Barro Colorado Island and Gatun Locks, Panama Canal
It's 6am and the sun slowly peaks through the dense cover of rain forest that surrounds the Gatun Lake. The sound of the anchor being lifted reminds us that another great day is about to start. Smoothly the Sea Voyager gets repositioned to our day’s destination: Barro Colorado Island. The area covers 3865 acres, but the whole natural monument includes several peninsulas increasing the area to around 13,256 acres. This has been one of the most important tropical research stations in the Neotropics since 1946, when it became part of the Smithsonian Research Institute. The island owes its name to the reddish color of the clay that composes its soils.
Our guest had two options: either walk the trails on the island, two trails out of the 25 miles of trails, or cruise it on our Zodiacs. One group of people decided to have their last sweaty, humid hike in the rain forest, and it sure was worth it!!
From outside, the forest looks like a dense coat of vegetation, but as soon as we walk into it, the magical web of interactions becomes clear. Trees that grow hundreds of feet high, and as they grow, they carry an array of epiphytes and vines, that all together build not just wonderful path ways for monkeys, squirrels, birds and ants, but housing too. As we were strolling on the ground, we could hear how active the canopy was. Several species of monkeys were spotted, plus agoutis, snakes, colorful keel-billed toucans, a stunning white hawk, a superb slaty-tailed trogon among many other animals. It was sad to leave the forest behind, but it was nice to be part of it for a while. As if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the Canal transit was waiting for us.
Like a water color picture, the shades of pinks and purples of the sunset were the perfect frame for the second part of our transit, the Gatun Locks. The last three steps down, that will takes us 85 feet back to sea level, but this time the Caribbean Sea. Shortly before 8 pm we left behind the lights of the Canal, like the view of the lights of a city from a mountain top. Great trip, great friends, great memories!
It's 6am and the sun slowly peaks through the dense cover of rain forest that surrounds the Gatun Lake. The sound of the anchor being lifted reminds us that another great day is about to start. Smoothly the Sea Voyager gets repositioned to our day’s destination: Barro Colorado Island. The area covers 3865 acres, but the whole natural monument includes several peninsulas increasing the area to around 13,256 acres. This has been one of the most important tropical research stations in the Neotropics since 1946, when it became part of the Smithsonian Research Institute. The island owes its name to the reddish color of the clay that composes its soils.
Our guest had two options: either walk the trails on the island, two trails out of the 25 miles of trails, or cruise it on our Zodiacs. One group of people decided to have their last sweaty, humid hike in the rain forest, and it sure was worth it!!
From outside, the forest looks like a dense coat of vegetation, but as soon as we walk into it, the magical web of interactions becomes clear. Trees that grow hundreds of feet high, and as they grow, they carry an array of epiphytes and vines, that all together build not just wonderful path ways for monkeys, squirrels, birds and ants, but housing too. As we were strolling on the ground, we could hear how active the canopy was. Several species of monkeys were spotted, plus agoutis, snakes, colorful keel-billed toucans, a stunning white hawk, a superb slaty-tailed trogon among many other animals. It was sad to leave the forest behind, but it was nice to be part of it for a while. As if that wasn’t enough, the rest of the Canal transit was waiting for us.
Like a water color picture, the shades of pinks and purples of the sunset were the perfect frame for the second part of our transit, the Gatun Locks. The last three steps down, that will takes us 85 feet back to sea level, but this time the Caribbean Sea. Shortly before 8 pm we left behind the lights of the Canal, like the view of the lights of a city from a mountain top. Great trip, great friends, great memories!
