The birds of Panama at the Canopy Tower

Just 30 minutes by road from Panama City lies a lush tropical world: Soberania National Park. This rainforest is home to hundreds of bird species. To truly immerse yourself in the rainforest, several days are needed.

To get there, you will follow the canal, where you can observe in this wetland area several species of trogons, the Anhinga, the Green Heron, the Striated Heron, the Purple Gallinule, the Black Jacana, the Yellow-tailed Oriole, and the Rufous-tailed Jacamar, among others. A festival of colors!

You will stay at the Canopy Tower. Built atop Semaphore Hill at an altitude of 900m, at the heart of Soberania National Park, it occupies a former American radar tower. The rooms sit above the jungle and offer a remarkable view over the rainforest.
It is the perfect starting point for exploring the surrounding rainforest and its wildlife, and for observing the canopy from above.
In this 5-storey building, every room overlooks the forest, and those on the upper floors look out over the treetops. Among other distinctive features, the hotel roof houses an observatory.
This repurposed former radar tower has 7 rustic rooms equipped with mosquito nets.
From the tower, you will have unlimited access to the observation deck throughout the day.

This all-inclusive stay immerses you at the heart of the rainforest, home to a multitude of coexisting bird species. Daily excursions to the main observation sites are on the program: Pipeline Road, Semaphore Hill, Plantation Trail, Summit Ponds, Panama Rainforest Discovery Center, the Chagres River, and Gamboa.

Examples of excursions:

– Pipeline Road: one of the most famous birdwatching spots in the world, Pipeline Road is a 17 km trail through dense jungle. While the first few kilometers are easily walkable, it is best to travel by jeep to complete the full route.

Along the way are several observation platforms where birdwatchers can take out their binoculars and look for ground-cuckoos, motmots, trogons, and Purple-throated Fruitcrows, to name just a few of the species found here.

– Rainforest Discovery Center: this center also has a 40-meter-high observation tower with a sweeping view over the rainforest.

Before taking your return flight, it is worth spending time in Panama City: a visit to the Miraflores Locks, part of one of the three sets of locks on the Panama Canal, located just 20 minutes from the capital. A visitor center has recently been built, allowing you to admire and understand this feat of 20th-century engineering.

You will have a front-row view of the spectacle as cruise ships and the enormous cargo vessels known as Panamax ships pass through.