Plan Your Trip
On this 8-day/7-night Amazon jungle tour, you will leave city, town and village life for a mesmerizing experience in an eco-community deep in the rainforest. For more than a week, you can hike the myriad trails surrounding the Napo Lodge or explore by canoe or kayak. Your indigenous guide will help you spot the birds and wildlife, as well as explain the eco-system of the tropical rainforest during this exceptional South American vacation.
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A 30-minute flight from Quito over the eastern Andes mountain range to the Amazonian city of Coca is the beginning of your amazing rainforest experience.
After landing, we will take a short 5-minute drive to the port on the Napo River. Once there, we will board a comfortable covered motorboat to begin our boat ride down the Napo River for approximately 2 hours, spotting aquatic birds and other wildlife on the way.
After reaching the lodge’s welcoming area, we will take a magical 2-hour dugout canoe ride along a narrow river that leads to the lake where the lodge itself is located. This ride presents a lot of great chances for more wildlife spotting, including various species of monkeys as well as large birds like toucans, parrots or even macaws. By the late afternoon, we will arrive at the Napo Wildlife Center lodge, where you will settle in, have dinner and spend the night.
After a buffet breakfast, you can experience life above the forest floor by climbing the 36-meter-high observation tower that rises above the jungle canopy. This tower is located about 30 minutes from the lodge, deep in the rainforest. YOu'll have a very good view at some of the 567 bird species recorded in this area so far, getting a close look at colorful tanagers, macaws, toucans and flycatchers, as well as Spider and Howler monkeys feeding in nearby trees. The canopy tower opens up a whole new world to travelers who stay at the Napo Wildlife Center.
Later, we will return to the lodge for a typical Ecuadorian lunch. After eating, there are a number of early afternoon options from which to choose – from looking for more birds from the observation tower or just relaxing in your hammock.
Later in the afternoon, we will hike through a marvelous terra firme forest to learn about the ecology and the role of plants in the complex world of the tropical rainforest, where vines, primordial trees, bromeliads and orchids stand out in this extraordinary natural garden.
After the hike, we will explore surrounding creeks in which you have a good chance of running into a Giant otter family. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.
This morning we will visit one of the best parrot clay licks in Ecuador! After an early start, we will paddle downriver on the Añangu Creek as far as the welcome area. We will then take the motorboat for a 10-minute ride for a breathtaking view of up to hundreds of parrots — such as Amazon-Mealy, Blue-headed and orange-cheek parrots — which assemble here daily to eat the clay. These parrots and cobalt-winged parakeets come here to eat the salts, chemicals and minerals contained in the organic clay matter.
Later, we will return to the welcome area for lunch, and in the afternoon we will visit the interpretation center to learn about the traditions of the ancestral Kichwa Añangu community.
Returning to the lodge late in the afternoon, you’ll be welcomed back with a refreshing fresh juice. Dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m.
Following breakfast, we will set out on a mildly difficult full-day hike through the primary Amazon forest along the Samona Trail. During this trek, you will have a chance to spot various mammals such as peccaries and deer, as well as Howler, Saki and Barizo monkeys. In addition, this will be a great opportunity to learn about the local plant life and ancient trees whose properties have been used both for medicinal purposes and tools used in everyday life in the local community. During this journey, we’ll do some wildlife watching around the lagoon and its small creeks in search of Giant otters and other emblematic species of this habitat.
Today we will trek through the jungle to visit the indigenous Kichwa Añangu community, where you will have a chance to interact with local people and learn about their culture and lifestyle. After visiting the school and common areas, you will be able to go to the home of a local Kichwa family, who will tell you even more about their culture and traditions. Lunch will be served at Yasuni Kichwa Ecolodge.
In the afternoon, we will walk to the 40-meter-high observation tower located a few meters away from the lodge. From this tower, you can sight different species of exotic rainforest birds. Finally, we will walk to the lodge's second observation tower located in Kury Muyo, which is south of the community and very close to the Napo River. From this tower too, you will be able to spot birds and animals that live near the river and riverbank ecosystems. We will later return to the lodge for dinner.
Today we will explore the Guangana Trail on a high-difficulty hike, one requiring you to climb to an altitude of 250 meters above sea level. As this trek combines flooded forests, dry forests, and swamps, you will experience the tremendous biodiversity offered by the Ecuadorian Amazon. In his location, which is named after white collared “Guangana” peccaries, we will attempt to spot these unique mammals in their natural habitat. It’s also likely that we will come across Jaguar and wildcat footpaths. During this hike, the local guide will explain the tropical rainforest ecosystems.
In the afternoon we will take a motorized canoe ride across the Añangucocha Lagoon and down its adjacent Cariañangu Creek. Throughout this tour, you will be able to appreciate the lush Amazonian plant life, as well as wildlife such as Howler and Spider monkeys, in addition to Giant otters and many other species.
Today, we will hike through the Amazonian primary forest to Tiputini River, where we will set up camp there in the jungle. You will be provided with a spacious and comfortable tent, while you will continue to receive personalized service during your camping adventure. Undoubtedly, you will find this a unique and unforgettable experience.
To reach the campsite, you will have two alternatives:
• The first is to enjoy a walk along the Tiputini Trail, where we will find creeks and swamps as we search for Golden-mantled tamarins, capuchin and squirrel monkeys, two- and three-finger sloths, and other mammals. This high-medium difficulty walk will take about seven hours. • The second option starts out with a one-hour boat ride down the Napo River until reaching the town of Pompeya. From there, we will drive by car for approximately an hour and a half until we get to the Tiputini River, where we will take a 20-minute motor canoe ride into the indigenous Añangu territory.
In the afternoon, after lunch, we will visit the Waorani community of Guiyero to make a second cultural contact to learn about this group’s culture, music, dances, and customs. Late in the afternoon, we will travel by motor canoe along the Tiputini River in search of gray dolphins and caimans, two of the most emblematic aquatic species of the region.
At the end of the day, we will return to the camp for dinner. Later that night, you will have a chance to enjoy the jungle through a nighttime safari in which you will discover its wonderful night sounds and the possibility to see various nocturnal species of insects, reptiles, and amphibians.
After an early breakfast, we will head out on our final excursion: canoeing back to the Napo River and the creek for more wildlife sightings of Giant otters, Saki monkeys, hoatzins, Black-capped donacobius birds and other wildlife.
The motorized canoe will then return you to the town of Coca for your flight back to Quito.
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PLEASE NOTE: This is a sample itinerary subject to change due to weather conditions, safety, and particular interests of guests and groups. Changes and additions are made in order to maximize wildlife viewing and wilderness enjoyment, cultural interaction with local people, and all possible time at the richest rainforest in Ecuador: the Yasuni National Park. Please check with us to tailor-make your itinerary and cater to your particular interest for a unique life experience at the finest Amazon lodge: the Napo Wildlife Center.
| Days | ||||||
| Standard | Suites | |||||
| Single | Double | Triple | Single | Double | Triple | |
| 8 | US$ 4,143 PP | US$ 2,682 PP | US$ 2,682 PP | US$ 4,927 PP | US$ 3,204 PP | US$ 3,204 PP |
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