Very poor waste of more than 200USD for two of us. Yes, we were quite late in booking our trip because we only knew we were going a few weeks before and it is peak season but our guide Rafael was hopeless. We had to pay up-front without knowing the guide’s name and he had no binoculars which is a complete joke in rainforest. He could therefore find very little (just a few big things) and spent most of his time looking at his phone; yes, he was trying to use Merlin to tell him what the calls were sometimes (!), but he had no playback, weak skills, obviously no scope and was not engaging or putting in much effort. Very much a part-time guide for the very amateur birder but no use for us. We found most of what we saw and, while occasionally he could ID something correctly, he would sometimes try to question our ID when it was right. First bird of the day, lineated woodpecker, he thought was a ringed kingfisher. It is tricky without binoculars! Camera cannot work the same way. Little apology, no compensation; we cancelled our other day. Find out who your guide is in advance and if you are a serious birder, beware! We had a brilliant guide the other days (Mario Ocana) who is freelance; he found and knew loads and it was magic. This day spoilt our trip a bit.

I was able to see many birds from the lobby of the hotel. I did not need to pay for any tour’s to enjoy nature. One just needs to know what time and where to look. Ask the hotel employees. They will let you know all that you need to know to have a good time.

Natalia was incredible. She was very knowledgeable about the birds in the area. She was great at pointing out where the birds were at, and talking about their behavior. She was very nice, and easy to talk to.

Wow what a fantastic trip! Collected early from outside where we were staying - this was not on the listed hotels but en-route so we were very happy they agreed to collect us so we didn't have to Uber to another listed location. Javier was our driver and drove us safely for the trip. Some of the roads are challenging! The vehicle was really comfortable too! Natalia was our guide - she spoke excellent English and had a great knowledge of the birds and wildlife. She spotted so many birds and wildlife you wouldn't otherwise see! She bought along a scope and helped us take photos though it so we have some amazing photos to remember the day. It's definitely worth paying the extra cost for the tower in the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre. This was actually a fairly easy climb despite how high it is and is so worth it. We saw toucans (multiple times), parrots and many other birds and butterflies. It was brilliant! We walked the trail and saw poison dart frogs, frogs, leaf cutter ants marching - and their huge cities - agouti mum and babies, sleeping sloth, coati and so many birds! We took a bird guide from home and saw lots that weren't on this - if you bring one, get the most detailed you can carry! We saw kiskadee, trigon, Turkey vulture, flycatcher, antsthrike, 2 kinds of toucan, 2 kinds of parrot, cinnamon woodpecker, scaled pigeon, puffbird and more! The hummingbirds were incredible to watch - there were 4 kinds we watched. The place you watch the hummingbirds had good coffee (included in the tour) and clean bathrooms. Bring plenty of water as it's so humid! Wear appropriate clothes and insect spray as the insects are very busy when you walk to the lake. We weren't rushed at all - there were only 3 of us and we had lots of time to watch, take photos and walk slowly. It was a brilliant trip which I would love to do again when we come back to Panama

The guide provided, Natalia, was pleasant and competent. No problems there. The problem came with communication with the owner, Gonzalo. Yes, we did request a change in schedule (due to illness). This was on short notice and if Gonzalo had stated, politely, that he required full payment for the three days (per our original agreement), rather than two, I would have paid as agreed in our contract. Before that could be discussed, he accused me of trying to cheat him (due to a mathematical error on HIS part) out of his balance he told me was due. I have dealt with, literally, dozens of guides and lodges in Latin America. Most have been great, some only average, but all polite. Never insulting. Was not justified on his part. Would certainly prevent me from ever recommending his service to anyone.

Our day started beginning with a beautiful sunrise followed by a four hour hike. Today’s venture took us to Metropolitan Natural Park in Panama City. Javier, our wonderful driver picked us up and we met our amazing guide, Natalia, who also guided us on the Pipeline tour. On this tour we saw two types of toucans, a two-toed AND a three-toed sloth, a tamarin monkey with a baby, a crimson crested woodpecker, a flock of parakeets and many other birds and mammals. Another great day in Panama City and tour provided by Guided Bird Tours.

We had the pleasure of taking the Pipeline tour through Guided Bird Tours. We left the hotel in Panama City with our wonderful driver Javier at 6AM to take a tour where we drove along the Panama Canal to the midway point, the town of Gamboa, where we did some of the best birding in Panama along the Pipeline Road. We then visited the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center. Our guide for the day, Natalia, was amazing and could pick out the tiniest of birds many yards away. In addition to many birds, we also saw howler monkeys, a three-toed sloth, and poison dart frogs. Some of our favorite birds were toucans, parrots, a screech owl, and hummingbirds.

We went birding with Gonzalo who picked us up at our hotel. We stopped in Gamboa center (about 1 hour from Panama centro) to pick up a local guide too. We went birding in Parque Nacional Soberania along a road that had many birds. We went early and there was only 1 other couple there with a guide. We then went to the Rainforest Discovery Center and hiked there. Nice walk and some birds. Did see the pootoo which is an elusive bird to see as well as flycatchers and some others. Was a wonderful outing after which we all had lunch at the small fonda right in Gamboa. Great local food.

This was an incredible tour. Because the tour was run by a local company, I contacted them on WhatsApp after seeing Gonzalo's reply to reviews on TripAdvisor. He responded within 2 minutes and they had all my information and confirmed our pickup for the following morning. Luis, our Master Bird Guide, was waiting for us when we got to the pickup point. He is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about birds. He was able to customize our experience based on our knowledge level. It was just my wife and I on the tour and he mentioned it is usually himself and 3 people. He took us to several different locations and all of them had numerous species of beautiful birds. A couple spots were ones you would only see if you were with a guide like Luis. We may not be the level of "birders" that are often on this tour, but we did bring a pair of binoculars with us. Luis let us use a pair of his binoculars so we each had a set. He also setup a scope where we could really see the details. He was able to call certain species of birds with his whistling and with an app. The intended birds always came to the calls. He knew what every bird was and could identify them in a blink of an eye. This was a 10 out of 10 experience for us and would highly recommend this for your Panama itenirary.

Natalia our guide is excellent. So was our driver Javier. On time, very knowledgeable- all the other guides were counting in Natalia to find the birds!

We booked the Gaton Boat tour with Guided Bird Tours in September for our Trip in Feb 2023. When booking, pickup and drop off were included in the price. Emailed to inform Room number and find out pickup time 4 days before trip. Were told there would be an additional $60 for pickup and drop off at Dreams Playa Bonita. I emailed the confirmation that the pickup and drop off were included in the price. Within minutes, my deposit was refunded and the trip was cancelled "Due to force majeure". Absolutely Disgusting to cancel at the last minute. We weren't even given a chance to discuss the additional $60 charge. Don't trust this company, they will cancel on a whim

We were part of a small group tour through Metropolitan Natural Park, and I can't rave enough about it. Mario picked us up on time at our hotel. It was comforting to hear that his English was excellent. (a concern for me, since my Spanish is dismal) Once at the park, he gave us some water (a necessity). He was very aware of our minor mobility issues and tailored his tour so that It was not too taxing. But we still saw over 50 species! We were able to take pictures through his spotting scope. He knew how to call the birds in closer and was positively amazing with his knowledge, and how to ID them so quickly! He kindly sent us an email with his species list that he submits regularly to ebird, so even though I could never remember them all on my own, the Ebird list provides access to pictures. He then took us to the grounds of the Bio-Museo where we saw many more species, mostly ground, water or low story birds as opposed to the canopy birds we saw in the park. Well worth every penny, and can't wait to do it agin.

This trip was one of my highlights of visiting Panama. My guide was Mario (another couple joined this tour), and anyone considering giving this park and tour a miss and only going to Soberania National Park should probably think again (I also did this tour, though!). Mario's professionalism, friendly manner, and talent I truly appreciated. We saw so many different species just starting out. I'm a serious birder, but still very much an amateur, but what I loved about this tour was it was fun, and Mario catered for the three of us. Very relaxed, but we saw so many different species, in this park so close to downtown Panama City. Thanks, Mario. I was in awe of your talent for not only identifying the birds, but using calls to attract them so well astounded me! I learned a lot, but like I mentioned before, it was so much fun.

Gonzalo was great and honest with my pricing. Had a good time and saw mulligan about 30 or more species.

Birding tour, Panama: This tour is great for experts and newbies alike. As an amateur birdwatcher and photographer, we were joined by some keen birders from the USA that had been on birding tours over the world. Our guide, Gonzalo, was punctual and knowledgable. When we weren’t lucky enough to see birds in some areas, he would move us on to other hotspots to maximise the chances of us seeing the fantastic array of species, many of which you would expect to see in wildlife documentaries. Panama really is a paradise for birds! The local guide Natalia who joined us was incredibly quick at identifying hummingbirds, flycatchers, tanagers, todys and waterfowl and setting up the scope with ease for us all to catch a glimpse - great if you don’t have binoculars (but best to take some with you anyway!). As you may expect in the jungle, take water, dress in loose, long sleeve clothing and have insect repellant, just in case. Be prepared for an early morning start - it will be worth it for the best chance to see birds at the coolest part of the day. Well worth it!