An aging former U.S. air-force radar tower in the Panama jungle might not seem like an obvious spot for a birdwatching lodge, but Panamanian banker-cum-conservationist Raúl Arias de Para considered it perfect. Turned out he was on to something: The best way to spot birds is, naturally, from their own vantage point—as in, up in the treetops. And this spot is in the midst of bird bedlam as the meeting point of migrating North American and South American species.

After Arias de Para transformed the tower into a five-level ecolodge and opened up shop in 1999, the place quickly garnered a reputation for prime birdwatching and attracted illustrious bird lovers like Martha Stewart and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Guests wake in the morning and right from their window might spot a blue cotinga, a green shrike-vireo, a giant blue iridescent butterfly, or a group or squawking monkeys. From the observation deck on the top of the tower, they can take in Soberanía

An aging former U.S. air-force radar tower in the Panama jungle might not seem like an obvious spot for a birdwatching lodge, but Panamanian banker-cum-conservationist Raúl Arias de Para considered it perfect. Turned out he was on to something: The best way to spot birds is, naturally, from their own vantage point—as in, up in the treetops. And this spot is in the midst of bird bedlam as the meeting point of migrating North American and South American species.

After Arias de Para transformed the tower into a five-level ecolodge and opened up shop in 1999, the place quickly garnered a reputation for prime birdwatching and attracted illustrious bird lovers like Martha Stewart and Prince Albert of Monaco.

Guests wake in the morning and right from their window might spot a blue cotinga, a green shrike-vireo, a giant blue iridescent butterfly, or a group or squawking monkeys. From the observation deck on the top of the tower, they can take in Soberanía National Park and the ships passing through the Panama Canal three miles away. In the dining room, common room, and library, guests often share bird lists and trip reports.

Canopy Tower's guides know Soberanía National Park intimately and can spot birds with long and exotic-sounding names like ferruginous pygmy-owl, rufous-crested coquette, and violet-crowned woodnymph. Sloths, anteaters, porcupines, and armadillos are also often spotted, but only the lucky glimpse the native capybara, the world's largest rodent.

Unlike many bird-centric lodges, Canopy Tower also caters to the non-avian-obsessed. Surrounding Soberanía National Park has plenty of hiking trails (though of course, hikers might happen upon some birds). Adventurers can choose from nearby ziplines—a favorite accoutrement in Latin American ecotourism circles—a full-day excursion to an indigenous Embera Drua Indian village, a boat ride in the Panama Canal, and a visit to Mi Pueblito, a replica of a colonial town with exhibits on the black workers who constructed the Panama Canal and the lifestyles of local indigenous groups.