Those who have not visited Canopy Tower might be tempted to think that is it solely a place where avid bird watchers go to enlarge their respective life lists. I myself at one time held this mistaken impression as well. However now that I’m here, I have come to understand what a spectacular place Canopy Tower truly is. It’s more than just bird watching – it’s an experience that encompasses all the senses. Yes, to be sure, there are birds to be seen – close to 1,000 in the entire country in fact – and yes, the Canopy Tower guides who day-in and day-out lead visiting guests out into the field to see a remarkable portion of those birds are among the finest, most highly skilled nature guides to be found anywhere in the world. However to come here and not find ones self at first overwhelmed, then enthralled, and finally enraptured by the totality of the experience, from the food and hospitality of the lodge itself to the wonders of nature in the tropics that unfold anew before one with each passing moment, would be to impoverish one’s senses as well as one’s spirit in a way that might never be remedied for the rest of one’s life. One only need contemplate the sun setting over the surrounding forest from the observation deck of the tower to bring this all into perfect clarity.

Sunset over the forest surrounding Canopy Tower, Panama