Greetings Everyone!
I will be leaving for Argentina in a few days, where I will be leading a nature and culture tour for a private group. Argentina is a fun country to visit with a lot of different areas to see. I don't usually put an Argentina trip on the schedule and most trips happen by special requests and private tours. I need a minimum of 4-people to organize a tour. Please contact me if you are interested in visiting Argentina.
This newsletter is about my many upcoming tours to Panama. Since the pandemic, Panama has become a popular destination. Not only are there over a thousand different species of birds and a lot of wildlife to see, it is also close to the United States and a very modern and "up to date" country. During the pandemic Panama had strict Covid protocols and a high vaccination rate. I recently heard that the pandemic is officially over, finally....
Because Panama is so poplar, I have a new website that is dedicated to Panama tours. You can check it out by clicking here: Birding Pipeline Road Panama
More about Birding Panama:
Fall Raptor Migration Tours: On the last trip in November 2022, we saw 269 different species of birds in 8-days. This tour was during peak fall migration for raptors. We spent a couple of days at the Hawkwatch station atop Ancon Hill in Panama City. It was amazing to watch thousands of raptors fly by on their way to South America. This year at Ancon Hill, 1.4 million raptors were counted, seriously, so don't miss fall 2023 migration! Raptors for fall 2022 that were seen and counted include: Turkey Vultures, Swainson's Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Osprey, Mississippi Kites, and Peregrine Falcons, (1.4 million of just those species), and these numbers are low compared to previous years. In past years, they have counted as many as 2 million raptors migrating through Panama.
I have added more Panama dates for 2023 and 2024. These trips are all back to back, which will enabled you to sign up for multiple trips together to see more of Panama and more birds! There is a discounted price for signing up for multiple trips.
Click here to view the webpages:
Upcoming Panama Dates for 2023:
-
Gamboa (8 days) October 28 - November 4th, (Peak Raptor Migration)
-
The Darien (7 days) November 4 - 10th (Raptor Tour)
- Chiriquí Cloudforest (9 days) November 10 - 18th
- Gamboa (8 days) November 18 - 25th
Upcoming Panama Dates for 2024:
-
The Darien and Gamboa (16 days**) January 25 - February 9th
- Chiriquí Cloudforest (9 days) February 9 - 17th
- Gamboa (8 days) February 17 - 24th
-
Group Size: 7 travelers, plus guides
-
Price range from: $3,150 - $5,350 per person double occupancy
-
Rates include: Domestic transfers, lodging, breakfast, lunch, dinner, scheduled group tours, park entrance fees and basic travel insurance.
-
Not included: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, alcohol, trip cancellation insurance.
-
Adventure level: Easy for the Gamboa, moderate for the Darien (due to heat and humidity), and moderate for Chiriquí (due to higher elevations), please check the “Welcome” page for definitions.
** The 16 day Darien trip can be done in two parts if you don't want such a long trip. You can sign up for just the Gamboa part or just the Darien part.
Special offer: Included with your trip (one per room) is a copy of the field guide “The Birds of Panama” by George Angehr and Robert Dean. You will receive this when you reserve your trip so you will have time to study and know the beautiful birds of Panama.
Recommended Reading: The complete history of the Panama Canal, written by David McCullough and titled "The Paths Between the Sea". It is excellent, and everything you ever wanted to know about the 400 hundred year history of people who dreamed, attempted, and built the Panama Canal. The book was published in 1977 and so ends just before the time that President Jimmy Carter negotiated the Torrijos-Carter Treaty, which was ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1978 and gave the Panamanian government control of the canal. The book weighs about 3 pounds, seriously, it doesn't travel well, so read it before you travel to Panama.
