It was very close to dawn when the Panama Canal pilot of the Panama came aboard National Geographic Sea Lion. We had spent the night anchored in Gatun Lake after crossing Gatun Locks the night before. Now, our pilot was going to guide us in order to reach our morning destination, Barro Colorado Island.
A gentle rain escorted us until we arrived at our morning anchorage. As we dropped anchor, we gathered out on deck to enjoy the view of the lush tropical rain forest that covered the island. We could hear the troops of howler monkeys howling to reveal their foraging areas. The howls were followed by the songs of red-lored parrots, toucans, flycatchers, and many other residents of this monument.
Before disembarking, we had a visit from one of the researchers of the island. He gave us the introduction to the different research being done on BCI since its creation after the flooding of the valley of the Chagres River. Right after his presentation, we geared up and went ashore.
The options were a long hike, a medium hike, and an expedition landing craft cruise. These were the three ways to get to know about the wonders of the tropical forest. Each of the options was well rewarded. This monument proved to be a place with great diversity of animals, birds, and plants. Animals such as agoutis, coatis, white-faced capuchins, howler monkeys, parrots, snakes, and other different species of birds and reptiles just paraded in front of our guests.
We returned back on board to have lunch and to wait for our next Panama Canal pilot. While waiting for his arrival, we had the chance to learn about the construction of the Panama Canal. As soon as he arrived, we weighed anchor and started our cruise toward the narrowest part of the canal.
It was a great start of our journey through Panama and Costa Rica.
