Panama Birding The Darien Harpy and Crested Eagles Tour

If you are interested in the Panama Birding The Darien Harpy Eagles Tour, come and join us at Kaiyote Tours!

Want to see Harpy Eagles and Crested Eagles?

…and a whole list of amazing and beautiful birds, then don’t miss our Panama trips.  Our trips to Panama are all about birds, although we also see night monkeys and a lot of interesting critters as well.  We will stay at all the best places for a great experience and fantastic birding.

After a few of days of birding Gamboa, Pipeline Road, and the Panama Canal areas, this tour takes us through the hills of Nusa Gandi east of the Canal, into the province of Darién, Central America’s last true wilderness and one of the world’s main strongholds of the Harpy Eagle. We will have the unique opportunity to visit active nests of Harpy Eagle and opportunities to see the even rarer Crested Eagle, on the same itinerary. On our way we will find many bird species found nowhere else in Central America. 

Key species:  Sapayoa, Harpy Eagle, Crested Eagle, Spot-breasted Woodpecker, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Oropendola, Double-Banded Graytail, Yellow-Green tyrannulet, Spectacled Parrotlet, Red-throated Caracara.  

The Darien and Gamboa Printable Bird List
(This is a list of the birds that we have seen on both the Darien and Gamboa tours)

On previous trips to the Darien, we have seen 29 different species of raptors and 20 different species of hummingbirds, during a seven day visit.  

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

• Travel Dates:   
• 2026:  
• February 10 - 19, 2026, spots left = 0
• March 8 - 18, 2026, spots left =6
• March 20 - 30, 2026, spots left = 6
• April 1 - 10, 2026, spots left = 6
• Additional Dates:  Tours by Request. Recommended months to travel to the Darien are January - April. 
• Group Size: 6 travelers, plus guides
• Trip Length: 11 days
• Rates: $3,650 per person double occupancy, ($900 extra for single occupancy)
• Included: 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:  Moderate for the Darien, please check the “Welcome” page for definition
• Reservations:  To reserve a spot on the trip, a non-refundable $800 per person deposit is required, and the non-refundable balance is due six months prior to the trip.

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.  

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.

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 Darien tour and also the Chiriquí or the Gamboa tour for a 2 - 3 week trip.

**Pearl Islands:  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 have a free day in between the tours.  We can help you schedule activities for that day.  We recommend a visit to one of the Pearl 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. The islands offer great swimming, snorkeling, and other water activities.  

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

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 the Riande Airport Hotel, which is a 10-minute drive to the airport. This airport hotel is a birding hot spot with over 230 species:  Tocumen--hotel Riande Aeropuerto

Day 2:  Panama Canal
No trip to Panama is complete without a visit to the Panama Canal.  Our first stop for the day will be to Ancon Hill, which is also the Hawkwatch station for fall raptor migration.  It is an easy 1-mile walk to the top, and has a fantastic view of the canal, both the original Miraflores locks, and the newer Cocoli expansion locks. Besides birds, along the walk to the top of Ancon Hill we usually see sloths as well.  From Ancon we will head to the Amador Causeway, which used to be a U.S. military area, but now is for recreation. The Smithsonian Punta Culebra Nature Center, will be our afternoon birding location.  On the way back to Riande Hotel, we will have a stop at Panama Viejo, which is the site of the original settlement of Panama before Captain, and privateer, Henry Morgan burned it down in 1671.  Besides learning about history, this area is good for shorebirds. 

Day 3:  Travel to Tortí
Early departure and birding through Nusagandi and Guna Yala provinces in search of Sapayoa, Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker, and several mid-altitude hummingbird and tanager species.  We will stop for lunch in Tortí, roughly half-way to Darién on the Pan-American Highway. We will spend most of our afternoon birding along the Tortí River, searching for Little Cuckoo, Jet Antbird, Red-billed Scythebill, Red-breasted Blackbird. Overnight in Tortí at the Avicar Hotel.

Day 4: The Darién
Early morning departure to the San Francisco Reserve for excellent birding and then on to Metetí where we will spend 4-nights at the Bellagio Hotel.  

Day 5: The Darién
Early morning departure towards the village of Vigía, an indigenous community home to 105 Emberá families. In the forest around their village, we will search for Dusky-backed Jacamar, Golden-green Woodpecker, Agami Heron, Orange-crowned Oriole, Black Antshrike, Black Oropendola, and roosting Crested and Mottled owls. For lunch we will have the choice between a packed lunch and the local Emberá food. Drive back to Metetí in time for dinner at the hotel in Metetí.

Day 6: The Darién**
This day is fully dedicated to the Harpy Eagle. We will visit a remote Emberá community where there are active Harpy Eagle nests.  The location of active nests changes every year.  The route to get to any of the nests usually involves at least one boat ride, a short truck ride from the boat to the trail, and a short walk, and/or a horseback ride.  The boat ride offers some excellent river and forest birding. Additional target birds for the day: Dusky-backed Jacamar, Black Oropendola, Great Curassow and Red-throated Caracara, among many other species.  We will spend enough time at the Harpy Eagle nesting site to secure the best possible views of the adult birds as they come to the nest platform to feed and tend for their chick. Overnight in Metetí.

**Don't worry about having a long walk through the hot, humid jungle, we will supply a  horse for everyone.  The horses are small, and each horse is led by a guide, so you don't have to worry about controlling your horse.  By taking horses we will get to the Harpy Nest as soon as possible, and you won't be tired and worn out. On the way back you have the option to walk or take the horse.  We will do some birding on the route back. 

Day 7:  The Darién
We will depart Metetí early in the morning and drive along Salto Road, a dirt road through some excellent secondary forest next to the Chucunaque river, searching for local specialties like Double-banded Graytail, White-eared Conebill, Rufous-winged Antwren, White-headed Wren, and Blue Cotinga. After lunch we will drive to Yaviza, the last stop before the end of the Pan-American Highway, searching for Black Oropendola, Orange-crowned Oriole, Bicolored Hawk, Bicolored Wren and Spectacled Parrotlet, among other species. Overnight in Metetí.

Day 8:  Tortí
We will depart Metetí early and drive to the end of the Panama American Highway which ends at the Darien Gap and the town of Yaviza.  There will be a few stops at excellent birding locations on our way back to Tortí where we will spend two nights at the Avicar Hotel.

Day 9: Tortí
On our second visit at the San Francisco reserve, we will have time to spend the entire day there.  A few of the special birds we have seen are:   Yellow-Green Tyrannulet, White Fronted Nunbird, Blue Cotinga, Black-and-White Hawk-Eagle, Black Hawk-Eagle, King Vulture, Barred Puffbird, Rufous-crested Coquette, and Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo. San Francisco is one of the few places in Central America where the critically endangered Brown-headed Spider Monkey can still be seen. 

Day 10: Travel to Panama City
We start our drive back to Panama City with a few birding stops along the way.  Lodging will be at the Riande Airport Hotel, which is a 10-minute drive to the airport. This airport hotel is a birding hot spot with over 230 species:  Tocumen--hotel Riande Aeropuerto

Day 11:  Fly Home 
Shuttle to the airport for your trip home.  Most flights back to the States leave early in the morning.