House in Panama
7 guests · 4 bedrooms · 3 baths
Reasons to book
Guests love it hereGuests give this property a top rating
Great for petsBring all your friends and family, even the furry ones
Top-tier experienceA high end property in this area
About this house rental
Bird House is a one-of-a-kind tropical 'outdoor in' home featured in design magazines in Europe and the Americas. Our home in the historic Panama Canal town of Gamboa provides our guests a unique opportunity to experience tropical nature next to one of the modern wonders of the world, the Panama Canal.
Designed by Patrick Dillon, Bird House features double height ceilings, a fabulous kitchen and and an expansive deck connected to a 10M pool from which to enjoy the tropical world that is our back yard. Wake up each morning to the 'fly over' of hundreds of parrots. Enjoy coffee from our Boquete farm on our deck while listening to monkeys howl from the adjacent Cerro Pelado jungle. Or end your day with cool drinks enjoyed from the master bedroom balcony while glimpsing huge ships transiting the Panama Canal.
Our pool is a great place to cool down after a day hiking or biking the trails around Gamboa, or birding on the world-famous Pipeline Road. We are a 15-minute walk to the public dock where you can hire a boat and a captain for a morning or day of fishing for peacock bass, snook and the elusive tarpon. Rent kayaks from the Gamboa Resort and hope that manatees roll under you as you paddle up the Chagras River, while searching for caiman on the river banks. Gamboa also hosts the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and is the take-off point for crossing the Panama Canal to the world-famous Barro Colorado Island and Nature Monument (access with advance reservations only).
Bird House is a 25-minute drive (longer with traffic) to the beating heart of Casco Viejo, the historic center of Panama City. The Casco teems with small outdoor restaurants, unique cultural venues and wonderful views of Panama Bay and modern Panama City. We are a 15-minute drive to the Pan American Highway that will take you west to the beaches of the Pacific Coast (and our Rio Mar Surf Platforms in San Carlos - 70 minutes), or east to the Transisthmian highway, and then north to the coral reefs, blue waters and Captain Morgan's pirate enclave on the Caribbean Coast.
Our tropical house brings a new design to the former Canal Zone territory of Gamboa. This three-story house is a one-of-a-kind space, designed to respond to the natural and cultural attributes of Gamboa.
The home features an environment-friendly design constructed in concrete and plantation teak louvered walls. The ground floor has A/C while the first and second floor do not; the oversized eves shade the sun and the louvered walls and large screen doors direct the airflow of prevailing breezes, keeping the 1st and 2nd floor well ventilated. The open layout of the house permits an inside-outside approach to living with nature that accentuates the sounds, smells and views of the surrounding tropical forest and Panama Canal.
Bird House has three floors (second, first and ground)
* The second floor features a master suite with a balcony that overlooks the interior courtyard, the pool, and views of the Panama Canal. This room was designed to take advantage of the daily path of the sun and natural site air movements to create a bedroom with wonderful light and natural ventilation. There is a walk-in closet and beautiful high-end finishes are featured in the double bathroom.
* The first floor has a modern open style kitchen with large marble countertops connecting to a spacious living and dining room with a 25ft ceiling. The kitchen is well equipped and a delightful space for cooking and entertaining. The dining/living room has a family table with bench seating and end chairs for 8, and beautiful custom-made couches and chairs, designed by the owner. Two large decks open off the kitchen and living area via large sliding wooden doors. When opened, there is a seamless connection between the outdoor and indoor spaces, creating both visual and physical expansiveness.
The larger deck overlooks the interior courtyard and features: built-in bench seating, a 10-meter swimming pool, a Japanese style shower house, deck furniture and a gas BBQ. This is an ideal place to relax by the pool, watch hummingbirds dance around the interior courtyard and enjoy dinner with views of the tropical rainforest.
*The ground floor is the only space in the house with A/C. The ground floor has three single bedrooms, each approximately 10’x12’. Each room has a built-in bureau, closet, desk and relaxation nook with views into the interior courtyard. Each room opens into a large, 20’x30’ air-conditioned space with a pool table and day beds that are great for lounging. The ground floor bathroom area has three sinks adjoining two bathrooms, one with a toilet and bathtub and the second with toilet and two showers.
Rio Mar Surf Platforms: One of the many unique features of Bird House is opportunity to use our Rio Mar surf platforms in San Carlos. Located about 70 minutes from Gamboa near a beautiful Pacific beach, our platforms permit our guests a wonderful beach experience to complement their Panama Canal and jungle adventures. Guests who book Bird House for a week or more are offered one night gratis at our Surf Platforms (midweek, depending on availability -- we will do everything possible to ensure availability).
Your stay at Bird House: Guests have access to the entire home, pool and grounds. Our house will be yours to enjoy as you wish. You will have complete privacy, although there is opportunity to arrange for maid service and/or a cook if you so desire. We ask our guests to pay staff directly as we do not take a percentage of their service. We will let you know how much staff expect to receive for their service.
More on Gamboa: Gamboa is a green, walkable community bounded by the Chagres River, the Panama Canal (Lake Gatun) and Soberania National Park. Gamboa is 25 km outside Panama City and a one-hour drive to both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Gamboa offers world-class birding. The town is the entry point to Pipeline Road, a wonderful walk through the jungle and some of the best birding in the world. The species list for Pipeline Road exceeds 400, and if you know your birds you can see or hear 100 species in a morning’s walk, not to mention monkeys, anteaters, sloths, etc. Gamboa is also a launching point for fishing expeditions on Gatun Lake or kayaking the Chagres River. This house offers itself to spending time enjoying the sounds of the Panama Canal and the rich Panamanian tropical rainforest.
Local things to do and amenities:
This house is centrally located. You are:
* 2km away from the entrance of Pipeline Road—a historic road that is a world-class destination for bird watching.
* 4 km away from the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center.
* 650 m (7-min walk) from the only convenience store in Gamboa.
* 5 min walk to views of the Panama Canal.
* 1 km from the Gamboa Resort.
* 1.6 km from the public dock where tour boats and fishing boats depart.
* A five-minute walk to free, first come, first served, tennis courts
Getting around: We have contacts for transportation to and from the airport as well as touring Panama and the surrounding areas. We can also help connect you with one of the best tour/birding guides in Panama. Again, we do not charge for these services, and ask you to pay the service providers directly. We will help you negotiate rates.
Designed by Patrick Dillon, Bird House features double height ceilings, a fabulous kitchen and and an expansive deck connected to a 10M pool from which to enjoy the tropical world that is our back yard. Wake up each morning to the 'fly over' of hundreds of parrots. Enjoy coffee from our Boquete farm on our deck while listening to monkeys howl from the adjacent Cerro Pelado jungle. Or end your day with cool drinks enjoyed from the master bedroom balcony while glimpsing huge ships transiting the Panama Canal.
Our pool is a great place to cool down after a day hiking or biking the trails around Gamboa, or birding on the world-famous Pipeline Road. We are a 15-minute walk to the public dock where you can hire a boat and a captain for a morning or day of fishing for peacock bass, snook and the elusive tarpon. Rent kayaks from the Gamboa Resort and hope that manatees roll under you as you paddle up the Chagras River, while searching for caiman on the river banks. Gamboa also hosts the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, and is the take-off point for crossing the Panama Canal to the world-famous Barro Colorado Island and Nature Monument (access with advance reservations only).
Bird House is a 25-minute drive (longer with traffic) to the beating heart of Casco Viejo, the historic center of Panama City. The Casco teems with small outdoor restaurants, unique cultural venues and wonderful views of Panama Bay and modern Panama City. We are a 15-minute drive to the Pan American Highway that will take you west to the beaches of the Pacific Coast (and our Rio Mar Surf Platforms in San Carlos - 70 minutes), or east to the Transisthmian highway, and then north to the coral reefs, blue waters and Captain Morgan's pirate enclave on the Caribbean Coast.
Our tropical house brings a new design to the former Canal Zone territory of Gamboa. This three-story house is a one-of-a-kind space, designed to respond to the natural and cultural attributes of Gamboa.
The home features an environment-friendly design constructed in concrete and plantation teak louvered walls. The ground floor has A/C while the first and second floor do not; the oversized eves shade the sun and the louvered walls and large screen doors direct the airflow of prevailing breezes, keeping the 1st and 2nd floor well ventilated. The open layout of the house permits an inside-outside approach to living with nature that accentuates the sounds, smells and views of the surrounding tropical forest and Panama Canal.
Bird House has three floors (second, first and ground)
* The second floor features a master suite with a balcony that overlooks the interior courtyard, the pool, and views of the Panama Canal. This room was designed to take advantage of the daily path of the sun and natural site air movements to create a bedroom with wonderful light and natural ventilation. There is a walk-in closet and beautiful high-end finishes are featured in the double bathroom.
* The first floor has a modern open style kitchen with large marble countertops connecting to a spacious living and dining room with a 25ft ceiling. The kitchen is well equipped and a delightful space for cooking and entertaining. The dining/living room has a family table with bench seating and end chairs for 8, and beautiful custom-made couches and chairs, designed by the owner. Two large decks open off the kitchen and living area via large sliding wooden doors. When opened, there is a seamless connection between the outdoor and indoor spaces, creating both visual and physical expansiveness.
The larger deck overlooks the interior courtyard and features: built-in bench seating, a 10-meter swimming pool, a Japanese style shower house, deck furniture and a gas BBQ. This is an ideal place to relax by the pool, watch hummingbirds dance around the interior courtyard and enjoy dinner with views of the tropical rainforest.
*The ground floor is the only space in the house with A/C. The ground floor has three single bedrooms, each approximately 10’x12’. Each room has a built-in bureau, closet, desk and relaxation nook with views into the interior courtyard. Each room opens into a large, 20’x30’ air-conditioned space with a pool table and day beds that are great for lounging. The ground floor bathroom area has three sinks adjoining two bathrooms, one with a toilet and bathtub and the second with toilet and two showers.
Rio Mar Surf Platforms: One of the many unique features of Bird House is opportunity to use our Rio Mar surf platforms in San Carlos. Located about 70 minutes from Gamboa near a beautiful Pacific beach, our platforms permit our guests a wonderful beach experience to complement their Panama Canal and jungle adventures. Guests who book Bird House for a week or more are offered one night gratis at our Surf Platforms (midweek, depending on availability -- we will do everything possible to ensure availability).
Your stay at Bird House: Guests have access to the entire home, pool and grounds. Our house will be yours to enjoy as you wish. You will have complete privacy, although there is opportunity to arrange for maid service and/or a cook if you so desire. We ask our guests to pay staff directly as we do not take a percentage of their service. We will let you know how much staff expect to receive for their service.
More on Gamboa: Gamboa is a green, walkable community bounded by the Chagres River, the Panama Canal (Lake Gatun) and Soberania National Park. Gamboa is 25 km outside Panama City and a one-hour drive to both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
Gamboa offers world-class birding. The town is the entry point to Pipeline Road, a wonderful walk through the jungle and some of the best birding in the world. The species list for Pipeline Road exceeds 400, and if you know your birds you can see or hear 100 species in a morning’s walk, not to mention monkeys, anteaters, sloths, etc. Gamboa is also a launching point for fishing expeditions on Gatun Lake or kayaking the Chagres River. This house offers itself to spending time enjoying the sounds of the Panama Canal and the rich Panamanian tropical rainforest.
Local things to do and amenities:
This house is centrally located. You are:
* 2km away from the entrance of Pipeline Road—a historic road that is a world-class destination for bird watching.
* 4 km away from the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center.
* 650 m (7-min walk) from the only convenience store in Gamboa.
* 5 min walk to views of the Panama Canal.
* 1 km from the Gamboa Resort.
* 1.6 km from the public dock where tour boats and fishing boats depart.
* A five-minute walk to free, first come, first served, tennis courts
Getting around: We have contacts for transportation to and from the airport as well as touring Panama and the surrounding areas. We can also help connect you with one of the best tour/birding guides in Panama. Again, we do not charge for these services, and ask you to pay the service providers directly. We will help you negotiate rates.
Amenities
Non-smoking
Pets allowed
Map of Panama
Ratings and reviews
10 / 10Outstanding·Mar 2026
Such an amazing stay, from the house, to the surroundings and the owner. We used all the recommendations (Kamir is a great cook and wonderful person), went on a boat tour and enjoyed the Embera trip. It was our first time in the jungle and Gamboa was a great experience. Safe and friendly all around!
10 / 10Outstanding·Dec 2025
One of the most beautiful and unique stays I have had through VRBO. Chimene was a wonderful host, with excellent communication and recommendations. It was incredible to see so much wildlife from the deck, while watching ships pass on the canal. Check out Treehouse Pizza in Gamboa for delicious pizza and sticky buns.
10 / 10Outstanding·Jul 2025
Beautifully artistic home. Loved everything about it!
6 / 10Average·Feb 2020
There are times in life that despite one's efforts things still go wrong. The first night in the Birdhouse was one of those times. We were 4 female friends.
Check-in day we had taken a 30 min boat ride, a taxi, hour plane, rented a car, visited Casa Viejo & Locks, grocery shopped & drove to the Birdhouse. We arrived at the estimated time and went in as instructed.
Our first greeting was a very cute bat swooping above our heads.
We have all had bats in our house.
Next we're the bedrooms which were behind the opaque facade walls. They were very difficult to opened. When we eventually found the bedrooms it was a punch in the gut.
There was a strong smell of mildew & each bedroom was in a dark dank cubby hole.
I am baffled as to why this information is not in any reviews?
We had no way to phone contact owner/host as the WiFi password was not provided. The man across the street knew the password so we could make call
The conversation was a disappointment. She came across as condescending. I'm sure it wasn't her intent, but that was how it presented.
When I shared our complaints about no host to greet us, her response was “well most people like to be on their own to explore.
The receiving host was her plan, and she never asked what we preferred. In addition, it's SOP in the field to have someone receive guests.
When I mentioned any problems, her response was well your in the jungle. I knew where I was. I explained the downstairs was too smelly to sleep in and again her response was that’s how it smells in the jungle.(Apparently she was at an event and trying to appease me. We were both in bad places to communicate.)
We all felt it was a health risk to sleep downstairs so we shared the only other bedroom & the two other girls slept on the couches in the living room no pullout bed.
In all my planning I never envisioned that we would spend that amount of money to be sleeping on couches & doubling up in bed.
In the end I would stay here again because it is the nicest house in Gamboa. Only as a couple/maybe one child. I did look around in the basement for any mold/mildew but could find none. All appeared clean.
The owner reported that the housekeeper uses vinegar and bleach to keep the smell down. Dangerous combo. She stated that when no one is there they turn off the air conditioners. There were no dehumidifiers. (I see the problem now.)
I just want others to know about the basement.
I hope you enjoy your stay as in the end we did.
$$$$
Top rated by guests
9.6Outstanding
(25 Ratings)
"Such an amazing stay, from the house, to the surroundings and the owner. We used all the recommendations (Kamir is a great cook and wonderful person), went on a boat tour and enjoyed the Embera trip...."
Staci H.Don't miss out! Price and availability may change
