrow isthmus that is Panama, to Panama City and the Pacific Ocean to the south, and Lake Gatun, one lock away from the Caribbean, to the north. Spread out beneath us lies the bountiful rainforest of Soberania National Park, a veritable melting pot of myriad birds from North, Central and South America. |
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© Jamie McMillan/Nature Portfolio  Walking a forest trail near the Canopy Tower |
One could easily spend all of each and every day captivated by the rooftop birding here, or enchanted by the well-maintained hummingbird feeders below. But the forest beckons. Howler Monkeys roar their treetop challenges, and just one nearby trail - the famed 'Pipeline Road' - has already had more than 400 species recorded along its 18-km length! Here, swarms of Army ants attract a frenetic following of woodcreepers and motmots, antbirds, antthrushes and ant-tanagers, while fruiting trees draw the likes of Black-faced Trogon and Purple-throated Fruit Crow. |
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These are but a few of the delights to look forward to during our stay at this top-drawer example of everything an eco-lodge should be. Though we shall generally begin our days early, don't let the prospect of dawn starts (optional) put you off: July is in Panama's 'Green Season', when mid-day rains make siestas after lunch a good idea, and so we shall often take a break before resuming our birding again later in the afternoon. And with first-rate hospitality and cuisine to boot - recipes for dinner come direct from the owner's sister, a TV celebrity chef in Panama - a wonderful week's holiday is in store.
Itinerary Day 1 We fly from London to Panama City and transfer one hour by road to the Canopy Tower, our base throughout the holiday. Hospitality and food are exceptional! Overnight Canopy Tower Days 2 - 7 Our first full day will start with a dawn watch across the tree-tops from the upper level of the tower. Poking up through the verdant crown of the forest, the roof-top gallery gives a rare perspective on activity in the very tops of the trees, and it's here we are likely to enjoy our best views of such delights as Red-lored Parrot, Violaceous Trogon, Green Shrike Vireo and the exquisite Blue Cotinga. The noise and activity as the first rays of the sun flood the forest is an experience that's impossible to convey - but one definitely not to be missed! |
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| Lured away by breakfast - another of this tour's many eagerly anticipated highlights! - our thoughts turn to sampling other of Panama's delights. As the forest's raptors lift from the trees and begin to soar, we'll pause to enjoy the frenzy of activity around the hummingbird feeders before heading out into the forest - perhaps on foot, for a stroll down Semaphore Hill (on which our lodgings are perched), in search of manakins, motmots, puffbirds and the mixed species flocks that encapsulate rainforest birding. Or maybe by bus, on one of a series of excursions that will take us from the Pipeline Road on Panama's Caribbean slope, to the equally-productive (but rather different birdlife) of Metropolitan Nature Park on the country's Pacific slope. | © Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio  Basilisk Lizard |
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Sunbittern, Ornate Hawk-eagle, comical Chestnut-mandibled Toucans, Black-breasted Puffbird, the huge Lineated and attractive Cinnamon Woodpeckers, Black-striped and Long-tailed Woodcreepers, Ocellated and Spotted Antbirds, Red-capped and Blue-crowned Manakins, Royal Flycatcher, Black-capped Pygmy-tyrant and Crimson-backed Tanager are among a feast of birds that await. Indeed, the species list for the Pipeline Road alone rivals that for the whole of Europe!
Mantled Howler Monkeys, Agouti and troops of Coatimundi provide diurnal mammal interest, while the dappled forest sunshine entices brilliant Blue Morpho butterflies and huge 'Helicopter Damselflies' to flit along the trails. We shall doubtless find it impossible to resist making a couple of nocturnal excursions during our stay, too. Passing the daylight hours in the guise of an avian 'tree-stump', the bizarre Great Potoo inhabits the forests on Semaphore Hill, where owls to tempt us include the handsome Black-and-white. If we are lucky, we might see some of Panama's more elusive canopy-dwelling mammals, too such as Three-toed Sloth, Night Monkey or Kinkajou. Six nights Canopy Tower |
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© Jamie McMillan/Nature Portfolio  The Canopy Tower: our base for the whole week |
Days 8 - 9 If flight times permit, we'll enjoy some final birding at the Canopy Tower before bidding farewell to the 'high life'. A short drive brings us to Panama City, where we catch our flight, with arrival back in London on Day 9. Accommodation is in comfortable en suite rooms at the famous Canopy Tower. Limited single room availability. Meals: All included; good food is a highlight. Walking: Easy walks on forest trails interspersed with periods of birding from the Tower roof. Be prepared for early starts in line with tropical forest birding everywhere. Transport is by coach/minibus. |
| Leaders: Steve Madge & local guide | |
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Numbers : Max. 12 clients Price: £ 1,995 Single supp.* £ 275 Deposit : £ 300 per person. The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of scheduled return flights London-Panama, with meals on-board as appropriate, all accommodation, meals, surface transport, entry fees, tips to local guide, airport taxes, bird checklist & services of the leader/s. The price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses. This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays. |
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