Early in the morning our expert naturalist guide takes us to Soberania National Park in the Panama Canal watershed and Pipeline Road, where Audubon Society holds its world Christmas bird count and has identified 357 species of birds in just 24 hours. At the Rainforest Discovery Center we ascend the 100 foot tall rainforest canopy tower looking out over the vast forest for the morning flight of keel-billed toucans, red-lored Amazon parrots and the silent and stealthy movement of mantled howler monkeys.
During World War II a pipeline was built along the Panama Canal to transport fuel from one ocean to the other in the event the waterway was attacked. The now abandoned gravel road built to maintain the pipeline provides excellent walking access to Soberania's 55,000 acres of tropical rainforest. The park boasts an impressive list of 525 species of birds including the black hawk-eagle, black-cheeked woodpecker, black-breasted puffbird, broad-billed motmot, blue cotinga, purple-throated fruitcrow, masked tytira, violaceous trogon, fasciated antshrike, shining honeycreeper, and a great array of North American migrants, amazing for novice or experienced birdwatchers alike! Soberania is also habitat of large tropical cats, tamandua (anteater), sloth, 4 species of monkeys, agouti, and much more, including 59 endemic plant species in 4 life zones.
We enjoy a rainforest picnic lunch and visit the Miraflores Locks Visitors Center at the Panama Canal where we learn about the canal’s amazing history and get a close-up view of the ships passing through the locks before we head back to our hotel. The hotel is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal on a popular causeway where local families and lovers congregate in an open area full of shops and restaurants. Here you can rent bikes, visit the Biomuseum, or just walk and people watch.
Overnight at The Beach House Playita Amador.