Isla Barro Colorado

Barro Colorado Island was built in 1913 during the construction of the Panama Canal, when Lake Gatun was created. The 15-square-kilometer island is home to one of the world's oldest tropical research stations, which has been conducting study for over a century. Every year, approximately 400 scientists come to research biology, ecology, evolution, and animal behavior in this rainforest-covered living laboratory.

The island is currently a nature reserve, and it is a breathtakingly beautiful site with incredible biodiversity. You must book an official trip in order to visit, and access is normally by boat from nearby Gamboa. You will be treated to beautiful colors while on Isla Barro Colorado. Prepare to see toucans in their natural habitat, as well as bold green tree frogs, carpets of flowers on forest floors, and even three-toed sloths.

Barro Colorado Island welcomes day visitors. Visits must be scheduled ahead of time and entail transportation to and from the island by boat.

Location: in the man-made Gatun Lake in the middle of the Panama Canal.