Birding the Chiriquí Cloudforest Tour Panama

If you are interested in The Chiriquí Cloud Forest, come and join us at Kaiyote Tours!

Chiriquí: Birds of the Cloud Forest and Western Lowlands

This tour passes through a wide range of elevation and habitats, and so offers amazing possibilities for different bird species.  The altitude ranges from sea-level to nearly 10,000 feet.  We will visit the Chiriquí Highlands Cloudforest including Volcán Barú and numerous other pristine birding locations to view an abundance of birds and wildlife.

The Chiriquí Printable Bird List
(This is a list of the birds that we have seen on the Chiriquí tour)

Click here:  Panama Bird List for a list of all the birds we have seen over the many years of touring in Panama

• Dates:
• January 22 - 31, 2025, spots left = 4
• March 23 - April 1, 2025, spots left = 4
• December 4 - 13, 2025, spots left = 6
• 2026 dates to be posted soon, please contact us for more info
• Additional Dates:  Tours by Request
• Group Size:  6 travelers, plus guides
• Trip Length: 10 days
• Tour Rate: $3,650 per person double occupancy, ($900 extra for single occupancy)
• Rates include: Domestic transfers, one-way airfare from DAV to PTY, 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:  Moderate due to the altitude. Other than that, it is an easy trip. Please check the “Welcome” page for definition. 

Check out our local guides by clicking here: Nando and Ismael (opens a new page), scroll down to the bottom of the page.

Private Trips: We are increasingly taking people on private trips. If a group trip does not interest you, please contact us about a private tour and the dates you prefer. 

Extended Tours:  If you are interested in a longer trip, many of our tours can be joined back to back.  For example, you can sign up for the Chiriquí Tour and also the Darien or the Gamboa tour for a 2 - 3 week trip. 

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.

**Pearl Islands bonus:  About 30 miles off the coast from Panama City is the island archipelago called the Pearl Islands, which includes over 200 islands.  If you sign up for two tours, back to back, you will get a free trip for a day visit to one of the islands.  It is a 1.5 hour boat ride and with opportunities to view sea birds such as boobies, petrels, terns, gulls, and other birds as well.

Key Species:  Black and Yellow Silky-Flycatcher, Ruddy Treerunner, Black-capped Flycatcher, Resplendent Quetzal, Ochraceous Pewee, Black-faced Solitaire, Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher, Black-thighed Grosbeak, White-Throated Mountain-gem, Prong-billed Barbet, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Flame-Throated Warbler, Orange-bellied Trogon, Black-bellied Hummingbird, White-throated Mountain-gem, Silvery-throated Jay, Wrenthrush

Map of the travel route here:  Panama Map  (opens a new page)

Basic Itinerary

Day 1:  Arrival in Panama City
Most flights from the United States arrive late in the evening. We will meet you at the Tocumen International Airport (PTY) with a shuttle to a hotel located very close to the airport.  

Day 2:  Anton Valley
From Tocumen, it is a 2.5 hour drive to Anton Valley where we will spend one night.  Anton Valley is a charming small town located in the crater of an extinct volcano. The elevation is 1,929 feet and is high enough to be in the cloudforest.  The crater valley is surrounded by mountains and Cerro Gaital National Park.  This makes for excellent birding. 

Day 3:  Anton Valley
A full day birding the Anton Valley

Day 4:  Las Lajas
From Anton Valley, it is a 4-hour drive to Las Lajas, a beautiful 5-mile stretch of beach along the Pacific Coast.  Here we will spend 1-night at a resort on the beach and add a few coastal birds to our list. 

Day 5:  Boquete, Chiriquí
From Las Lajas we will head to the cloudforest and a small mountain town call Boquete, where we will spend 2-nights.   Our place of lodging will be located outside of town at an elevation of about 4,500 feet.  A birder's paradise.  Here we will find highland specialties like the Volcano Hummingbird, Maroon-Chested Ground Dove, Sooty Capped Chlorospingus, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Yellow-thighed Finch, Collared Redstart, Flame-throated Warbler, Prong-billed Barbet and Wrenthrush (Zeledonia). 

Day 6: Volcán Barú National Park and Lakes
Early morning departure to Volcán Barú National Park to search for Resplendent Quetzal. The Los Quetzales Trail leads into the national park offers excellent birding opportunities to view Long-tailed Silky-Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Black-faced Solitaire, Chestnut-capped Brush-Finch, Black-capped Flycatcher, Buffy Tuftedcheek, Ruddy Treerunner, Blue-throated (Emerald) Toucanet, Volcano Hummingbird and other highland specialties. Other possibilities include the rare Silvery-throated Ja. After lunch we will visit the two volcanic caldera lakes of Volcán. These caldera lakes are beautiful habitat for birds like Scarlet-rumped Tanager, White-throated Flycatcher, Olivaceous Piculet, Masked Yellowthroat, and numerous wetland species.

Day 7: Volcán Barú National Park and Lakes
Volcán Barú is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Panama at 11,398 feet.  It is the one spot where you can see both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Volcán Barú National Park was established in 1976, with an area of 35,400 acres. Over 250 species of birds have been identified within the park, and the park provides habitat for all five species of big cats. On this day we will be traveling around the base of the volcano and moving to a new location on the west side, where we will spend 2-nights. 

Day 8:  Volcán Barú National Park and Lakes
Early morning departure for birding highland species like Orange-bellied Trogon, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Red-headed Barbet, Chiriquí Quail-Dove, White-crowned Parrot, Fiery-billed Aracari, Golden-Olive Woodpecker, Pale-billed Woodpecker and many more.

Day 9:  Paraiso and the Chiriquí Lowlands
After several days in the highlands, we will head down the mountain and due some birding at Paraiso in the Chiriquí Lowlands, where we find many birds including, Orange-collared Manakin, Spot-crowned Euphonia, Charming Hummingbird, Black-hooded Antshrike, Riverside Wren, Slaty Spinetail, Long-billed and Plain-capped Starthroats, Crowned Woodnymph, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Blue-throated Golden-tail. In the late afternoon we will head to the David airport for our flight back to Panama City.

Day 10:  Flight Home 
Shuttle to the airport for your trip home.  Most flights back to the States leave early in the morning.  

Ringed Kingfisher

Golden-crowned Spadebill