Nature

Panama is blessed with splendid biodiversity found within magnificent rainforests, spectacular seas and ancestral indigenous cultures. Home to more than 960 species of birds, 220 species of mammals, 240 species of reptiles, 175 species of amphibians and over 10,000 species of vascular plants. Impressively, more than 25 percent of Panama is protected by national parks and nature reserves. Throughout the country eco-tours are available with professional guides and include short excursions to weekend long adventures.

Greenway Trails

At the heart of the trails is the Canopy Tower, located in the heart of Soberanía National Park, and virtually surrounded by the best birding spots in Central Panama. Most of these such as the Plantation Road, El Charco Trail, Old Gamboa Road South and North and Summit Gardens are a mere 10 minute drive from the Tower, and others, such as the Metropolitan Nature Park, or the world famous Pipeline Road, are less than half an hour away. The Canopy Tower is located on the Atlantic Slope, but very close to the continental divide. Therefore, it is a great place from which to get a good sense of the differences in habitat between the two slopes, and the different birds that inhabit them.

Parks

More than a quarter of Panama's total land area is protected as national parks and wildlife refuges, providing a multitude of fascinating places to explore. There are 15 national parks and more than two dozen protected areas.

Rain Forest

There are two kinds of rainforest in Panama with totally different flora and fauna-jungle tropical rainforest and highland cloud forest. The tropical-humid type rainforests can be found in the Soberania National Park just outside Panama City and in the vast jungles of the Darien National Park in East Panama. The second type of rainforest is the "cloud forests", highland forests, misty, damp and cool. Panama's cloud forests are located on Panama's border with Costa Rica in the Amistad National Park.

The rainforests offer sanctuary to more than 960 species of birds and 1,200 species of orchids. Did you know that Panama has the greatest number of animal species in the world?

Smithsonian

Dedicated to the understanding of biological diversity, the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution (STRI) in Panama is a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution based outside of the United States. Founded in1923 as a small field station on Barro Colorado Island, in the Panama Canal Zone, today it is one of the leading research institutions of the world. STRI's facilities provide a unique opportunity for long-term ecological studies in the tropics, and are used extensively by some 900 visiting scientists from academic and research institutions in the United States and around the world every year.