Page 104 - The Rough Guide to Panama (Travel Guide)

102 The Panama Canal and CenTral isThmus Lago gatún
daily 11am–11pm; Los Lagartos: April–July Sat & Sun Mateo’s Bed & Breakfast C Humberto Zárate
noon–4pm; Dec–March daily noon–4pm. 131a T6690 9664, Wgamboabedandbreakfast.com.
Ivan’s Bed & Breakfast 111 Jadwin Ave T314 9436 or You’ll get a warm welcome in these simple fan-
T6981 4583, Wgamboaecotours.com. In a delightful old ventilated cabins with large windows and two single
wooden Canal house, this friendly establishment is aimed beds (cold water only). Surrounded by tropical
primarily at birdwatchers, with four simple, comfortable vegetation and a well-tended garden, there is plenty of
en-suite rooms with fans and hot water. Continental space to indulge in armchair or hammock birdwatching.
2 breakfast is included, with other meals on request. Ivan leads Excellent value. Use of kitchen or other meals on
birding tours and can help organize other excursions. $100
request. $35

Lago Gatún
Following the damming of the Río Chagres in 1910, the waters took three years to
rise, culminating in the formation of LAGO GATÚN, at the time the largest artificial
lake in the world, covering 425 square kilometres. The lake now provides 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
(see p.76) 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 entwined 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 depart from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) jetty, 1km beyond Gamboa • Tours Tues, Wed & Fri 7.15am–4.10pm,
Sat & Sun 8am–4.10pm • $80 including boat transfer from Gamboa and lunch • Book through the STRI (T212 8951, Wstri.org) or in
person at the STRI’s Earl S. Tupper Building (see p.64), or via a tour operator
Isla Barro Colorado (BCI), whose name derives from the dominant reddish clay
(barro colorado), is home to the most studied patch of tropical forest in the New
World. 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, more than 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.

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