Canopy Camp
Darien National Park, Panama
Tented Lodge / Safari Camp
The Darién Province in eastern Panama has long been regarded as one of the most diverse and species-rich regions in all of Central America playing host to both Central American birds as well as South American species at the northern limit of their range. Renowned for rare and endemics species, access to this area has been limited but now with a new road and the fantastic new Canopy Camp opened in 2013, birders can enjoy the avian specialties of this rich area in comfort.
After the opening of the Canopy Lodge in El Valle in 2005, Raúl was already thinking about another high-quality birding eco-lodge in Panama, to add to the family. The Canopy B&B was well into its renovations in Gamboa and set to open in late 2011. With a dream to expand the Canopy Family into the fabled Darién region, Raúl started searching for a good property in 2010. Month after month, Raúl and his team visited various lots, met with locals and explored the area, looking for a suitable location to set up an eco-lodge. In September 2011, they found a property perfect for the future Canopy Camp – within good road proximity for ease of access, and in the buffer zone of a protected area for optimal wildlife viewing. By good fortune, the teak plantation that Raúl started in 1990 was ready to be harvested, and much of the teak was used in the construction of the tent platforms and flooring, bathroom details, and main lodge at the Canopy Camp.
Why tents? Paul Zway, friend of the Canopy Family and owner of Exclusive Tents, visited Panama and offered Raúl a couple of tents; Paul provided good ideas and advice for establishing a tented eco-lodge, and Raúl’s ideas,
ingenuity and imagination flowed from there, creating what is now, Canopy Camp Darien.
CANOPY CAMP & ACCOMMODATIONS:
The newly constructed Canopy Camp has seven luxury African safari-style tents. This includes two Tent Suites and five Standard tents. Inside, the tents have a wood floor and screened windows with zip openings so they can close partially or completely. All of the tents have adjacent but private bathroom facilities including shower, sink, and flush toilet. Both Tent Suites, one of which has a queen bed while the other has two twin beds, have more space than a standard tent.
The Camp’s central building has a dining room, kitchen, and library (with a charging station for batteries, laptops, cameras, etc.), and a terrace overlooking the forest. Energy is provided by solar panels plus propane in the kitchen.
Canopy Camp
Accommodation
Safari Tents
Facilities
Private Facilities 24hr – Electricity Solar Hot & Cold Water Laundry Service Available Fans Wifi Mobile Phone Coverage Non Smoking
Naturalist / Guide
Resident GuideGuide can be arrangedGuided WalksNight Walks / Drives Boat Trips Near Migration HotspotNear National Park / Reserve (less than 50km)Butterfly GardenMoth /Insect Night LightAnimal FeedersNear Stream or River Reference BooksMapsChecklists
Trails
Private TrailsWithin accommodation grounds or up to 1 mile away
Food
Restaurant / DiningBreakfastLunchDinner Picnic / Lunch Boxes Shop / Store
Species List - English
- Harpy Eagle 11-50km
- Dusky-backed Jacamar 11-50km
- Crested Eagle 2-10km
- Grey-cheeked Nunlet 1km
- Black Oropendola 1km
- Great Green Macaw 1km
- Spectacled Parrotlet 1km
- Spot-crowned Barbet 1km
- Northern Royal Flycatcher 1km
- Great Jacamar 11-50km
Species List - Scientific
- Harpia harpyja 11-50km
- Brachygalba salmoni 11-50km
- Morphnus guianensis 2-10km
- Nonnula frontalis 1km
- Psarocolius guatimozinus 1km
- Ara ambiguus 1km
- Forpus conspicillatus 1km
- Capito maculicoronatus 1km
- Onychorhynchus mexicanus 1km
- Jacamerops aureus 11-50km
