Sunrise Birding, LLC - Panama: Darien Birding Tour August 30-September 4 , 2012

PANAMA - Definitive Darien!
August 30 - September 4, 2012

TOUR PRICE: $2150.00 per person based on double occupancy from Panama City, Panama (PTY) based on a minimum of 6 passengers.

Deposit: $500 per person

Single Supplement: $325.00 per person based on availability.

INCLUDED: Lodging, all land, air and water transportation within Panama. All group airport/hotel transfers, meals as specified in the itinerary (B - breakfast; L - lunch; D - dinner), entrance fees, guides’ services and services of an in-bound land operator for airline re-confirmations and tour operations.

NOT INCLUDED: International airfare, tourist card ($5 per person), meals not specified in the itinerary, airport transfers other than scheduled group transfers, passport/visa fees, insurance, departure taxes (currently $20.00 per person, subject to change), items of a personal nature such as: laundry, telephone, alcoholic beverages, extras in hotels (laundry, telephone calls, room service, etc.) or gratuities for porterage or personal services.

NOTE: Weight restrictions apply to luggage in chartered flights within Panama. A strict maximum of 25 lbs. of checked luggage per person is allowed. A day pack is allowed as carry-on. Arrangements can be made to store luggage that will not be needed on a particular leg of the trip.

RESERVATIONS: To reserve your place on this tour, complete the Registration/Release Form and mail it with a deposit of $500 per person to Sunrise Birding, LLC. Instructions are on the form. >Download and print the Registration Form.

Final payment is due by April 30, 2012 and must be paid by check.

Cancellations and Refunds: All cancellations must be made in writing. In the event that you must cancel your booking at any stage, all payments you have made to Sunrise Birding, LLC will be retained by us, except at our discretion. Please ensure that you take out adequate insurance to cover this and any other eventuality as early as possible. You may have the opportunity to transfer your booking to another tour or another person, provided you are unavoidably prevented from coming on the tour. In this case, you will bear any extra costs that such changes may incur.

There are no refunds once the trip is confirmed to go ahead and no refunds will be made for unused meals, accommodations, or other trip features.

Insurance: The purchase of trip cancellation insurance to cover any eventuality is strongly recommended. Sunrise Birding, LLC can not accept liability for airline cancellations or delays or penalties incurred by the purchase of non-refundable airline tickets or other expenses incurred by tour participants in preparing for this tour. Go to Travelex insurance>>

Questions? Contact Gina Nichol at gina@sunrisebirding.com Phone: 203.453.6724

MORE ABOUT CANA FIELD STATION AND PIRRE CAMP
The Cana Field Station is located at 1,600 feet above sea level in the heart of the Darien National Park on the foothills of the Pirre Mountain range. The station is made up of a set of wooden buildings that originally served as the headquarters of the gold mine that exists there.

The lodging accommodations are made up of 10 bedrooms with 2 single beds and 2 bedrooms with 1 double bed. Each room has 1 night table with a portable battery-powered lamp and a shoe rack. Beds are fitted with semi-orthopedic mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows and pillow cases. The rooms are screened. There are 4 full bathrooms (showers and toilets) that are shared by the guests. Hot water for showers is available thanks to solar panels dedicated solely for this purpose. Each guest will have a towel on their bed upon arriving to Cana. Towels and sheets are changed every 2 nights.

A small power generator (110V) provides electricity for 1 1/2 hours in the morning until breakfast time and for the same amount of time during dinner in the evenings. The generator provides electricity to light bulbs in the bedrooms, hallway, bathrooms and balconies of the dormitory and for the dining hall, kitchen and staff quarters. There are outlets available for guests who wish to charge batteries for their electronic equipment.

A separate building houses the dining hall and kitchen. The entire building is screened-in, but it also has an ample open balcony. Depending on the weather meals will be served on tables set up in the balcony facing the river. Meals in Cana are served family style. For special dietary requirements our cook is prepared to provide alternatives to the served meals as long as the specifics of the diet are provided in advance of the trip. Drinking water, coffee and tea are always available for guests at the dining room for self service. Soft drinks, beer and wine are available for sale. There are two other smaller open sided structures in the compound that are used as viewing points for flora and fauna.

The remote Pirre Tent Camp located in the cloud forest close to the top of the mountain at 4,900 feet above sea level. The tent camp is made up of two-person screened tents located under a thatch roof structure for further protection against rains. Tents are provided with comfortable lightweight mattresses (2 per tent), sheets and blankets. There is a flushing toilet and a shower (no hot water). Meals are prepared daily in a small outdoor kitchen and served on dining tables. Guests are responsible for bringing their own overnight packs on the birding hike up to the tent camp. Porters carry the supplies necessary for making the guests' stay in this remote place a comfortable one. The uphill hike to Pirre Tent Camp is about 5 hours long including intermittent stops for birding, enjoying the magnificent vistas and resting.

The temperature around the Cana Field Station reaches the high 80's (F) at noon time. At night the temperature may drop to the low 70's (F). In the cloud forest of Pirre Mt. the temperature may reach the low 80's (F) during the day and will drop to the mid 50's (F) at night. These temperatures are prevalent all year long. Even in the dry season passengers must be prepared to get their feet wet when crossing
small creeks. Rubber boots and walking sticks are provided for those who request them.

Biting insects are not common in Cana except for chiggers. We recommend wearing loose fitting clothes and always put on bug repellent particularly in areas where the garment is tight against the skin (ankles, waist line).

Trails are not groomed in Cana and its surroundings. However, they are maintained and kept free of fallen trees and branches. Where needed, bridges have been set up to cross creeks and small rivers. Travelers must always hike in the company of the Naturalist Guide or with a staff member of the Cana Field Station.

Access to Cana is accomplished via chartered airplanes.The flight from Panama City is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. long. All provisions and passengers' gear travel on the same plane from Panama City.

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