In 1998, twenty-six years ago, Cheryl Farmer and Arlene Golembiewski were the very first guests to stay at the Canopy Tower. Back then, the tower was a work in progress—there was no kitchen, no cook, and only one bathroom shared with the construction staff. Yet, for these adventurous birdwatchers, the opportunity to be immersed in Panama’s rainforest was irresistible.
Memories blur after 26 years, but one thing they remember vividly is how they ended up at the Canopy Tower. Arlene made the arrangements for a birdwatching trip through a US ecotravel agency. It booked Canopy Tower and two other birding spots for them, and a Panama Audubon Society birding guide, Carmen Martino. They were picked up at the airport by a friendly local guide, expecting to head straight to the tower—but instead, they were told, “You’ll go there tomorrow.” In the meantime, they met with Carmen and enjoyed an incredible day of birding.
The next day, they were taken to the tower, and they immediately understood why their arrival had been delayed—it wasn’t quite ready for guests!
“We were watching birds from the top of the tower, and we didn’t want to leave,” Cheryl recalls. “We thought, this would be like camping, but with a roof over our heads!”
At that moment, Raúl Arias de Para, Canopy Family’s founder and president, arrived to welcome them. He explained that staying wasn’t possible because the only thing they had were the mattresses that had just arrived that very day. The only bathroom available was the one used by the workers, and there was no proper kitchen.
Carmen Martino said, “No problem. I’ll bring towels and sheets and a picnic meal” and, the two women convinced Raúl to let them stay. That night, they sat alone on the upper observation deck surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest, watching the stars and waking up to birdsong and a breathtaking view of the Panama Canal.
“Raúl, we’re going to come back when it’s finished,” they promised.
“I don’t know why, but I started thinking about that last fall,” Cheryl recalls. She looked online and saw that Canopy Family was celebrating its 25th anniversary. “And I thought, it’s been 25 years and we still haven’t gone back. We better get going!”
Now, a quarter-century later, Cheryl and Arlene have returned to celebrate their visit—and their friendship. Much has changed: the Canopy Family has grown to include two more lodges, the forest around the tower has grown taller (since when it was a radar station, it was trimmed to properly monitor the Panama Canal), and there are now private bathrooms! But the magic of Semaphore Hill and its iconic tower remains.
“The diversity of birds is still here,” Arlene notes. “It’s a credit to Raúl and his team for preserving this environment.”
This time, they visited both the Canopy Tower and the Canopy Lodge. Their return was met with a heartwarming surprise: a special celebration organized by the staff, complete with a heart-shaped cake and a welcome-back sign.
While enjoying a nice conversation with Raúl in the Canopy Lodge living room, surrounded by the sounds of the cloud forest birds they had been appreciating so much, they knew they had kept their promise. “We had to come back,” says Cheryl, “We are so glad we did!”
