Barro Colorado Island and the Panama Canal
As the sun began to show its first rays behind the mountains, we heard the wake up call, indicating we had arrived to our first destination of our trip: Barro Colorado Island. This island has been a biological reserve since 1923, not long after the area was isolated from the mainland by the creation of Gatun Lake. Aware of the unique importance to the international scientific community of the biological reserve, in 1940 it was declared a Nature Monument by the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. Eager to start the first day of the year in the rain forest, we began to gather in the lounge to welcome the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute guides that were going to join us for the visit of the island. Zodiac excursions and walks were offered, including a short visit to the station. Howler monkeys, white face capuchin monkeys, northern tamanduas, long-nose coatis, and many others were the sightings of the morning. We could have continued all day but we had to complete our transit through one of the wonders of the world: The Panama Canal!
Navigating through the lake, we could appreciate the great biodiversity of the area. As we arrived to Pedro Miguel locks, we had a very good view of a Vehicle carrier that was going to share the locks with the Sea Voyager. We cleared the last locks (Miraflores locks) just before sunset so we enjoyed a nice cocktail hour up at the sundeck. While the sun began to set, a Bryde’s whale with a calf decided to escort our vessel for a few minutes. What a way to finish our first day!
As the sun began to show its first rays behind the mountains, we heard the wake up call, indicating we had arrived to our first destination of our trip: Barro Colorado Island. This island has been a biological reserve since 1923, not long after the area was isolated from the mainland by the creation of Gatun Lake. Aware of the unique importance to the international scientific community of the biological reserve, in 1940 it was declared a Nature Monument by the Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preservation in the Western Hemisphere. Eager to start the first day of the year in the rain forest, we began to gather in the lounge to welcome the Smithsonian’s Tropical Research Institute guides that were going to join us for the visit of the island. Zodiac excursions and walks were offered, including a short visit to the station. Howler monkeys, white face capuchin monkeys, northern tamanduas, long-nose coatis, and many others were the sightings of the morning. We could have continued all day but we had to complete our transit through one of the wonders of the world: The Panama Canal!
Navigating through the lake, we could appreciate the great biodiversity of the area. As we arrived to Pedro Miguel locks, we had a very good view of a Vehicle carrier that was going to share the locks with the Sea Voyager. We cleared the last locks (Miraflores locks) just before sunset so we enjoyed a nice cocktail hour up at the sundeck. While the sun began to set, a Bryde’s whale with a calf decided to escort our vessel for a few minutes. What a way to finish our first day!
