After a fantastic crossing of the Gatun Locks, we awoke by Barro Colorado Island (BCI), one of the most researched forests in the tropical world. The island has been administrated by the Smithsonian Institute since the 1940s, becoming the mecca of the most updated data on tropical ecosystems.
Gatun Lake is the heart of the Panama Canal, and without this 164 square-miles of water, the canal would not have around 42 transits a day. The lake was created by floating the Gatun and the Chagres rivers, with many towns moved to other areas. A large area of land and forest were covered in water, making all the hilltops of this valley into islands.
In the morning we walked the forest, and in the afternoon we cruised the lake. It was a parade of animals. We saw howler, spider, and white-faced monkeys, and as an extra bonus, one of the smallest monkeys in the tropics, Geoffroy’s tamarind. For the bird lovers, we saw several snail kites, toucans, guans, and many more.
