Barra Colorado Island and Gatun Locks
We awoke this morning to the sound of National Geographic Sea Lion’s anchor dropping off Barra Colorado Island (BCI), which was formed after the Chagres River was dammed to create Gatun Lake during the construction of the Panama Canal. After breakfast, Professor Egbert Leigh came aboard to give a short lecture on the scientific work of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) on Barra Colorado Island, which has been maintained since its creation as a pristine environment for biological research. Most trip participants donned closed-toe shoes and long pants (to guard against chiggers and ticks) then went ashore, where licensed BCI guides led nature walks along the forest trails, while other participants opted to explore the island perimeter aboard a Zodiac. Some hikers opted for a sweat-inducing, four-mile-long “power hike.” Others adopted a more leisurely pace—an opportunity to thrill to sightings of howler monkeys and agoutis, and such birds as the guan, the great tinamou, and the slaty-tailed trogon. Those participants who hiked the Donato Trail also got a close-up view of an Aztec ant colony—an intricate and multi-layered structure resembling a giant yam—hanging from a tree. The Zodiac group got a close-up view of a crocodile, and a rare encounter with a beautiful lime-colored green vine snake was another highlight… confirming that this, indeed, deserved its nickname: The “snake trip”!
Back aboard National Geographic Sea Lion, we enjoyed a delicious lunch prior to weighing anchor. We then sailed along the “Banana Passage” to Gatun Lock, the final (and largest) of the three lock systems on the Panama Canal. Approaching the lock, we enjoyed an excellent perspective of the construction site of the new, expanded lock system for post-panamax ships (those too large to pass through the existing locks). Our Panamanian-born on-board naturalist guide, Rick Morales, offered a fascinating running commentary on the canal and lock operations as we transited the triple-chamber Gatun Lock, which lowered us 85 feet from Gatun Lake to the Caribbean Sea. Almost immediately after exiting the Gatun Locks at around 5pm, we thrilled to the sight of a crocodile basking on the riverbank.
Rick Morales gave an illustrated presentation on the new locks, followed by a brief profile of growing up in the Canal Zone offered by hotel manager Erasmo Estrepaux—a “Zonian” whose uncle served as the first post-Noriega President of Panama. At 6:30pm, photo instructor Willy showed a presentation of the trip participants’ best slides. Expedition Leader Bernal Diaz then thanked everyone for their participation, and invited each naturalist guide to offer a round-up of the week.
We anchored at Colon 2000 port, in Colon City at the end of a magnificent week.
