Advertising: Cloud Forest Cats, Bats, Rats and more. Panama, July 2027
I had such a great visit to the Tamandua Cloud Forest Lodge in Panama in June that I will be returning next year with legendary field biologist, photographer and all round good guy Jose Gabriel Martinez.
This lodge is likely the best place in the world to see Northern Oncilla, with one or more animals visiting nearly every night. During just over a day there this year I saw the oncilla, along with a Tayra, Long-tailed Weasel and multiple Cacomistles and the rare Bangs’s Mountain Squirrels.
The cloud forest is home to a suite of interesting bats and rodents and we will be trying to catch as many species as possible during our three nights here. With very little effort I’ve found Long-tailed Singing Mouse, Desmarest’s Spiny Pocket Mouse, Talamancan Deermouse, Talamancan and Chitiquian Harvest plus Boquete Rice Rat and the very rare Harris’s Rice Rat. Plus I’ve seen Handley’s Tailless Bat and the barely known Armién’s Myotis up here even though I have not done any netting.
With mammal catcher extraordinaire Jose Gabriel coming along this list should grow considerably! They also have a ton of nice birds there and everything is geared around photography.
Jose and I are still tinkering with the overall itinerary, but it should also include three nights at two sites closer to Panama City, which should be excellent for bats and produce a range of larger Central American species too.
The dates will be July 13th- 19th (2027) starting and ending in Panama City. The price will be about $4700 per person. Quite expensive for a week in Panama I know, but the Cloud Forest Lodge is an upmarket place: one of the most comfortable lodges I’ve ever stayed in with wonderful food. Proof that mammalwatching is not all mud, sweat and instant noodles.
There will be eight of us in the group including Jose and me, and there are four places open. Please contact me if you would like to come along and we will send through the final itinerary very soon.
Jon
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