Darien National Park
Remote Rainforest
Panama Birding Destination

Darien Province is situated east of the Panama Canal and extends to the border with Columbia. It's largely a roadless area, though some roads are now being constructed as part of logging operations. More remote areas are reached by a short flight to the small airport at La Palma or to a grass airstrip at Cana. From those points of entry, access to the interior is by powerboat, canoe, or on foot.

The Darien is a remote and relatively unspoiled lowland rainforest, with higher elevation areas in the eastern part of the province. The area is occupied by various indigenous people. Heavy logging has occurred along the access roads, so the interior is best reached by air.

Certainly, the Darien is most noted for its endemic birds. These species are found mainly at higher elevations reachable by a strenous hike from Cana. However, a variety of specialty birds whose range extends into the Darien from South America are present in the lowlands. Species such as Harpy Eagle, the national bird of Panama, that have been largely exterminated in more accessible areas where human activity is high still occur in the Darien. The unspoiled quality of the forests found in the interior remain a huge attraction for people venturing into the area.