Top 10 adventures in Panama Forest

Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Rainforests comprise Earth’s oldest living ecosystem, which is home to thousands of avians, insects, reptiles and mammals under a rainforest canopy.

Panama is a beautiful country, full of nature adventures, great food, and charming villages.


While other jungles receive hordes of visitors every year, Panama’s rainforest remains a hidden treasure even to the most ardent nature lovers.

Venture outside the “city box” into the natural side of Panama and discover amazing creatures, stunning flowers, and soul-pampering peace.


Here’s our list of the 10 best wildlife adventures in Panama:

Go fishing with a kingfisher at Lake Calamito

Calamito Lake inside Soberania National Park has a marina with a pleasant deck and benches great for observing water wildlife such as graceful egrets and stocky herons.

Watching green kingfishers suddenly swoop from a standstill and pose to catch fish — and cheering when they’re successful — is a favorite spectator activity.

Take an eco adventure tour through Gamboa rainforest

Being located on the edge of a rainforest, Panama City offers sweeping 360 degree view of its biodiversity from an aerial tram. In a day tour, you can enjoy sightseeing at its best that includes amazing views of the Chagres River, Gamboa Rainforest, Soberania Park, Embera Indian Village and their surroundings.

One can also enjoy bird’s eye view of ships moving through the Panama Canal in an aerial tram ride through the rainforest near Panama City.

Discover world’s largest man-made lake Gatun

The largest man-made lake in the world at the time was made during the construction of the Panama Canal by damming the Chagres River. Small boat tours are an accessible way to learn about the lake’s ecology and see the varied wildlife, with a stop on Monkey Island to see and hear its many species of primates, including Capuchins, Tamarins and Howler monkeys.

Bird watching can be fun

Panama rainforest is hailed as one of the world’s destinations for tropical bird-watching. With more than 992 bird species identified across the region as of June 2019, the country owns an incredible avifauna which is more than the US and Canada combined.

Some other bird-watching hotspots include the Chagres National Park, Gamboa Rainforest, Darien National Park, Coiba Island and others.

Take an eco adventure tour through Gamboa rainforest

Being located on the edge of a rainforest, Panama City offers sweeping 360 degree view of its biodiversity from an aerial tram. In a day tour, you can enjoy sightseeing at its best that includes amazing views of the Chagres River, Gamboa Rainforest, Soberania Park, Embera Indian Village and their surroundings. You can also enjoy bird’s eye view of ships moving through the Panama Canal in an aerial tram ride through the rainforest near Panama City.

San Blas Islands

The San Blas Archipelago on the north (Caribbean) coast of Panama is the domain of the Guna indigenous people. Visitors can fly by small plane, or by ferry after a two-hour drive from Panama City. There are some 380 beautiful islands, of which 50 are inhabited, lying in crystal clear waters. For the full experience, arrange to be dropped off for a few hours on one of the uninhabited ones. Coral reefs abound, so bring your snorkelling gear (scuba diving is banned to help protect the environment).

Wine and dine on jungle top

Located on the third floor of the Canopy Tower is an elegant restaurant which gives an exotic dining experience with a 360-degree view of the Panama Rainforest. Enjoy scrumptious meals in the evenings with amazing views of the sunset and squawking parrots flying to their roosting shelters. Breakfasts comprise of European and Panamanian varieties accompanied by fruit-eating toucans are available.

Glide over treetops

Behold Panama’s incredible biodiversity which borders the Panama Canal by gliding over the treetops of the Soberanía National Park. With a little luck, one can spot monkeys, ñeques, and birds like the Toucan Picoiris in their natural habitat.

Enjoy a different view of the Panama Canal and the Chagres River 1.4 kilometers from the extension divided into 10 cables.

Night safari boat ride on Chagres River

A 30 minutes’ boat ride on the Chagres, the largest river in the Panama Canal’s watershed, allows wildlife adventurers to get up close with nature and enjoy wonderful riverside views.

As the boat glides slowly amidst Panama’s rainforest, you may chance upon a sleepy sloth in a tree or a colourful bird in the forest. Listen to the sounds of the surrounding rainforest as it comes alive in the twilight.



Whale Watching, Gulf of Chiriqui

Although Panama City is on the southern coast of Panama, it’s actually considered the Pacific side. Between July and October, the Gulf of Chiriqui is visited by humpback whales who have made the incredible journey up the Pacific from the Antarctic and Chile to give birth in and around Parque Nacional Coiba.

Other species to spot include pilot whales, Bryde’s and minke whales as well as large numbers of dolphins. There are 25 uninhabited islands, with coral reefs and beaches, so bring your swimsuit.






Venture outside the “city box” into the natural side of Panama and discover amazing creatures, stunning flowers, and soul-pampering peace!

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• The Darien Gap – A key attraction for tourists

• Nicole Marciacq of Panama Tourism talks about the biodiversity of the country at ITB Berlin 2017