Anyone who has read a book on tropical rain forest natural history has seen quoted the name “BCI” or Barro Colorado Island. The reason is because the vast majority of studies in the early days of tropical rain forest discovery happened at this site. The research on the island began in 1923. Today it’s administrated by the Smithsonian Institution and a walk on the trails of the island reveal how active it still is in the discovery of information about this incredible ecosystem.
This morning National Geographic Sea Lion was anchored in front of Barro Colorado Island. As the sun was rising you could hear the sound of the howler monkeys and the toucans, making sure that everyone in the jungle knew it was time to wake up! As the stretching class began with the chorus of birds and monkeys, we knew the last day on board was going to be unforgettable.
We started the day with the visit of a legendary scientist, Dr. Egbert Leigh. He talked about what it’s like to have spent an entire life devoted to discovering the mysteries of the rain forest. After his talk, some of us started hiking the various trails, and others enjoyed an inflatable boat ride around the island. Whether cruising or hiking, the local guides of BCI explained to us the important research that is taking place at the moment on the island. It was also a good opportunity for enjoying some of the wildlife like monkeys, toucans, guans, trogons, agoutis, hawks and crocodiles, among others.
After a delicious lunch, we started navigating toward the Gatun Locks, our last step in the voyage from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean. The expectation was to see this world wonder during the day time! The cameras and clean memory cards were ready for this memorable moment. Our cruising went as expected and all of us were on deck enjoying the opening and closing of the gigantic doors as millions of gallons of water flushed into the Caribbean to lower us down 85 feet.
The minute we passed the Gatun Locks we started spotting wildlife. Giant crocodiles were among the first sightings; lapwings, herons, fork-tail flycatchers, hawks, falcons and even a couple of coatis were also seen. This was our good-bye moment and as the sun was setting, we started to see the giant harbor of Cristobal in the town of Colon. It was hard to accept that we had arrived to our final destination. We gathered in the lounge and shared this experience of a lifetime.
