Canopy Tower

A former radar tower turned rainforest lodge in Soberanía National Park

About Canopy Tower

Canopy Tower is a 12-room birding and nature lodge inside a former US radar station on Semaphore Hill, in Soberanía National Park, north of Panama City. Bedrooms sit at treetop level, and a roof deck 50 feet up overlooks the canopy. Scheduled shuttles from Tocumen Airport (PTY) take about an hour.

Canopy Tower began in the 1960s as a United States military radar station built to help guard the Panama Canal. Today the tall metal building stands on Semaphore Hill, inside Soberanía National Park, with its geodesic dome still on top and an observation deck wrapped around it. Twelve rooms sit on the floors below, level with the middle and upper forest, so toucans and tanagers turn up at the window before breakfast.

Meals are served on the third floor, in a dining room and lounge at canopy level. The day starts on the roof deck, 50 feet above the ground, with coffee and the first birds. Bilingual naturalist guides then take guests out in modified trucks to places such as Pipeline Road, about 20 minutes away. Back at the tower, the hummingbird feeders on the ground floor reward a slow hour, and the library has hammocks and sofas for the evening.

Comforts here are simple. There is no air conditioning: windows and ceiling fans let the forest air through, and Wi-Fi reaches every guest room. Children 13 and older are accepted as a rule, and younger ones by arrangement. From September to early November, hundreds of thousands of migrating raptors pass overhead.

At a glance

Size: 12 rooms
Check-in: Noon to 7:00 pm
Check-out: 9:00 am
Airport (PTY): about 1 hour by scheduled shuttle

Perfect for

Birding
Nature and wildlife
History and architecture

Hotel Facts

Type

Rainforest birding lodge

Facilities

Restaurant
Airport Transfer
Internet access / Wi Fi

Room Types

Blue Cotinga Suite

Has a private balcony with a hanging chair and a hammock, plus two big windows.

34 (366 sq ft) m² · Forest at canopy level, 28 feet up

Harpy Eagle Suite

A suite on the first floor with two big windows, lower in the trees than the Canopy Rooms.

27 (290 sq ft) m² · Forest at mid-canopy level, 18 feet up

Canopy Rooms

Standard doubles on the second floor, each with two ¾ beds and one big window.

19 (207 sq ft) m² · Treetops at canopy level, 28 feet up

Dining

Third-floor dining room: Meals at canopy level, with vegetarian and allergy-aware cooking on request.
Observation Deck coffee: Morning coffee and crackers on the roof deck while the birds start moving.

On the property

Observation Deck: Roof deck 50 feet above the ground, circling the old radar dome.
Hummingbird feeders: Ground-floor feeders that draw several hummingbird species close.
Library and lounge: Books on birds and natural history, hammocks, sofas, Wi-Fi and a guest computer.
Birding trucks: Open-back trucks that carry guests to nearby forest sites with the guides.

Good to know

No room has air conditioning; windows and ceiling fans handle the heat, and evenings can turn cool.
Children 13 and older are accepted, and younger ones only by arrangement, so ask us before booking a family stay.
Guests cannot arrive after 7:00 pm, and the lodge limits private transfers to between 6:30 am and 7:30 pm to keep the building quiet.

Questions travellers ask

How do I get from Tocumen Airport to Canopy Tower?

The lodge runs scheduled shuttles that meet arrivals at Tocumen (PTY) at 9:30 am and 3:30 pm, and the ride takes about an hour. The return shuttle leaves the tower at 10:00 am.