5 days/4 nights
The pristine
valley of Cana in the eastern slope of Pirre mountain range is
Darien
National Park’s
most productive birdwatching destination. Nowhere else in Panama
does nature expresses itself so
abundantly than in this region of remote wilderness.
Day 1 DARIEN NATIONAL
PARK – SANTA
CRUZ DE CANA
This morning you will be picked up at your Panama City hotel by a representative
of Panama Boutique™, the naturalist guide for the trip. You
will transfer to Albrook Field, the domestic airport, to board a
chartered plane to Santa Cruz de Cana, in the heart of Darien National
Park and World Biosphere Reserve. On the flight you can admire the
vast forest cover of Panama’s largest park (1.3 million acres).
Cana is located at the foothills of Pirre Mountain, which stands like
an island in the most remote area of Panama. Few places in the world
rival Cana in birding potential. Even before the plane lands, you can
start birding! Be on the lookout for King Vultures and Macaws. After
settling in at the Field Station, you will start birding on the ground
and explore the Boca de Cupe Trail and surrounding area. Specialties
here include Blue and Gold, Red and Green, Great Green and Chestnut-fronted
macaws, Black tipped Cotinga, Swallow Tanager, Red-throated Caracara,
Streaked Antwren, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Ornate Hawk-Eagle and others.
Night at CANA FIELD STATION (L, D)
Day 2 CANA FIELD
STATION & SURROUNDING
TRAILS
Today is a good day to explore the Mine Trail, where rusting machinery,
left by British Gold Miners at the beginning of the last century,
has been overtaken by the jungle. Specialties of this area include
Great Curassow, Crested Guan, Dusky-faced Tanager, and Olivaceous
Piculet. The Seteganti Trail, with open scrub areas and mature forests,
is good for various woodpeckers, such as Crimson-bellied and Red-rumped,
Red-billed Scythebill, Brown Violetear.
Night at CANA FIELD STATION (B, L, D)
Day 3 PIRRE CLOUD FOREST CAMP
The journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step and today you
start the slow-paced, 5-hour hike to the Pirre Cloud Forest. At 1,200
meters above sea level, the Pirre Cloud Forest is a good place to
look for specialties such as Beautiful Treerunner, Tooth-billed Hummingbird,
Slaty Antwren, Tody Motmot, Yellow-eared Toucanet, Rufous-breasted
Antthrush, Immaculate Antbird, Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, Pirre
Warbler, Pirre Hummingbird, Pirre Bush Tanager, Greenish Puffleg,
Orange-bellied Euphonia. In the afternoon you'll continue the hike
to the top of Pirre Mountain in search of the Golden-headed Quetzal,
Gray and gold Tanager, Sharpbill, Chlorophonia and several tanagers
among other highland species.
Night at PIRRE CAMP (Screened tents with sleeping mats) (B, L, D)
Day 4 PIRRE CLOUD
FOREST – CANA
FIELD STATION
After
breakfast you will start the hike back down to the field station
with more birding along the way. This afternoon is spent looking
for birds around the main camp, with possibilities like Gray-cheeked
Nunlet, Spotted Barbtail, Barred Puffbird, Yellow-green Tyrannulet,
Jet Antbird, Black-crowned, Fulvous-bellied, Ochre-breasted and
Scaled antpittas, White-fronted Nunbird, Cinereous Becard, and
Golden-headed
Manakin.
Night at CANA FIELD STATION (B, L, D)
Day 5 DARIEN – PANAMA
CITY
This morning, after some last minute birding from the airstrip, the
charter flight takes you back to Albrook Field and a transfer
to your Panama City hotel (B)
Why
not consider a Panama Canal
Transit before or after the tour?
DEPARTURE
DATES:
|
2008
December 16-20, 20-24, 24-28
2009
January 4 - 8, 15 - 19
February 27 - March 3
March 8 - 12, 12 - 16, 16 - 20, 20 - 24, 24 - 28, 28 - April 1
April 6 - 10
December 7 - 11, 11- 15, 15 - 19, 19 - 23, 23 - 27
2008 Price per person in double occupancy:
$1400.
2009 Price per person in double occupancy:
$1450.
Add 5% government tax
Minimum 2 persons |
From April 16 through December 16, the Darien Birding Sampler is available
on a request basis with minimum 4 persons
|
