Canopy Tower

Perched on a hilltop inside Soberanía National Park, the Canopy Tower is a converted US Air Force radar installation that now puts you level with the forest crown rather than peering up at it from the understorey. The open observation deck sits roughly 30 metres above the ground, and on a clear morning you are genuinely eye-to-eye with toucans, tanagers, and raptors riding thermals over the Canal watershed.

It is one of the few places in the world where the canopy comes to you.

Birding here runs on a rhythm set by light and heat. You will want to be on deck before sunrise, when mixed-species flocks move through the surrounding Gigante Ridge forest and King Vultures begin their slow, tilting circles overhead. White-necked Jacobins work the flowering trees at close range, and patient watching along the pipeline road below can produce a White-tipped Sicklebill if the heliconias are flowering.

The guides on staff are exceptional — several hold decades of experience in Soberanía and know individual territories well. They use recordings sparingly and responsibly, which I appreciate.

Access is straightforward: the tower sits about an hour from Panama City along the old Pipeline Road corridor, and transfers are easily arranged. The all-inclusive format means meals, guiding, and accommodation in compact en-suite rooms are bundled together, which removes logistical faff but does carry a premium price. Geoffroy's Tamarins are reliable bonus mammals, often visible from the deck itself.

Soberanía birding peaks between December and April, when dry-season conditions keep trails passable and migrant species swell the resident list — bring a light scope for the raptor watching and rubber boots for any pipeline road excursions.