What do you do with an abandoned military installation in the middle of the Panamanian jungle? For avid bird-watcher, businessman, and nature conservationist, Raul Arias de Para, the answer to this question was simple: turn it into a unique ecolodge and rainforest canopy observation post. His dream finally came true in January 1999 with the opening of the Canopy Tower Ecolodge and Nature Observatory in Soberania National Park, a 55,000-acre wilderness reserve bordering the Panama Canal.
An exhibit called “Parting of the Green Curtain” occupies the cylindrical structure’s ground floor. This permanent display, donated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, uses pictures, artefacts, and text to introduce visitors to the diversity of Panama’s rainforest and to trace the history of biological research in the Tropics.
Metal stairs lead to the tower’s second level, which harbours six comfortable, two-person bedrooms decorated with tropical plants and colourful molas made by Panama’s Kuna Indians. Each room has large windows opening into the canopy, so that overnight guests need only roll over in their beds to watch the forest come to life. The next floor has a large common area with hammocks, easy chairs, and a well-stocked reading nook.
The tower’s rooftop observation deck is built around a 30-foot-tall yellow geo-tangent dome, similar to Buckminster Fuller’s famous geodesic dome. Over 250 species of birds are present, along with four types of monkeys, jungle cats, and many other animals.
The Canopy Tower Ecolodge is probably the best perch in Panama for serious bird watchers and nature lovers.