Highlights of Soberania National Park

What your day looks like

Early in the morning, you will be picked up at the lobby of your Panama City hotel by your naturalist guide and transferred to Soberania National Park in the Panama Canal Watershed. Soon after you cross the Chagres River, you reach Pipeline Road, where the Audubon Society held its world Christmas bird count record for 19 years straight, with 357 species of birds identified in 24 hours. Your first stop will be at the Rainforest Discovery Center, where you can enjoy spectacular views of Soberania's vastness and canopy of bird species from the 32-meter (100-foot) observation tower. Standing above the canopy, we witness the morning flight of Keel-billed Toucans, Red-lored Amazons, and the silent and stealthy movement of Mantled Howler Monkeys. You continue to explore the network of trails surrounding the Discovery Center and enjoy the hummingbird feeders that provide up close and personal views of 10 species of hummingbirds! 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. Fortunately, it was never used. The now abandoned gravel road built to maintain the pipeline provides excellent walking access to Soberania's 22,000 hectares (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. Soberania is also home to 105 species of mammals, including large felines, Tamandua, Two and Three-toed Sloth, 4 species of monkeys, and Agouti, some of which are listed under CITES (endangered species), and 59 endemic plant species in 4 life zones. By late morning, you enjoy a picnic lunch, giving you opportunities to further explore the healthy and productive habitats of the Panama Canal Watershed. Early afternoon, drop back to your hotel.