About Plantation Road
Plantation Road starts at the foot of Semaphore Hill, off Gaillard Highway, in Soberanía National Park. It is an old graded dirt road that runs about four miles (6 km) through mature forest, following a small creek, the Río Chico Masambi.
In most places the forest here is clear of undergrowth, which makes it especially good for shy forest-interior birds that are hard to see elsewhere. There is also a good chance of finding an army-ant swarm, with the antbirds, woodcreepers and other birds that follow the ants across the forest floor.
The walk is longer and hillier than our other morning tours, and the reward is a quiet forest with fewer people and great birds.
What to expect
With an early start, expect to see 40 to 60 species by noon; fewer species than on more open sites, but harder-to-find ones. On a full day, a final count of 95 or more is common.
Fitness: Plantation Road is our most demanding morning walk (moderate to hard). If you prefer an easier morning nearby, try Old Gamboa Road or Pipeline Road.
Birds to look for
This list comes from our own tours, plus sightings shared by friends and clients. It changes all the time, so send us your sightings at info@guidedbirdtours.com. For everything else, see the Central Panama bird list.
Plantation Road runs through mature forest along a small creek, so most of its birds live in the forest interior: antbirds, antshrikes, woodcreepers, manakins, trogons and motmots, and the army-ant followers when a swarm is active. About 400 species have been recorded here. Below are the specialties and some of the birds you are most likely to see; the full list will be on our Panama bird list.
Specialties
- Sunbittern (along the creek, uncommon)
- Streak-chested Antpitta
- Ocellated Antbird (at ant swarms)
- Bicolored Antbird (at ant swarms)
- Black-breasted Puffbird
- Blue Cotinga (uncommon)
- Golden-collared Manakin (uncommon)
- Black Hawk-Eagle
- Spot-crowned Antvireo (uncommon)
- Great Jacamar (rare)
Also look for
- Broad-billed Motmot
- Rufous Motmot
- Black-throated Trogon
- Slaty-tailed Trogon
- White-tailed Trogon
- Keel-billed Toucan
- Collared Aracari
- White-whiskered Puffbird
- Red-capped Manakin
- Velvety Manakin
- Purple-throated Fruitcrow
- Dot-winged Antwren
- Checker-throated Stipplethroat (Antwren)
- Black-crowned Antshrike
- Spotted Antbird
- Chestnut-backed Antbird
- Black-faced Antthrush
- Cocoa Woodcreeper
- Cinnamon Woodpecker
- Golden-crowned Spadebill
- Song Wren
- Green Shrike-Vireo
- White-shouldered Tanager
- Gray-headed Tanager
- Scarlet-rumped Cacique
- Great Tinamou
What have we seen lately? Our guides log their sightings on eBird, the bird-checklist database run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. See our recent checklists from Plantation Road and the rest of Panama.
Practical information
Weather
Usually warm: mornings in the 70s °F (21–26 °C), afternoons in the 80s (27–32 °C), sometimes the low 90s (33 °C) and humid at midday. Rain can come any time, most often in the rainy season (about May to early December). We bird in the cooler hours, when birds are most active.
What to wear
Light clothing in earth colors, long pants (better than shorts), hiking shoes, a hat and a poncho. Bring insect repellent and sunscreen, and be ready for rain. Good hiking shoes matter here.
What to bring
Binoculars, a notebook and a camera if you like. Your guide carries a spotting scope and a field guide, and we bring drinking water.
Staying nearby
Gamboa has small family-run B&Bs and the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, and Panama City is about 35 minutes away. Ask us and we will help with the booking.
Food
There is nowhere to eat on Plantation Road itself. For lunch we offer El Encanto de Gamboa, a local fonda-style cafeteria in Gamboa, or the lobby restaurant or buffet at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort. Each traveler pays for their own meal.
Field guides we recommend
The Birds of Panama: A Field Guide by George Angehr and Robert Dean (2010), the main reference for Panama. An Illustrated Field Guide to the Birds of Panama by Ernesto Ponce and Giselle Muschett (2006), handy for quick checks.
