Has anyone gone solo to the Panama Canopy Tower Lodge complex?

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GrandNagus50

GrandNagus50

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I am (always) planning ahead for possible bird and wildlife photography trips, and my latest brainstorming project is that I want to go somewhere this coming July or August, when normally I stick around home here in coastal California. I am intrigued by the Panama "Canopy Family" facilities, in no small part because visits there seem quite affordable when compared to professionally led bird photography tours and workshops. They also offer steep discounts during the "green" season, code for "rainy season." I don't mind some rain. I have looked over their website and they offer quite a variety of facilities and tour plans. They have the Canopy Tower, the Canopy Tower Lodge, Canopy Camp Darien, and various combinations of locations and outings.

I would be traveling solo and although I would be willing to hire a guide for a day or two, it would save me money to either go out on my own some days or else to join birding groups on day outings. Does anyone have experience with this place to share? Recommendations and advice?
 
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GrandNagus50 said:
I am (always) planning ahead for possible bird and wildlife photography trips, and my latest brainstorming project is that I want to go somewhere this coming July or August, when normally I stick around home here in coastal California. I am intrigued by the Panama "Canopy Family" facilities, in no small part because visits there seem quite affordable when compared to professionally led bird photography tours and workshops. They also offer steep discounts during the "green" season, code for "rainy season." I don't mind some rain. I have looked over their website and they offer quite a variety of facilities and tour plans. They have the Canopy Tower, the Canopy Tower Lodge, Canopy Camp Darien, and various combinations of locations and outings.

I would be traveling solo and although I would be willing to hire a guide for a day or two, it would save me money to either go out on my own some days or else to join birding groups on day outings. Does anyone have experience with this place to share? Recommendations and advice?
Click to expand...

What's your definition of "minding some rain?" August is not as bad as October but may mean a cm or two per day. The locals are very euphemistic when it comes to describing the weather that time of year. July is typically the driest of the green season.
 
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During the rainy season there may be roads that wash out and access limited during your trip. I have been researching a trip to Amboro NP and Carrasco NP in eastern Bolivia and it is 25 or more hours travel time from California. Thinking of first staying a week in Panama and then continuing on to Bolivia to break up the trip.

A friend was flying to Vancouver on holiday and his connection was through Seattle. His flight as well as many others was cancelled and he spend 3 days in Seattlye before he could get a flight back to Monterey. I have had flights cancelled for various reasons and with the pandemic travel insurance is worthless. I could see getting stuck in Houston or Los Angeles and not making it to my destination. At least in LA the food is amazing but still not a substitute for Panama much less Bolivia.

As it is I suggest arriving a full day early wherever you plan to hook up with a guide or group tour. When I book my own car and lodging and then rely on a local guide hired for the day in an area I have no lost deposits to worry about if everything goes sideways.
 
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We are headed to the Canopy Lodge and Canopy Tower this weekend. I'll provide some feedback when we return. We are doing a package that includes tours.

We went to Costa Rica last July for a bird photography trip and the weather was dry and pleasant for most of the time. We experienced a few moderate to heavy showers over 10 days, but never lost more than a couple of hours of shooting in a day.
 
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lpphototx said:
We are headed to the Canopy Lodge and Canopy Tower this weekend. I'll provide some feedback when we return. We are doing a package that includes tours.

We went to Costa Rica last July for a bird photography trip and the weather was dry and pleasant for most of the time. We experienced a few moderate to heavy showers over 10 days, but never lost more than a couple of hours of shooting in a day.
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July is my favorite month because of that. Lush and green and not crazy wet.
 
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In terms of how much rain one might anticipate during the "green season," I traveled to Costa Rica in August a while back, and it rained for an hour or so most afternoons and sometimes at night. But as Ipphototx indicated, this seemed only a mild inconvenience for birders and photographers. And besides, living in drought-plagued California, I actually would enjoy watching and listening to some rain somewhere in this world. In countries with a wet season, including Panama, life goes on year round, usually without catastrophe. That said, several people outside of the forum have told me about visiting the Canopy facilities during the green season and finding it a positive experience, relatively uncrowded. Since posting this query I have contacted the very pleasant people at the Canopy family, and actually the biggest impediment to a trip there for me is logistical, i.e., that given their schedule for picking up and dropping off at the airport in Panama City I have limited alternatives for flights from where I live (SF Bay Area). This is not an insurmountable problem, of course. The issue that the photographers I have communicated with also mention is that indeed, there is a difference between "birding" and photographing in a place like this, and that getting good pictures of most of the birds is harder work than it would be in some of the feeder-rich eco-lodges in Costa Rica and elsewhere.
 
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With Costa Rice the rainfall varies greatly by region during any given month. Wettest in the southwest part of the country and driest in the northwest area. This website has been invaluable for trip planning to the country.

Costa Rica Rainy Season - Monthly Rainfall Map

Costa Rica's rainy season is traditionally from May into December but precisely how wet it is depends on when and where. The rainfall map shows inches of accumulation for each month of the year in a dozen regions.
costa-rica-guide.com costa-rica-guide.com
 
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My wife and I arranged a private birding/photography trip in Feb 2017 to the Canopy Tower and Canopy Lodge through the Canopy Family. We had a guide on morning and late afternoon outings with transportation if needed. Both places have good photo ops from the lodge; the Tower form the roof and the Lodge around the feeders and nearby. The Pipeline road is a must near the Tower. I got some of my best pics of antbirds on that outing. I found both places most pleasant. The accommodations at the Tower are more basic but FAR better than we had on our trips to East Africa and Peru in the mid 1980s. While I would gladly return to either, next jaunt to Panama will be the Canopy Camp which is more remote.
 
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Calson said:
During the rainy season there may be roads that wash out and access limited during your trip. I have been researching a trip to Amboro NP and Carrasco NP in eastern Bolivia and it is 25 or more hours travel time from California. Thinking of first staying a week in Panama and then continuing on to Bolivia to break up the trip.
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Did you ever make it to Amboro? Unfortunately, the park is quite risky these days, being a center of coca production for the cocaine markets. Beautiful country, though. Probably the most spectacular park for birds in that entire part of So. America, in Bolivia’s northeast, is Noel Kempff. I’ve dreamt for years of organizing a trip there, but currently it’s also pretty much off limits.

Have you considered Madidi park? Pretty accessible through Rurrenabaque, though you still have to get to La Paz first, still a bit of a journey from the US. Your idea to go through Panama (Copa) is a great idea with the layover. We only spent a night there en route to Bolivia a couple of years ago and it was very enjoyable in the Casco Viejo. I’m hoping to get back to Bolivia later this year… I’m presently thinking about organizing a small photography tour, though I’m looking first into Uyuni and the southern deserts, so mainly landscapes I suppose. I lived many years in Bolivia, but didn‘t get to the southwest until the last couple of years, after I moved back to the States! Of course, I’d love to go back to Rurre and Madidi. And then there’s the Jesuit Missions, the Ruta de Che, the Chaco… :)
 
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Following. I am planning a visit to the Canopy Tower in June. First time visit to Central America. Interested in what distances will be most common. In other words, which lenses would make the best kit for this location.
 
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As the OP, I will report that I never did take that solo trip to Panama. But in two weeks I am joining Eagle Eye Tours (Canadian) for a ten-day birding trip in Panama, during which I will do my best to get photos. In response to the just-previous poster, most people who visit the Canopy Tower are most interested in bird photography, so plan accordingly.

One of the prized excursions is walking the famous Pipeline Road. One can walk a short distance or a long distance, so you can bring a great big lens like a 600 f4 or you can make do with a lighter rig for a longer walk. If I were going there with my Nikon gear, I would bring a 180-600mm zoom, the 800mm pf, and a 1.4x teleconverter.
 
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Visited here in December of 2021 - stayed 5 nights at the Lodge and 3 nights at the Tower. Was a fantastic trip! Great photographic opportunities during the daily excursions (we were on the bird tour, not a dedicated photography trip, but still had great photo ops). The folks at the Canopy Family are wonderful and do much to make everyone comfortable, and since they provide all the food, transportation, and guides we felt absolutely comfortable going on our own. They match you up with whoever has a stay close to yours in duration to make up the "group" you'll be in while there - generally have the same guide for the whole time as well, but sometimes they may change.

Our trip was the very end of the rainy season (lower rates) and rain didn't impact us too much - it was more of an issue at the Lodge than the Tower, and we just birded right through it (take a small umbrella!).

I did the trip with a Sony RX10 IV (it was my trying to travel light phase!) and it was not a great choice, but looking forward to going back with my R6 and 100-500mm (+1.4x TC) My photos/videos and a travel log with more details of the trip are here: https://express.adobe.com/page/isWLAdluxILtV/
 
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Picking up this thread: as my post from Feb. 20, 2024 indicated, I did not go to the Panama Canopy Tower/Lodge in 2022, and instead early in 2024 I went on a "birding" tour of Panama with Eagle Eye Tours, a British Columbia outfit. I will not say it was a bad tour, but only that it was emphatically a "birding" tour, and for a photographer it was sometimes frustrating. We spent much of the time craning our necks to catch quick glimpses of tiny birds ("There's a bentbill!") silhouetted against a bright-white sky. The leader was ticking off species left and right, but truth be told most of the participants got poor views or no views at all of many of the birds encountered. I have been on birding trips where photography seemed to fit better than this one. I got some ok photos, especially when we encountered an antibird "breakout" along the Pipeline Road. Woo hoo!

I brought my M43 gear on that trip: OM1 plus Olympus 150-400mm. If I did not get enough good photos on the trip it was not for lack of adequate optics. If anyone is interested, you are welcome to peruse my little photo album from that trip:

www.flickr.com

Panama March 2024

I traveled to Panama with Eagle Eye Tours to do some birding and take some photographs. It was difficult birding, with many (most) of the birds high in the canopy against a bright sky. I got a real crick in my neck! But there certainly were a lot of birds, over 300 species in all. I got photos...
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

After an active spring, I had resigned myself to spending this summer at home, quiet and inactive. But I am now getting itchy to go somewhere this summer. The Panama Canopy Tower/Lodge complex is very inexpensive to visit during "green season," and Copa Airlines flies direct from San Francisco to Panama City. It's tempting. If anyone is interested in going there the same time as me, let me know :). This will be a week or so in July or August; that's as far as I have thought this through.

Doug Greenberg
 
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I stayed at the Canopy Tower the first week of June. They are mostly set up for birders. The base package was for a room overnight, meals and one half day group tour with a guide. You could pay for additional half day afternoon trip with a group or with a private guide. I highly recommend a private guide since the birder groups are....well birders. I did not go solo but it was a vacation trip with my wife. She tagged along on most of the outings but is not a photographer, she just enjoyed the walks and the wildlife. We picked Canopy Tower largely because it was affordable. It would work as a solo trip if you can figure out transportation, but I think paying for a private guide would be more productive. There is a nice walk down the access road that I would recommend but the other spots require a 15 - 20 minute car ride. Photographing the surrounding canopy from the upper deck in the morning and evening also worked well. This is defintely NOT a wilderness outing but the photography opportunities were there.

You can see a few of my photos from the trip here https://coyotecreationsnw.pixieset.com/panamatrip/

Lens selection and shooting distances were a surprise.

Boat Trip on the canal from Gamboa was the highlight of the trip. Great variety of birds, reptiles, monkeys and even some small bats. All images shot at 400 and 560 mm.
Ammo Dump Pond - Open shooting across a marsh area. Most images taken at 400 or 560 mm but plenty of light.
Hummingbird Feeders - I had a ball here and filled to many memory cards. 300 mm was a good focal length for these habituated hummers but it was not as bright as I would have liked. I shot at f/4 a lot. f/5.6 lens would be limiting
Pipeline Road - Fewer birds but a beautiful and productive walk. This is more what you would expect from a rainforest. Low light and birds hidden in the foliage. I used a 70-200 f/2.8 for some shots in the lower canopy and used 400 mm at f/4 for birds in the upper canopy.
The Discovery Center was a bit disappointing. Trails are in dense forest with limited sightlines and lower light levels. 300 to 400 mm at f/4 was the best for the smaller birds I saw.
Summit Park (locals call it the Botanical Gardens) was a pleasant surprise. It is a mixture of open areas and trees. Easier to spot birds on the edges. Monkeys and small mammals were also around. Combination of smaller birds and some distance made 400 mm a good choice for many shots.
Local parks and the marina in Gamboa - Easily accessible with short walks. Many smaller birds and some herons.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
 
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GrandNagus50 said:
I am (always) planning ahead for possible bird and wildlife photography trips, and my latest brainstorming project is that I want to go somewhere this coming July or August, when normally I stick around home here in coastal California. I am intrigued by the Panama "Canopy Family" facilities, in no small part because visits there seem quite affordable when compared to professionally led bird photography tours and workshops. They also offer steep discounts during the "green" season, code for "rainy season." I don't mind some rain. I have looked over their website and they offer quite a variety of facilities and tour plans. They have the Canopy Tower, the Canopy Tower Lodge, Canopy Camp Darien, and various combinations of locations and outings.

I would be traveling solo and although I would be willing to hire a guide for a day or two, it would save me money to either go out on my own some days or else to join birding groups on day outings. Does anyone have experience with this place to share? Recommendations and advice?
Click to expand...
I do have a name for your - actually two. Bill and I hired Miguel Ibarra to put a trip to Panama together for us in October. Hes a birder who understands photographers. He also does frogs and other mammals if you are interested. You can find him on WhatsApp. I also looked at JOSANEL SUGASTI. His photos are really nice. I found him on Facebook.

I kind of wish I was going somewhere in July or August but promised myself I would stay home and finish all my processing from 2023. Yep, Columbia only has a hand full of images processed as we speak. 2023 was remodel after deciding to stay in our home of 29 years. It was mostly an individual so it was long. My desk top was packed away for 6 months. Ugh. Anyway, I will be excited to see what you decide and where you go and what you get.
 
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I did a solo trip to Canopy Tower back in February. Went down for a quick 3-day weekend from Houston. Like you my focus is more on photography than birding. You should definitely hire a private guide in that case, because it is a fairly regimented birding-focused program otherwise. I hired Carlos Bethancourt, who is the top guide for the Canopy Family properties and a wonderful guy. He trained all the other Canopy Family guides, and he was fantastic. He understood that my focus was on getting good photos and he took the time to locate birds in good locations and light to maximize the photography. This necessarily meant we didn’t cover as much ground or see as many species as the other groups, but he knew exactly where we should be to set up for the best shot and worked to get us and the bird into position. (Note that all the guides in Panama use portable bluetooth speakers to play calls and attract the birds, Carlos included, so if you’re not comfortable with that be forewarned.)

Here’s a link to an album of my photos from the trip. Keep in mind this was from just two and a half days of birding (and I haven’t processed all of them yet, but most): https://adobe.ly/45PfRbh
 
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Ben C said:
I did a solo trip to Canopy Tower back in February. Went down for a quick 3-day weekend from Houston. Like you my focus is more on photography than birding. You should definitely hire a private guide in that case, because it is a fairly regimented birding-focused program otherwise. I hired Carlos Bethancourt, who is the top guide for the Canopy Family properties and a wonderful guy. He trained all the other Canopy Family guides, and he was fantastic. He understood that my focus was on getting good photos and he took the time to locate birds in good locations and light to maximize the photography. This necessarily meant we didn’t cover as much ground or see as many species as the other groups, but he knew exactly where we should be to set up for the best shot and worked to get us and the bird into position. (Note that all the guides in Panama use portable bluetooth speakers to play calls and attract the birds, Carlos included, so if you’re not comfortable with that be forewarned.)

Here’s a link to an album of my photos from the trip. Keep in mind this was from just two and a half days of birding (and I haven’t processed all of them yet, but most): https://adobe.ly/45PfRbh
Click to expand...
I agree that Carlos is exceptional. I worked with him and two other guides during a longer stay. All three were very good at finding accessible birds for photography. A private guide is the best choice for photography. It was still a reasonably priced trip compared to most of the photography packaged tours.
 
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