Proposed field trip schedule
The proposed draft trip itinerary has been developed in discussion with the Academic Programs Office at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. While every effort will be made to visit all the sites listed here some substitutions may be necessary. Follow the links in the itinerary below to find out more information about the sites that we will visit.
| Date | Activity |
| Jan 3 | Direct flight COPA airlines from Chicago – Panama City. In country travel to Gamboa. Evening orientation lecture |
| Jan 4 | Early morning birding in Gamboa. Travel to STRI headquarters in Panama City. Visit Parque Metropolitano and canopy access crane. Evening lecture and night walk in Gamboa |
| Jan 5 | Hike in secondary forest of Soberania National Park. Evening lecture on ForestGeo |
| Jan 6 | Day visit to Barro Colorado Island and ForestGeo 50 ha plot. Evening lecture on mangrove forests |
| Jan 7 | Visit to Galeta mangrove forest and Atlantic coast of Panama. Late afternoon visit to historic town of Portobello |
| Jan 8 | Bus travel to Fortuna, western Panama (7 hours). Night hike to see the bioluminescent fungi. |
| Jan 9 | Hike to the seasonally dry forests of Fortuna to the Rio Hornito. Lecture on montane forests |
| Jan 10 | Visit to the oak and walnut ever-wet forests of Fortuna. Data analysis in the evening |
| Jan 11 | Bus travel to Boquete (2 hours). Hike to 3000 m oak forests at Finca El Velo, Volcan Baru. Overnight stay in Boquete |
| Jan 12 | Visit to Finca La Esmeralda, Palmira to learn about coffee production in Boquete with the owner of El Velo. Afternoon bus back to Gamboa |
| Jan 13 | Free day in Panama City or Gamboa |
| Jan 14 | Flight back to Chicago |