Welcome to Finca Lerida, a special place that calls on
your spirit and soul to connect with nature.
Panama is one of the favorite destinations for birding, but
birding in Panama is not complete unless you visit the Boquete highlands. As suggested in
Robert S. Ridgley’s A Guide to The Birds of Panama, Finca Lerida is a place to go
“searching for quetzals and other specialties”. Located in our exclusive private
nature reserve at an altitude ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level.
Finca Lerida is a unique and prefered destination for
people interested in exploring its rich flora and fauna, for bird watchers, nature
photographers and eco-tourism in general.
Finca Lerida Old House, the Finca’s original
vintage family home of Scandinavian design consists of 3 suites and 2 bedrooms, each with
private bath, decorated conserving the warm Scandinavian style. The inviting living
room with its charming old fireplace and the garden bohio have views of the forest and
stream on the property.
Finca Lerida Ecolodge has 11 very confortable double rooms
with private bath, each with its own porch overlooking the pristine forest and our small
coffee plantation. Our award winning coffee is produced in keeping with our commitment to
preserve the environment and is an important element in sustaining the surrounding
forests.
After a day of birding, hiking, walking or just relaxing, enjoy our old style
excellent and traditional home cooked meals, served at the Coffee House. Welcome again and
enjoy our outstanding service and hospitality.
BIRDING AT FINCA LERIDA - in their own words:
As suggested in Robert S. Ridgley’s A Guide to the Birds of Panama, Finca
Lerida is a place to go “searching for quetzals and other specialties”.
Finca Lerida has been a unique
destination for birders for over 70 years. It’s importance as a birding site is
mentioned in the introduction of Emmet R. Blake’s report: Birds of Volcán de
Chiriquí, published by the Chicago Natural History Museum, June 25, 1958. A unique
collection of over 1600 bird specimens collected in the vecinity of Lerida by its previous
owner Mr. Tollef B. Monniche was donated to the Museun in 1957.
In January 2006, Directors of Finca Lerida
had the honor of visiting with Mr. David Willard, Collections Manager of the Birds
Department of Zoology in the Field Museum in Chicago. Mr Willard is in charge of an
impressive collection of more than 600,000 specimens from around the world. During
this meeting the the Directors could evidence that Finca Lerida’s bird
collection is kept in perfect conditions and received a detailed inventory of the
collection which will be in display in the Permanent Exhibit of the
Estate.
Located on our exclusive
private nature reserve at an altitude ranging from 5,000 -10,000 feet above sea
level, and consisting of primary and secondary forests, Finca Lerida has a network of
professionaly built trails which have been visited by birdwatchers looking to see the
Resplendent Quetzal, and by those interested in the magnificent fauna and flora within the
estate grounds.
Among the Highland species sighted in
Finca Lerida are the Resplendent Quetzal, Collared Trogon, Orange-bellied Trogon,
Bellbirds, Dark Pewee, Silvery-throated Tanager, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Black Guan,
Violet Saberwing, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, White-tailed Emerald, Volcano
Hummingbird, White-throated Mountain – Gem, Scintillant Hummingbird, Prong-billed
Barbet, Red-headed Barbet, Acorn Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo,
Barred Becard, Black-faced Solitaire, Buff-fronted Quail Dove, Spotted Wood Quail and the
Rufous-Collared Sparrow.
ACTIVITIES:
Finca Lerida, one of the best birding spots in the
highlands of Panama, has a network of professionaly built trails which have been visited
by birdwatchers looking to see the Resplendent Quetzal, and by those interested in the
magnificent fauna and flora within the estate grounds.
Coffee Tour:
In recent SCAAP (Specialty Coffee Association on Panama meeting’s cupping
session of Best of Panama Coffees Mr. Willem Boot expressed that Boquete has the potencial
of becoming the equivalent of Napa Valley for coffees.
Finca Lerida, one of the
oldest and traditional Coffee Estates is owned and administered by members of the Collins
family. The Estate has been producing and processing coffee since 1922. This beautiful
Estate produces one of the best highland coffees of Panama. Our coffee is exported to The
United States, Europe and Japan.
At Finca Lerida we offer an
in depth interactive Coffee Tour for those interested in learning more about coffee, which
includes a tour to the “cafetales”, coffee process at the original
“beneficio” or processing plant, coffee cupping and coffee roasting.
Birdwatching Tour:
At Lerida we concentrate on Highland species, and due to the variety
of trees producing the “aguacatillo”, the fruit produced by the laurel family
trees we have quetzals year around. Other Highland species you may see are the Collared
Trogon, Orange-bellied Trogon, Three-wattled Bellbird, Dark Pewee, Silvery-throated
Tanager, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, Black Guan, Prong-billed Barbet, Red-headed Barbet,
Acorn Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Silvery-fronted Tapaculo, Barred Becard, Black-faced
Solitaire, Buff-fronte Quail Dove, Spotted Wood Quail and the Rufous-Collared Sparrow,
Silvery-throated Tanager, Sulphur-winged Parakeet, and the Black Guan.
We have a great variety of
Hummingbirds, among them the Violet Saberwing, Stripe-tailed Hummingbird, White-tailed
Emerald, Volcano Hummingbird, White-throated Mountain – Gem, Scintillant Hummingbird.
Hiking Tour:
Enjoy hiking at Finca Lerida’s natural reserve, a unique place to study and
experience the cloud forest environment and to discover the flora and fauna hidden within.
Our ancient trees covered with moss, epiphytic plants, and orchids are a storehouse of
biodiversity. Many of the birds found in Panama can be seen in our Estate, as well as many
species of plants and trees. Hike through the pristine forest to a hidden waterfall
leaving civilization behind and relax listening to the sound of bird calls and the soft
rush of the stream formed by waters from the fall.
Hiking tours can be full
day or half day and include lunch at the lodge for half day tour or picnic lunch or full
day tour. Our trails vary in degree of difficulty and one is handicap accessible.
