Passing ships
Up close.
User:Stan Shebs — CC BY-SA 3.0 · David Brossard — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Dr. Thomas Liptak — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Dr. Thomas Liptak — CC BY-SA 4.0
A vast artificial lake at the heart of the Panama Canal, formed on 27 June 1913 when the gates of the Gatún Dam closed on the Chagres River, flooding valleys and forests and turning hills into islands. It was then the largest artificial lake in the world, and ships cross thirty-three kilometres of it on their transit, about twenty-six metres above sea level. The finest way to visit is a boat trip from Gamboa, passing close to huge container ships in transit, then slipping between small forested islands where monkeys live: white-faced capuchins, howlers, spider monkeys and tamarins, along with sloths, crocodiles and birds. The lake also holds Barro Colorado Island, one of the world's best-known tropical forest research stations, visited on limited scientific tours booked in advance. Do not feed monkeys from the boat; feeding them is banned and harms them. It is hot and humid all year, with heavy afternoon rain from May to November, so carry water and an umbrella.
Up close.
Capuchins and howlers.
Research station.
Heart of the Panama Canal; boat trips from Gamboa, about 40 minutes from the city
On a boat trip from Gamboa, about 40 minutes from the city, passing ships and the monkey islands.