Barro Colorado Island and the Gatun Locks, Panama
The last day from our trip had arrived, incredible how a whole week had gone by—we have been hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, swimming, and just lounging at the sundeck with a good book.
Early in the morning the National Geographic Sea Lion was repositioned from our anchored sleeping site to Barro Colorado Island, one of the several mountaintops that became islands when the Chagres River was dammed in order to create the Gatun Lake for the Panama Canal construction.
The island is a tropical rain forest paradise for any researcher, scientist, or nature lover. It has been under the administration of the Smithsonian Research Institute since the 1940’s, and since then it is one of the most researched, mapped, scanned, and explored rain forests in the world.
There were two options to enjoy the site; one was a Zodiac ride along the perimeters of the island, where guans and toucans among other animals were spotted. The other option was a hike through this entangled forest of towering trees and serpentine looking lianas and vines. The long hikers were able to admired the 300 (approx.) year old Kapok Tree, with a base root system of at least 50ft wide. Some bats make it their roosting place here. Spotting wildlife in a tropical ecosystem is not easy task, therefore we all were very happy as a couple of red chested slaty-tailed trogons flew across and perched right above our heads and kept singing to each other, marvelous moment. Trogons are a cosmopolitan bird family, with 40 species worldwide, their most infamous one is the Resplendent Quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala and describe by birdwatchers as the most beautiful bird of the neotropics.
After we all came back from our last expedition through the rain forest, the anchor was lifted and the Panama Canal Pilot led us to the entrance of the Gatun Locks, the second part of our crossing through this engineering marvel. The weather was perfect for standing on deck and admiring the complex interactions of this crossing. Line-handlers throwing ropes, locomotives centering the ship, bells, rings, whistles… and with a gorgeous Caribbean dusk National Geographic Sea Lion successfully finished its transit through the isthmus of Panama.
