We may never have visited the beautiful country of Panama if we had not come across Ornithologist Charles Clarkson and his company, Antbird Tours. But, having been exposed to his enthusiasm and depth of knowledge about all birds, we were compelled to accompany him to his favorite place on Earth to watch them. And we are so glad we did. The trip to Gamboa was a perfect introduction to Panama and to the thousand bird species that live there either year round or seasonally. The emphasis on using local business people to support the trip helped us to get a taste of the real Panama and Charles' ability to speak Spanish helped us to navigate the language barrier. Hiking through the rain forest with Charles goes way beyond "birding." He locates birds by ear then spots them, no matter how small or high up in a tree, and makes sure all members of the group get to lay eyes on them. Identifying the bird is only the beginning: he is a scientist, not a hobbyist, so he has observed the birds' behavior and studied their life histories. But he's a normal, fun human being so he talks about birds in everyday language and with a passion that is contagious. We highly recommend Antbird Tours.

My highest recommendation is offered to birders interested in experiencing the species-rich birds of Panama with Antbird Tours. Having birded in 20 countries with a variety of guides over 37 years, I can unequivocally endorse Dr. Charles Clarkson as the best guide ever. His knowledge of Ornithology and Ecology is matched by his familiarity with Panama, and bilingual skills with people ranging from novices to advanced birders. In just 4 days of birding, we saw 233 species and had a great time. ​