text: Geodyssey | Panama | Birding the Darien
  Intrepid bird watching in one of the most out-of-the-way locations in the tropics, yielding some remarkable birds
  'Birding the Darien'
  Darién World Biosphere Reserve
  Remote and accessible only by chartered light aircraft, the Cana Field Station is well regarded for its rich birdlife.
  Mine Trail, Cana Field Station
  Originally served as a route to get gold from the mines back to headquarters, today it provides an accessible pathway through wild jungle and open scrub areas, with a number of bird species to be seen.
  Pirre Cloud Forest
  A slow and fairly strenous 5 hour hike leads you to the pristine wilderness of the Pirre Cloud Forest. Overnight accommodation is in screened tents under a tin roof in the forest clearing.
  Rural Life & Community Projects
  Northwest of Leon
  Learn about Nicaragua's culture and traditions in rural villages, along the way visit a community run project created in response to the intense child poverty which arose in the 1980s and today cares for over 400 lively children.
  1 Darien NP
  2 Darien NP
  3 Pirre Cloud Forest
  4 Darien NP
  Day-by-day itinerary for 'Birding the Darien'
  From Panama City by chartered light plane to Santa Cruz de Cana, in Darién World Biosphere Reserve below Pirre Mountain, for 2 nights at the Cana Field Centre (1600ft), double rooms in wood cabins, shared bathrooms, hot water. Specialities 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, and Ornate Hawk-Eagle.
  Today explore the Mine Trail from Cana FC. Specialities here include Great Curassow, Crested Guan, Dusky-faced Tanager, Olivaceous Piculet. Bird the Seteganti Trail's open scrub areas and mature forests–good for various woodpeckers (such as Crimson-bellied and Red-rumped), Red-billed Scythebill and Brown Violetear.
  A slow fairly strenuous 5hr hike to Pirre Cloud Forest at 4200ft, good for specialities 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, and Orange-bellied Euphonia. On to the top of Pirre Mountain for Golden-headed Quetzal, Gray and Gold and other tanagers, Sharpbill, Chlorophonia and other highland species. Night in screened tents under a tin roof in a forest clearing.
  Morning descent, birding along the way. The afternoon is spent birding around the main camp. Possibilities include Grey-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. Overnight Cana field station.
  This morning, after some last minute birding from the Cana airstrip back to Albrook airport in Panama City where the tour ends.