Tag Archives: panama

Wildlife photography on Panama’s Isla Bastimentos

Photographing sloths, birds, and more at an upscale eco lodge

I’m flying home to Colorado after my third visit to Isla Bastimentos on Panama’s northwest Caribbean coast, and it was a fantastic visit. My journey started out in Panama City, where I checked in to a modern hotel downtown. As a side trip, I took a short Uber ride to the Metropolitan Nature Park in Panama City. I figured it would be an easy place to explore, and where I could check all the settings on my camera gear. 

On this trip my primary camera was the Nikon Z9 paired with the 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 Nikkor Z lens, and the Nikon 1.4x Z teleconverter. This camera and lens combination provides a focal length range from 140-560mm and a maximum aperture of f/8. I was also able to use the Nikon Z9’s DX crop mode, which narrowed the angle of view to effectively 840mm. Because the Nikon Z9 is a mirrorless camera, using DX crop mode magnifies the viewfinder image and improves autofocus accuracy. This comes at the expense of resolution, which drops from 45 to 19 megapixels in DX crop mode.

At the Nature Park, I photographed several bird species, including kingbirds, tanagers, and a squirrel cuckoo. I also encountered red-eared sliders (turtles), basilisk lizards (the fabled “Jesus Christ” lizard), and even a three-toed sloth. Of course, this particular sloth was basically just a ball of fur hunkered down at the top of a tall tree; hardly photogenic (more on this in a moment).

The next day, I greeted my photography clients as they checked in to our downtown hotel. After a brief welcome session, we enjoyed dinner and drinks at the hotel restaurant before retiring for the evening; we had a full day planned for tomorrow and needed to be ready for our morning tour to Monkey Island and the Gamboa Sloth Sanctuary.

Panama Wildlife Photo Safari Announced

Photograph sloths, birds, and more April 15-22, 2023

3-toed sloth

Discover the biodiversity of Central America as we photograph the wildlife of western Panama. On this unique photo safari, you’ll photograph rainforest birds, mammals, insects and more. Observe and photograph colorful birds from a 65′ high observation tower, tour the rainforest with experienced naturalist guides, and enjoy home-cooked meals at our luxury air-conditioned eco lodge retreat.

When: April 15-22, 2023 from Panama City, Panama

What’s Included

  • Three nights lodging in Panama City
  • Monkey Island & Sloth Sanctuary Tour in Panama City
  • Airport and hotel transfers
  • Air transportation to Bocas del Toro
  • 4 nights at the Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge Includes:
    • Lodging in single occupancy, all meals, bilingual professional guides, all tours mentioned in the itinerary, non-alcoholic beverages (house wine, Panamanian house beer & local rum at dinner time), all taxes, WIFI, entrance fees to national parks, meals, snacks and beverages during outings.
  • Guided boat tour to San San Sak Ponds Wetlands
  • Bilingual naturalist guides
  • Group photo tours as described above

The Image Doctors #114

Photographing the wildlife of Panama

Mother sloth with her baby, Bocas del Toro, Panama. © Jason P. Odell
Mother sloth with her baby, Bocas del Toro, Panama. © Jason P. Odell

We spent the last week on photo safari at an eco-lodge in Panama. We had an incredible time photographing birds, reptiles, and many sloths! Hear what gear and settings we found worked the best in this tropical photography paradise.

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Discover The Wildlife of Panama

Three-toed sloth, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Photographing wildlife in Bocas del Toro, Panama

In 2019, I visited Isla Bastimentos in Panama for a week of wildlife photography.

In 2019, I had the opportunity to spend a week at the Tranquilo Bay Eco Adventure Lodge in Bocas del Toro, Panama. I discovered Panama’s incredibly rich biodiversity, with hundreds of species of birds, mammals, and reptiles. This is my story of that experience!

Join me in Panama Sept 19-25, 2021

Photo Gallery: Wildlife of Panama

Wildlife of Panama Photo Safari

Discover the diverse rainforest birds, mammals and insects in Panama!

Photograph the biodiversity of Central America as we photograph the wildlife of western Panama. On this unique photo safari, you’ll photograph rainforest birds, mammals, insects and more. Observe colorful birds from a 65′ high observation tower, tour the rainforest with experienced naturalist guides, and enjoy home-cooked meals at our airconditioned eco lodge retreat.

When: April 5-11, 2020 from Panama City, Panama
Experience Level: Intermediate to advanced photographers
Maximum Group Size: 8 photographers