Barro del Colorado Island, Panama Canal

The Palenquilla hill is one of the tallest mountain tops to have become an island in the middle of the Panama Canal; the Panama Canal was created when the Chagres River was dammed to form Gatun Lake and with it, the waterway for the Panama Canal. It not only became the largest island in the Panama Canal but was also one of the most studied pieces of tropical land on our planet.

Its name changed to Barro Del Colorado Island or BCI, and by 1923 it was declared a biological reserve. Later on in 1946 the Smithsonian Institute became the administrator of BCI. Since then BCI has become a mecca for science in the tropical forest, endeavoring to solve the mysteries of this complex ecosystem.

This morning right after breakfast we anchored in front of BCI in the middle of the Panama Canal. We were hosted by guides from the island that took us in various hikes and Zodiac cruises in search of wildlife. Along the way we learned about some of the different research projects happening on this incredible island. Plus their was the bonus of getting to see howler monkeys, crested guans, trogons, agouties, spider monkeys, white throated capuchin monkeys, and even a little brown snake.

After lunch and once we had a pilot on board we sailed the rest of our way through the Panama Canal and the Gatun Lake to the lock of Gatun. Here the ship was lowered 85 feet down to the Caribbean sea level in three different steps. We were able to see one of the wonders of the modern world in full operation, and realize how much vision the people had who were involved in its construction.