Ecotourism in Panama

Because of its location between North and South America, its varied climates and its large forest sheltered from hurricanes, Panama has a great variety of plants and animals. It has the greatest number of animal species in the world. Panama is an ideal destination for bird watchers, with over 900 species of birds. One way to bird watch is to take a guided tour at Parque Nacional La Amistad. Panama also has 15,000 kinds of butterflies, 200 mammals and reptiles, some 100 species of fish and amphibians and countless insects. Many of these species are indigenous to Panama.

Panama has 10,000 species of plants, 1,000 species of trees and 1,200 species of orchids. The two main flowering seasons are at the beginning and the end of the rainy season (March to June and September through October).

Panama has several agencies specializing in ecotourism, as well as several nature preservation societies. The Panamanian government created 13 national parks, protected zones and two environmental research organizations: ANAM and IDIAP. An ANAM permit is required to visit or camp in a national park. Amenities for tourists vary from park to park.