THE PARROTS OF PANAMA - MAY/JUNE 2026

booking form

Enquiry Form

PRICE of main Parrot Watching Ecotour.
$ 7250 per person sharing a double/twin room
​$ 450 single supplement
DEPOSIT $1500
MAXIMUM 7 People on this trip which includes myself.
Balance to be paid 60 days before the start of the trip.
Includes all road transfers within Panama, accommodation, meals (from dinner on 20th May to lunch on 4th June),
water,
transport including drivers,
English speaking guide plus local guides,
all entry fees to National Parks and private ranches.
boat trips.
NOT included:-
International flights, insurance, visas, airport taxes,  drinks, souvenirs, tips, any additional activities not mentioned in the itinerary.

Below is a Youtube video of the Parrot Festival celebrating the Great-green Macaws and all other Parrots of the Mariato region of Panama in 2025

Panama - 20th May - 4th June 2026
We are going at the best time of year to have a chance of seeing the very rarely seen Azuero Parakeet, an endemic bird of Panama, as we travel with the Conservation Team working with these Parakeets and the Great-green Macaws.
An amazing trip with many rare Parrots and lots of other birds.

ITINERARY
​20th May - Arrive in Panama - Airport to Gamboa Rainforest Reserve
We arrive in the late afternoon and will have a transfer to our hotel in Gamboa about one hour from the International airport - Overnight Gamboa
​
21st May - Gamboa Rainforest Reserve to Boquete
Early AM birding around the hotel which has some Parrots to be found in the grounds such as Red-lored and Mealy Amazons as well as Crimson- fronted Parakeet.
Mid-morning we will travel to Boquete stopping for lunch on the way.
Overnight Boquete

​22nd May - Boquete
We will spend these two full days exploring the Talamanca mountains in the highland region surrounding the town of Boquete. Here we will be seeking out our main highland parrot targets: Barred Parakeet, Redfronted Parrotlet, Crimson-fronted Parakeet, and Sulphur-winged Parakeet. We will also no doubt come across many other species endemic to the Talamanca highlands - Black-thighed Grosbeak, Yellow-winged Vireo, Yellowish Flycatcher, Ruddy Treerunner, Streak-breasted Treehaunter, Purplethroated Mountain-gem, Golden-browed Chlorophonia, Spangle-cheeked Tanager, and Long-tailed and Black-and-yellow silky-flycatchers are all found here.
Overnight Boquete

​23rd May - Boquete
Today we look for the parrots we may have missed the previous day but also have a chance to look for the Resplendant Quetzal, obviously not a parrot but a really stunning bird to see especially the male. Barred Parakeets are about but usually flying high. This time of year they travel around in large groups for security and a more relaxed time for them to feed, in fact during a trip to Guatemala in 2023 we came across a huge group of these Parakeets, at a similar time of year to this trip, eating at a low level and giving us many opportunities to take photos of them.
Red-fronted Parrotlets are going to be the tricky ones. They are very rare and very small with good camouflage but we will try. I have seen these before but only a quick fly-by so I am hoping we have good chances on this trip.
Overnight Boquete

​24th May - Boquete to Heliconia
We have a last chance to see parrots here today as after breakfast we transfer to the Azuero Peninsula. We will arrive in time to check for parrots around the lodge.
Blue-headed Parrots and Brown-throated Parakeets can be found here.
The Brown-throated Parakeet is an almost endemic-sub-species of Panama which has only recently moved over the border into South-east Costa Rica
Overnight Hotel Heliconia

​25th May - Hotel Heliconia to Coiba Island National Park
An early short transfer to the coast where we will take a 2.5 hour boat trip to Coiba Island. On the boat we have chances of seeing a variety of marine life including whales and dolphins.
Coiba Island is part of Panama, off the country’s Pacific Coast, in the Gulf of Chiriquí. Once a penal colony, it’s now part of Coiba National Park, which is known for its diverse marine life and jungle animals including white-faced monkeys. Dive sites on Bahia Damas Reef are home to manta rays, whales and hammerhead sharks. 
This is probably the best place to see Scarlet Macaws in Panama. There are other parrots on the island such as Mealy Amazons but the priority will be the Macaws.
During the heat of the day we have a chance of doing some snorkelling.
There are no overnight facilities on the island so instead of making the long boat trip back to Heliconia we will stay at Bahia Honda.
Overnight Bahia Honda

​26th May - Coiba to Hotel Heliconia
Another morning to see the Scarlet Macaws or any of the other parrots we find on the island.
After lunch we will transfer back to Heliconia.
Overnight Hotel Heliconia

27th May - Parrot Watching in the Mariato region which is close to the lodge
Our main targets today will be the Brown-throated Parakeet and the Panamanian sub-species of the Yellow-crowned Amazon.
The Panamaniam Yellow-crowned Amazon can be found throughout Panama although it is present in North-west Colombia and has over the recent years moved into the South-east of Costa Rica
Overnight Hotel Heliconia

28th May - Cerro Hoya
​Early morning transfer to the Cerro Hoya area.
Our first day to look for the Great-green Macaws and the Azuero Parakeet.
Great-green Macaws are extremely rare throughout their range and the Azuero Parakeet is totally endemic to the mountains of Cerro Hoya National Park, Panama however they are being monitored by a local conservation project just for these two species and we will be accommpanied by members of this project to help us find them. We will spend the full day seeking out this unique parakeet, as well as other psittacines.
​Overnight Hotel Heliconia

29th May - Cerro Hoya
Another full day to look for the Great-green Macaws and the Azuero Parakeets.
We may come across some other parrots including Brown-throated, Crimson-fronted, and Orange-chinned parakeets and Blue-headed-Parrot, and if very lucky, we may even come across Scarlet Macaw again in the lowlands!
Along the way, we may come across other interesting birds, such as Orange-collared and Lance-tailed manakins, Blue-throated Goldentail, Black-chested Jay, Crested Oropendola, among many others.
Overnight Hotel Heliconia

​30th May - Hotel Heliconia
Today we have been invited to join in the festivities to celebrate World Parrot Day and the local villages have planned a Great-green Macaw Festival dedicated to this magnificent bird.
However we still have chances in the early morning and late afternoon to look for the parrots we have missed in this area or take more photos of the ones we see.
Overnight Hotel Heliconia

31st May - Hotel Heliconia to Panama City
A last chance to look around this area for the Parrots that we may have missed or try for better photos or check out the other species of birds and wildlife that live here.
After breakfast we will transfer back to our hotel in Panama City.
This afternoon we can enjoy some birding around the hotel grounds – Orange-chinned Parakeets as well as Red-lored and Yellow-crowned parrots can be seen while exploring the grounds, as well as Redcrowned Woodpecker, Roadside Hawk, Clay-colored Thrush, Crimson-backed and Blue-gray tanagers, and Thick-billed Euphonia, among many others, can be seen here
Overnight Panama City

1st June - Panama City to Cerro Azul
Today we will enjoy a day of birding in the cooler foothills of Cerro Azul and Chagres National Park. It is one of the places near central Panama where Blue-fronted Parrotlet can be seen. We will search the quiet streets with hopes of finding this elusive bird which is our main target. Cerro Azul is also a wonderful place for
birding, and one of the best spots to look for Yellow-eared Toucanet, Sulphur-rumped, Emerald, Speckled and Rufous-winged tanagers, Black-eared Wood-Quail, White-ruffed Manakin and the endemic Stripe-cheeked Woodpecker! We will scan the open vistas for King Vulture and Black-and-white Hawk-Eagle. It is a paradise for
hummingbirds and hummingbird photography – Violet-capped Hummingbird, Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, Bronze-tailed Plumeleteer, Green Hermit, Purple-crowned Fairy and Rufous-crested Coquette can be found here. We will enjoy a picnic lunch in the field, surrounded by the beautiful nature and climate of Cerro Azul.
Late afternoon we will go back to our hotel in Panama City.
Overnight Panama City

2nd June - Panama City to Nusagandi
We will depart the hotel early this morning and drive 1.5 hours east to Nusagandi, a vast area of the Caribbean slope of Panama. The Nusagandi Reserve is a protected area of the Guna Yala indigenous people and is one of the best places to find Blue-fronted Parrotlet. Although it has a vast range from Central Panama and east into Colombia down the west coast and into Ecuador it is rarely seen and even more rarely photographed however we have two full days in this region to give us the best chances to see this small parrot. We will make a concerted effort to seek out fruiting trees where we may find them perched and feeding, for photo opportunities. Other parrots that can be found in this biodiverse area include Blue-headed and Brown-hooded parrots, as well as Mealy and Red-lored Amazons.
In addition to searching for our main target, this forest along the continental divide shields several important birds such as the unique Sapayoa and range-restricted Spiny-faced (Speckled) Antshrike, and if desired, we can explore the trails, streams, and roadsides where these and many other species, including Black-and-yellow Tanager, Carmiol’s Tanager, Blackcrowned Antpitta, Stripe-throated Wren, Band-tailed Barbthroat, White-tipped Sicklebill, Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon, Tawny-capped Euphonia, Central American Pygmy-Owl, and Purplish-backed and Olive-backed quaildoves can be found.
Overnight Konsenda San Blas

3rd June - Nusagandi
Our second day to look for the Blue-fronted Parrotlets and along the way we will see numerous other birds and several more Parrot species.
Overnight Konsenda San Blas

4th June - Nusagandi to Panama City
We will have a final day of birding in the Nusagandi area in hopes of more views of the Blue-fronted Parrotlet or other birds.
After lunch we will return to Panama City where you will dropped off at the airport for our evening flights home.

Parrots to be seen on this trip:-
Scarlet Macaw - Ara macao macao
Great-green Macaw - Ara ambiguus
Crimson-fronted Conure - Psittacara finschi
Brown-throated Conure - Eupsittula pertinax ocularis
Azuero Conure - Pyrrhura eisenmanni - (Panama endemic species)
Eastern Sulphur-winged Conure - Pyrrhura hoffmanni gaudens - ( Panama endemic sub-species)
Blue-fronted Parrotlet - Touit dilectissimus
Red-fronted Parrotlet - Touit costaricensis
Orange-chinned Parakeet - Brotogeris jugularis jugularis
Brown-hooded Parrot - Pyrilia haematotis coccincollaris
Blue-headed Parrot - Pionus menstruus rubrigularis
Red-lored Amazon - Amazona autumnalis salvini
Yellow-crowned Amazon - Amazona ochrecephala panamensis
​Mealy Amazon - Amazona farinosa virenticeps
​Please note:-
I cannot guarantee seeing all or any of these Parrots however we will have a great guide to help us in every way possible.
We will see lots of other bird and animal species.