6-night, all-inclusive nature tour (first night at Riande Hotel)
2024 dates
- Butterflies of Canopy Camp Darien I: May 16th – 22nd, 2024 (May 16th at Riande hotel).
- Butterflies of Canopy Camp Darien II: August 3rd – 9th, 2024 (August 3rd at Riande hotel)
- No extension for Canopy Camp is available for December 2024.
Darién is a land of new discoveries; this area is truly revered for its vast untouched rainforest, and its close connection to South America ensures that there is still much to be discovered here, butterflies included! Long renowned as a birding mecca, Darién is fast becoming known for all its flora and fauna. Butterflies adorn all habitats and there is so much to explore! During this 5-night tour, we seek out some of Darién’s most intriguing butterflies, many found nowhere else in Central America. Based at the Canopy Camp, we enjoy daily excursions to some of the best butterflying sites in the area. There is plenty here to keep our eyes, binoculars and cameras busy! Come join the expert Canopy Family butterfly guides as we explore the lowlands of Panama’s fabled Darién Province.
6-night, all-inclusive butterfly tour
- Butterflies are the main focus of this tour, as we will find and identify as many species as possible.
- An average of 182 butterfly species are seen.
- Photographic opportunities are plentiful, but this is not a strictly “photographic tour.”
- While searching for butterflies we will also see birds, mammals, reptiles and other insects. Though we won’t concentrate on these, we will certainly ID as many as possible.
- Butterflies will be identified near, far and in-between, so bring camera and binoculars!
- The guides will have a spotting scope that can also be used for digiscoping (with your phone) for images of the more obliging species!
- A light and sheet will be used to attract moths, katydids, mantids and other insects to enjoy and photograph, but be aware that we will not be able to ID most of these.
This butterfly tour may also be combined with the Brilliant Butterflies of Panama tour for the ultimate Panama butterfly experience!
Rate for this tour (2024): $1,595
Rate for this tour (2025): $1,755
Rate is US$ per person (+ taxes), double occupancy. This all-inclusive butterfly tour includes lodging and meals at the Canopy Camp, bilingual professional guides, WiFi, wine with dinner, airport transfers to and from Panama City and all tours as per the itinerary. Please check with our reservations office for the times of our scheduled airport transfers to coordinate your arrival and departure times.
This tour does not include flights to and from Panama City, all taxes, private airport transfers, tips and alcoholic beverages.
This tour is limited to 12 participants.
To book this special nature package, please contact us. Spaces are limited so book your spot on this butterfly tour now!
Itinerary at a glance
Some of the sites we plan to visit during the tour:
El Salto Road: We will start near the beginning of El Salto just off the Panamerican Highway and walk down this wide dirt road bordered by grassy edges and forest, keeping an eye out for a large variety of butterflies. As we butterfly our way along the road we will scan ahead for wet areas as they often attract some interesting species! On another morning, we will drive in farther before we begin our search.
El Salto Trail: El Salto Road ends at the river where there is an excellent grassy trail that cuts through the forest. The weedy edges and sunny patches are great butterfly habitat. We never know what we may find under a leaf! We will also check the river bank for puddling butterflies.
Nuevo Vigia Embera Village: If weather conditions permit, we will spend most of a day at this small Embera community. The day consists of a boat trip up-river where we will make a river bank landing and head into the village. We will spend time in a large grassy/weedy field as it usually holds numerous species of skippers, crescents and longwings, among others. It is here where we will keep a sharp eye out for Red Peacock! At the back of the field there is a forested trail we will also explore. We will enjoy a picnic lunch under the community’s thatched roof common area. During lunch the Embera women will display baskets, plates and masks they have woven by hand, some of which can take several months to complete. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase a keepsake of your time in the Darién and to support the local Embera community!
Canopy Camp grounds: The lodge’s grounds include the open areas between the dining/meeting area and the tents where flowering shrubs are planted, the road leading to the camp and a forested trail. We will butterfly here on our first afternoon after we settle into our tents. This area can be “butterflied” every day after lunch before we had out for our afternoon location.
This tour begins at 7:00 am at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel near Tocumen International Airport near Panama City. It is best combined with our Brilliant Butterflies of Panama tour, a fantastic week of butterflying at the Canopy Lodge and Canopy Tower prior to the tour dates, or a birding tour of your choice before or after! The tour finishes at the Riande Aeropuerto Hotel by mid-afternoon on the last day of the tour.
Please note that the itinerary is flexible, and may change without prior notice due to weather, alterations in habitat or other conditions.
Canopy Camp
Canopy Camp Darien is an African-style tented camp located in the Darién lowlands. It provides an excellent base to search the surrounding area for butterflies that aren’t found in other areas of Panama. Since Canopy Family has been offering butterfly tours to the area, we have added numerous species that have not previously been recorded in Panama. There is always a chance to find a new species for Panama or even an undescribed species when butterflying this little-explored area!