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How to sum up Panama? As many of you know I have a long history with Panama’s rainforests and animals, particularly the birds. I just got back from co-leading two back-to-back nature tours so I was fully immersed for nearly three weeks. It is simply the most easily-accessible, deeply authentic rainforest experience that I know of.
I simply love the place. There are the forests themselves with every shade of green, all textures, rich aromas, and awe-inspiring expressions of evolution. There are the birds, that are like flecks of colorful glitter alighting on the sunlit branches and in the dark forest understory. Then there are the monkeys, endlessly entertaining, like toddlers left unattended.
We stay in places where the line between indoors and outdoors is almost imperceivable. The rooms at the Canopy Tower are at various levels of the forest, where only a screen separates you from the sights and sounds of the animals living out their lives in the canopy. At the canopy Lodge, the sounds of the wind and the forest are part of the open-air lobby and dining area. Here, there is no sacrificing on comfort and quality. The meals are designed by a top Panamanian chef who was invited to cook for the Pope during his visit last month.
Then there are top notch guides, the smiling Panamanian people, the ever-impressive Panama Canal, and the anticipation that at any moment you may see a creature that is known from the books, but rarely seen, or the world’s smallest bird other than a hummingbird, or a creature that reminds you of the missing link between reptiles and modern birds. Decades ago, I went there for a bird research project, but that was just the ‘gateway drug’ to the rest of the forest and the country itself.
If you think he might want to come with me there in the future, let me know and I can send you details. I am always up for creating another group trip. And if you need more inspiration, check out the video below.
Terry Lawson Dunn, Founder
EcoTripMatch.com
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