Barro Colorado Island and Gatun Lake and locks
Ricardo has been a game warden and research assistant in Barro Colorado Island for almost twenty-two years. His only sighting of a jaguar happened a long time ago, standing on the top of the hill looking down toward the forest canopy. After a couple of minutes observing the nice view, a massive dark feline walked near the railroad tracks by one of the peninsulas near the Gatun lake. Apolonio -known as “Polo”- has dedicated more than three decades to the maintenance of the trails at this research facility. These are the lives of many humans here; with their discreet work they have played an important part in the conservation initiatives in our area.
Today with our exclusive visit to Barro Colorado administrated by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; the guests on board the National Geographic Sea Lion had the chance to witness the life of many scientists, researchers, local guides and the immeasurable hard work of the local people to preserve and understand life in a tropical forest.
In our walk through Fausto Trail with Ricardo, we learned about tropical hardwood trees, the song of the crested guans, the incredible dynamic growth of the lianas and the permanent changing condition of the forest and its inhabitants.
As we returned to our ship right in the middle of lunch a heavy rain indulge us with its refreshing veil, reminding us that it is the most valuable asset of the forest and the Panama Canal.
By mid afternoon, still with a heavy downpour, our guests did not hesitated with their raincoats to go outside on the weather decks of our ship in order to admire our conclusion of a successful two day crossing of the Panama Canal in Gatun locks.
We celebrated a wonderful week together and the memories of two small countries with a big heart and spirit.
