Barro Colorado Island & Panama Canal

We woke up this morning in front of the oldest rainforest reserve in the Western hemisphere, Barro Colorado Island Nature Monument.

We were visited just before breakfast by Dr. Egbert Leigh who boarded the Sea Voyager to welcome us to BCI. Dr. Egbert Leigh is a renowned biologist and author of Tropical Forest Ecology: A View from Barro Colorado Island, and his latest book, A Magic Web: The Forest of Barro Colorado. As a resident researcher of BCI, his contribution to the knowledge of tropical biology is unquestionable. It was a great honor to have him address our guests and welcome us to this wonderful day in Gatun Lake.

Barro Colorado is an Island in the Panama Canal Zone, lying midway between the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean sea (9¢ª 09’N, 79¢ª 51’W) At about 15.6 km² (6 square miles) , BCI is a largest Island in Gatun lake, the lake formed between 1911 and 1914 by the damming of the Chagres river to form the Canal. Gatun Lake, by far the largest expanse of water in the Canal, covering 420km² (164 square miles) at an elevation of about 25m (85 feet) above sea level.

We got to see several of the research projects on the trails while we were looking for wild life. Spider monkeys, white faced capuchin monkeys, Agouti and several other species of mammals, birds and insects made our experience delightful. 

 By 2pm, we lifted anchor and continued on our second leg of transiting the Panama Canal, where the rain gave us our last view of the Rain Forest. The spirits were high and the interest was peaking. This waterway is a magnet to most people’s imagination and romance with a history as the eighth wonder of the world. We can say it is a great way to end this wonderful week of expedition aboard the Sea Voyager.

¡Muchas Gracias y buen viaje!