Finca Lérida

This is the most famous birding spot on the whole east side of Barú. Though a working coffee plantation that produces some of the finest coffee in Panama, the finca contains primary and secondary forest that is home to hundreds of species of birds, as well as howler monkeys, peccaries, deer, and other mammals. There’s a good chance of seeing resplendent quetzals here between January and August. The finca is up in the hills of Alto Quiel northwest of town, in a setting so picturesquely alpine you may find yourself humming the theme from The Sound of Music. That’s part of the secret of the coffee’s success: It’s grown at elevations up to 1,600 meters, on the highest plantations in Panama.

Birding tours lead to a part of Lérida above the main estate, along a brutal road that leads through coffee and vegetable plantations that give way to dense, beautiful secondary cloud forest. The road ends at an even more gorgeous grove of primary forest, where you’re likely to encounter quetzals, howler monkeys, and nasty mosquitoes.

Because Finca Lérida is private property and you must go with an authorized guide, this entry does not contain directions on how to get to the finca. These are usually arranged through tour guides. Visitors can also book a quite pricey tour directly through the Finca (tel./fax 720-2285, leridaestate@hotmail.com) that includes bird-watching, a nature walk, tour of the coffee facilities and lunch. Rates are $290 for one person, $310 for two people, $330 for three people, and so on. Groups of six or more are $65 each. Visitors can also hike a five-kilometer trail system on the finca for $10 per person, including trail map. The chances of spotting quetzals without a good guide, however, are not great.