HOW TO SEE PANAMA’S HARPY EAGLES

WHEN TO GO

Harpy eagles can be seen year-round. Tourist high season, when it is mainly dry, is December–April; most rain falls in May–October.

Visit in October–December to experience one of the world’s great avian spectacles. Three million North American hawks, kites and vultures migrate south across the isthmus of Panama, and many millions of songbirds, waders and other migratory birds also pass through.

GETTING THERE

There are no direct flights to Panama City from the UK, but KLM flies direct from Amsterdam, Air France from Paris, Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Iberia from Madrid.

ACCOMMODATION

Canopy Tower and its sister locations Canopy Camp and Canopy Lodge can be visited on all-inclusive seven-night birding packages, which offer a chance of spotting harpy eagles as well as many other rainforest species. Details at www.canopytower.com.

Some wildlife tour companies that stay here include Geodyssey (www. geodyssey.co.uk; 02072 817788), Greenwings ( http://greenwings.co; 01473 254658), Journey Latin America (www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk; 02038 117378), Naturetrek (www. naturetrek.co.uk; 01962 733051), Steppes Travel (www.steppestravel.com; 01285 601765) and Wild About Travel (www.wildabouttravel.co.uk; 01480 370593).