On the last day of our Central American Journey, the National Geographic Quest anchored right in front of the research facilities of Barro Colorado Island inside the Gatun Lake. Turned into an island when the lake was formed to create the Canal, BCI as it is most popularly known, is one of the most important Neotropical research stations. Anything from phenology, ecology, ethology, entomology and many more branches of biology are studied within its few square meters. Since 1923, the island has been run by the Smithsonian Institute, as a means to learn about the tropics. Many famous scientists have walked the same trails we walked today. We could do three things, walk the BCIs trails, take a last Zodiac ride along the lake or visit the Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre on mainland. Whatever outing we took, we all came back with good sightings and fun stories.
Later in the afternoon with our third pilot on board, we headed to the final section of the Canal crossing. We moved from the middle of the lake towards the northern exit of the Gatun locks. Three sets of locks awaited to finally descend into the Caribbean Sea. A splendid way to end our trip, conquering one of the wonders of the modern world.
