Darien
The rainforest in the Darien National Park is so thick that it is the only place where the Panamerican highway running Alaska to Patagonia, does not penetrate.
This truly wild and nature-dense region is heaven for adventurers, birders and nature lovers. It is home to the Harpy Eagle, the world’s largest predator bird, once in danger of extinction and now on its way back thanks to Panamanian conservationists and the Pelegrine Foundation.
What To Do
Sport Fishing and a Top Nature Lodge
The Darien is also home to the Tropic Star Lodge at Pinas Bay, the location of more fishing world records than any place else in the world (more than 170).
Renowned author Zane Grey, searching for Black Marlin in the late 1920's, first discovered a great reef in Pinas Bay off the Pacific Coast of Panama that supports aquatic life beyond imagination. In 1961, a Texas oil baron built his dream home on the mountain overlooking Pinas Bay, which is now the main building of the lodge.
A paradise sliced from the side of a mountain, it stands surrounded by dense jungle rich in wildlife, tropical flora and a secluded beach. High adventure and luxury meet as the lodge is world famous for its personalized attention, comfort and good food.
The Tropic Star Lodge has recently opened as an ecolodge. Lonely Planet Panama calls it "one of Panama's top nature retreats." The lodge offers one of the most remote locations in the world, in a pristine jungle environment. River kayaking, nature trail, visits to remote Indian villages and birding are some of the attractions (and you always can come home to comfort and pampering by the Tropic Star staff).
Adventure
Hardcore adventurers can arrange a cross-isthmus trek, duplicating what Spanish conquistadores and many a 49er on his way to the Gold Rush in California experienced. Soft adventure trips are also available for which there are some comfortable field stations.
Birding
Movie Star Sean Connery with environmentalist and Mayor of Panama City Juan Carlos Navarro , birding on the Piedra Candela trail in Punta Patiño. Darien National Park, March 2003.
Birders can count on seeing any number of rare tropical birds without too much sweat. As Lonely Planet writes, “There are places in the park where you can sit back and watch four species of macaw fly by with outstanding frequency.”
Ancon Expeditions has even located a few Harpie Eagle nests and so there is a the first time ever opportunity to view the chicks and doting parents of this rare, magnificient bird.
Birding, Nature Tours and Adventure Treks in the Darien
Ancon Expeditions arranges birding and nature tours for those interested in both soft adventure and something more daring like a cross Isthmus trek.