Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
33km of the waterway's total 77km length, with the ships following the original course of the
Río Chagres, where the lake is at its deepest, and collects and releases the 43 million gallons
of water necessary for each vessel to transit the canal.
The undulating topography ensured that this impressive body of water developed into a
place of great beauty, with dozens of peninsulas and tree-topped islands, and a myriad of
inlets easing their tentacles into the lush rainforest, all of which are best explored by boat.
Favourite destinations are
Isla Barro Colorado
and the archipelago of
Isla Tigre
and
Islas
Brujas
. You can't land on the seventeen or so islands, but with a good pair of binoculars you
can usually observe from your boat the islands' monkeys cavorting in the trees. Several
tour
operators
include the islands on their wildlife viewing trips though some, unfortunately, can't
resist the urge to feed the monkeys.
Other
wildlife
to look out for, which can easily be spotted while on a fishing trip, includes
crocodiles and caimans slithering in the muddy shallows, as well as sloths and snakes en-
twined round branches. The lake is famous for its prolific peacock bass, and fishermen
hanging out at the public dock, before the bridge, will happily take you out for a few hours
angling
for around $70 for the boat.
Isla Barro Colorado
Tours Tues, Wed & Fri 7.15am-4.10pm • $70 including boat transfer from Gamboa and lunch • Book through
the STRI ( 212 8951,
stri.org
) or in person at the
STRI's
Earl S. Tupper Building, or via a
tour operator
•
Tours depart from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) jetty, 1km beyond Gamboa
Home to the most studied patch of tropical forest in the New World is
Isla Barro Colorado
(BCI), whose name derives from the dominant reddish clay (
barro colorado
). Administered
by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), it draws scientists from all over the
world to pore over the sixteen square kilometres of flora and fauna, but can also be visited on
a day-long
tour
, which makes for a diverting outing.
After a short
talk
, you set out on a
guided walk
, during which you'll learn about some
of the island's 1300-plus plant species and 110-odd species of mammal, over half of which
are bats. A favourite route leads to the “Big Tree”, an enormous 500-year-old kapok with a
25m diameter, laden with epiphytes. Although the small island is home to both ocelots and
pumas, you're unlikely to see more than their prints in the mud. Much more visible are the
vast colonies of leafcutter ants, estimated to chew fifteen percent of all leaves produced in the
forest to feed the fungus they eat in their subterranean nests. After
lunch
in the cafeteria, you
can watch for wildlife in the immediate vicinity of the research station, where you're likely
to see howler monkeys, but you are not allowed back in the forest unaccompanied.
