Today at the appropriate time an EcoCircuitos guide and driver will meet you at the Tocumen International Airport to assist and transfer you to your hotel located in Panama City. At this time you will also receive an EcoCircuitos information kit that will provide you with all the details for your stay in Panama. In the evening, a welcome dinner will be prepared for you in the hotel. At this time you will have the opportunity get to know your Ecocircuitos wildlife specialist who will be your wildlife guide for your program. He/she will give an informative introduction to the variety of bird species in the different regions and ecological environments of Panama. You will also receive a wildlife checklist that you will use throughout your Panama wildlife expedition. Read more

1 night in Panama City

Today after breakfast you will visit the distinct Biodiversity Museum of Panama, located at the Causeway Amador with a spectacular view on the Old Town and the Skyline. You will learn about the rich biodiversity of Panama and the country`s important role as a bridge between North and South America for migrating species before heading on to the town of Gamboa in the rainforest (approximately 45-minute drive). You will experience a unique tour where you will be able to explore the canopy of the Soberania National Park; you will be fascinated by the beautiful view of the forest, the lake and the national parks that protect the canal’s watershed. The upper rainforest canopy at the Rainforest Tower is 30 meters high with emergent trees reaching 40m. Our naturalist guide will explain to you about the wildlife you will observe during this trip and you will learn about the sustainable use of water and the recycling materials of this great educational facility in the core of the forest. Afterwards you will continue to where the Panama Canal meets the Chagres River. You will board a boat and head off on an adventure across Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal passing by monumental cargo ships transiting the waterway. Along the way, keep your eyes out for Green iguanas, Three toed sloths, crocodile, ospreys, Snail kite, Keel-billed toucan and other wildlife endemic to the area. The tour boat will circle rain forest covered islands, allowing us to observe and search for the Mantled Howler Monkey, White-faced Capuchin, Central American Spider Monkey, and Geoffrey’s Tamarin. After the boat tour we will head to back to Panama City. Read more

1 night in Panama City

In the morning you will be transferred to the Albrook Domestic Airport where you will board your flight to Bocas Airport (about one hour flight time). You will have a 30 minute boat transfer to your hotel in the Bastimentos Island area, along the way you will keep your eyes out for different wildlife species endmic to the area. On our way to your hotel we will get our first views at Magnificent Frigatebird, Royal and Black terns, Brown Pelicans, Laughing Gull, two species of jaeger, and possibly soaring raptors. Your ecolodge is strategically located in the epicenter of Bocas del Toro’s national parks and protected reserves. This advantageous geographic position enables an efficient use of the archipelago’s protected waters to reach otherwise inaccessible wildlife areas on the mainland and islands by boat. The well-appointed lodge and its amenities, reside on 200-forested acres covering three distinct ecosystems, adjacent to Bastimentos Island National Marine Park, within the La Amistad UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The main lodge’s veranda, private cabanas and canopy observation tower provide elevated decks for a birds-eye view of the extraordinary wildlife found here. Several kilometers of hiking trails, in addition to the lodge’s grounds, often provide encounters with Two and Three-toed sloths, White-faced Capuchin and Panamanian Night Monkeys, Nine-banded Armadillo, Spectacled Caiman, Central American Woolly Opossum, Grey Four-eyed Opossum, Northern Tamandua, Greater White-lined Bats, kettles of migrating raptors, Three-wattled Bellbird, Golden-collard Manakin (several leks), and hummingbird bathing pools. Take advantage of the warm Caribbean Sea just off the dock, where vibrant coral reefs encompass a garden rich in hard and soft corals, as well as, a brilliant kaleidoscope of tropical fish and invertebrates. The archipelago is an incredible example of the western isthmus’s recent geological history of discontinuous topographical nature, environmental diversity, and evolutionary biology. The islands of Bocas del Toro are often called the “Galapagos of the Caribbean” due to endemism and species’ differentiation. Each of the archipelago’s islands, in addition to various points on the mainland, contain different morphs of the Strawberry poison dart frog species Oophaga pumilo which are heavily studied for their geographic variation. Several undescribed mammal species endemic to the islands occur on Isla Bastimentos: a dwarf form of Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, a species of Nine-banded Armadillo, a species of Agouti, and a species of a Climbing Rat. Panama’s only known population of Stub-tailed Spadebill is also specific to the islands of Bocas and does not occur on the mainland. Read more

1 night in Bocas del Toro

Today we will visit several lush, coastal, wetland habitats. San San Pond Sak Wetlands is a designated Ramsar site, as well as, part of the La Amistad UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The area is rich with abundant habitats including Atlantic wet lowland forest, Raphia palm swamp, fresh water river course, ocean impact beachfront, and mangroves. Access to this verdant wildlife area will be via boat through the historic Snyder Canal, as birds conveniently fly through the gallery forest back and forth across the waterway. After construction was finished by the Snyder Brothers, in the late 1890s, the canal was used to transport bananas from the Changuinola River Valley, to the protected waters of Almirante Bay at Boca del Drago, where they were loaded onto transport ships. Panama’s “first” canal was vital in establishing The United Fruit Company, and the very beginnings of what would become, “The Banana Republic”. This is an excellent place to find many lowland bird species, northern and altitudinal migrants, raptors and shorebirds. With any luck, mammal sightings might produce Mantled Howler Monkey, Crab-eating Raccoon, White-nosed Coati, Neotropical River Otter, West Indian Manatee and Bottlenose Dolphin. Soropta Beach, important for migrating and resident shorebirds, is also a nesting ground for Leatherback and Hawksbill sea turtles, in addition to Green Iguanas, Basilisk Lizards, Common Boa Constrictor, Spectacled Caiman and American Crocodile. Here on the beach, we will enjoy a picnic lunch with fresh sea breeze and the shorebirds. This vibrant river mouth and beachfront might produce Parasitic and Pomarine jaegers; Wilson’s, Collared, and Semipalmated plovers; Ruddy Turnstones; Sanderlings; Least, Pectoral and Semipalmated sandpipers; Common and Lesser nighthawks; Lesser and Greater yellowlegs; four species of tern; and Roseate Spoonbill. In the afternoon, sea conditions permitting, we will pass just two miles offshore to a breathtaking rookery and reserve known as Swan’s Caye, for beautiful close-up looks at Panama’s only known breeding colony of Red-billed Tropicbirds, as well as, Brown Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds. We will return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Read more

1 night in Bocas del Toro

Today we will take a calm 20-minute boat ride through Dolphin Bay to Buena Esperanza. The collection of tropical flora found at this location represents the best plants and therefore, butterflies in the archipelago. A superb water garden and natural creek running through the property also attract many species of mammals, reptiles and multicolored amphibians. The psychedelic green and black poison dart frogs, Dendrobates auratus, can be prolific with sufficient moisture. The landowners, who live onsite, protect this beautiful piece of mainland forest, by using the property to operate an artisanal chocolate farm. Cacao trees, grown to produce organic chocolate, thrive under the shade of the forest canopy. Under this stunning canopy we will be searching for Slaty- tailed, White-tailed, and Gartered trogons; Purple-throated Fruitcrow; Black-chested Jay; Pale-billed Woodpecker; Pied Puffbird; Black-capped Pygmy Tyrant; Montezuma and Chestnut-headed oropendolas; Keel-billed and Black-mandibled toucans; Cocoa Woodcreeper; and many more species. Mammal sightings might include Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Mantled Howler Monkey, Kinkajou, Three and Two-toed sloths, squirrels, and Greater White-lined Bats. After visiting the chocolate farm we will do some snorkeling before heading back to the lodge. Read more

1 night in Bocas del Toro

At the appropriate time you will be transferred to the Bocas del Toro mainland, from where you will start your land transfer though breathtaking landscapes to the highland of Chiriqui. You will pass through the Talamanca Continental Divide where you will enjoy the amazing panoramic views of the Panamanian highlands. During the transfer you will enjoy the natural scenery of the Palo Seco and La Fortuna Natural Reserves. Along the way you will stop at several wildlife hotspots, including La Fortuna, which counts along Panama’s birding highlights. Being lucky, we might be able to spot Umbrella birds, Azure-hooded Jays, purple crowned Fairies, chestnut mandible Toucans, collared Aracaris, slaty tailed Trogons and many more highland bird species that are inhabited in this area. Your final destination will be Mount Totumas Mount Totumas, a private lodge exclusively nestled in middle of a 400-acre private cloud forest reserve. Your transfer will proceed first on a paved road, then on a windy dirt road crossing small streams. For the final kilometers, you will go up a 4WD road to reach your destination (approximately 2 hour drive in total). Admire the views from the road and keep your eyes out for wildlife andbirds on the way. Once you arrive, you will learn about the lodge and go for a short hike to get oriented with the reserve and its species. Enjoy delicious lunch in the reserve, before you will head out for an afternoon hike with your local guide, watching out for local wildlife species, like monkeys, forest birds and even wild cats. Read more

1 night in Mount Totumas

Wake up to the sounds of nature in the remote lodge and have breakfast on the deck overlooking the valley as humming birds buzz by. Get on a specialized tour to the birding and wildlife hotspots around the area. The Mount Totumas Cloud Forest offers opportunity to observe some of the 200 species of highland specialties and migrants that have been spotted in the reserve. During the breeding season, the Resplendent Quetzal, the Three Wattled Bellbird, the Black Guan and the Crested Guan are very common and easily observed, as well as the elusive Highland Tinamou. Also 15 species of hummingbird have been spotted, including the less common Magenta-Throated Woodstar, Brown-Violet Ear, Fiery-Throated Hummingbird and Long-Billed Starthroat. Read more

1 night in Mount Totumas

Enjoy another day in this beautiful nature!

1 night in Mount Totumas

Leave the lodge after breakfast for the Gulf of Chiriqui with its white-sanded beaches and coral reefs. Stay in the boutique Hotel Bocas del Mar, located right on the water's edge in Boca Chica. This serene waterfront escape offers an outdoor pool and stylish bungalows set in tropical gardens.

1 night in Boca Chica

Today we will visit Isla Secas Island, know for its amazing coral reefs and white sand beaches, just 50 minutes from the mainland. Observe a variety of marine birds, tropical fish and other endemic animals.

1 night in Boca Chica

Head out for a boat tour in the Gulf of Chiriquí today. Due to its warm waters it is considered one of the best places in the world where both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whale families migrate 25,000 km to breed and give birth their young. Learn about these majestic large creatures and their habits while going around in the bay, watching and keeping your eyes out to responsibly observe them by boat. In the afternoon you will be transferred to the David Airport for your return flight to Panama City, this flight is approximately 1 hour long. Please remember for this flight you will will be able to check in 30kg free of charge. Read more

1 night in Panama City

Unfortunately, your trip has ended. But you are always welcome to visit Panama again and we will be happy to create an unforgettable experience for you! *Transfer from your hotel to the airport*