Amazon Kayaking Trip

You’ll be met at Quito’s new airport (UIO) and transferred  the very short distance to the Wyndham Quito Airport. Arrivals are typically quite late and there are no activities so you'll be able to get to bed.  There will be a welcome letter at the hotel front desk with specifics of the next day’s plan.

In the morning, we will meet the naturalist/kayak guide in the lobby of the hotel and after a brief orientation head to the airport for the flight over the Andes to the Amazon Basin. Landing in the town of Coca we’ll be met by our native guide. A few minutes from the airport is the Napo River (Rio Napo), the largest tributary of the Amazon in Ecuador. Here, we will board a motorized canoe for the ride to Sacha Lodge. The trip takes approximately 2 hours including a 30-minute hike through the rainforest to Lake Pilchicocha where the lodge is located. In the afternoon, we will board our sea kayaks for a short familiarization paddle through the lake and creeks around the lodge. After dinner, we have the option of a night walk through the rainforest to look for the many different species of nocturnal animals or take a canoe ride on the lake and creeks to look for spectacled and black caimans by spotlight.

After breakfast, we’ll walk through the rainforest back to the Rio Napo and board a motorized canoe that will take us to our put-in point for the descent on the tranquil Indillana River. Running slowly from the Andes to the Rio Napo, the Indillana is one of the rivers that define the limit of Yasuni National Park. Wide, and bounded by magnificent forest on both sides, the Indillana is a great example of how the fresh (white) water from the Andes meets the igapo-blackwater of the jungle. This paddle will give us the chance to enjoy the beauty and mystery of the Amazon jungle and its abundant wildlife. Once we reach the Rio Napo, we will reboard our motorized canoe for the 30-minute ride back to the trail to the lodge.

Dedicated to optimal wildlife observation, the day at Sacha Lodge starts early. Setting off not long after dawn, we will take our kayaks and paddle through one of the most interesting creeks in the area around the lodge. On the way, we’ll have the opportunity to see squirrel monkeys, white-bellied spider monkeys, and several different species of birds. After roughly an hour of paddling, we will start walking toward Sacha’s magnificent 100-foot high and 900-foot long canopy walkway. Arriving during prime morning birding hours, we’ll have spectacular—literally, treetop—views of the rainforest and many different species of vibrant, tropical-colored birds. Equipped with a spotting scope, the naturalist and native guides will point out the many canopy residents and offer interpretation. We will be back at the lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, we will kayak a small blackwater creek that many people consider the best route at Sacha. Along the way, there is a good chance of seeing large troops of squirrel, capuchin, and howler monkeys. Keep your eyes peeled for the shy and elusive river otter as well as the incredibly well camouflaged three-toed sloth. After this amazing ride through the flooded forest, we’ll leave the kayaks for a short walk to a 135-foot wooden tower built around an ancient Kapok tree. The observation platform structured around the massive limbs of this tallest of canopy trees makes for a breathtaking vantage point for late afternoon bird watching. We will paddle back to the lodge for dinner.

Early in the morning, we will check out from Sacha Lodge to take a boat ride for about 1.5 hours to the Amazon Dolphin Ecolodge. A more basic lodge than Sacha, the Amazon Dolphin is very comfortable and located in one of the most pristine parts of the Amazon basin. After checking in we will venture out by kayak to explore Pañacocha Lake in search of wildlife. There will be chances to find and float with the pink freshwater dolphins, to observe colorful hoatzin birds and various other avian residents of the lake as well as monkeys and numerous other small creatures.

Departing early we’ll set off by boat to the headwaters of the Pañayacu River where our kayaks will be waiting. We then paddle into a pristine igapo-blackwater lagoon and riverine system located in the narrow gap between Ecuador’s two largest Amazon protected areas: the 982,000-hectare Yasuni National Park and the 600,000-hectare Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. Traversing several distinct forest zones that illustrate how the complex ecosystem of the Amazon is a constant, multifaceted cycle of competition and renewal. Descending the slow current, we will have the opportunity to see several species of birds, troops of howler monkeys, Charapa turtles (Podocnemis expansa), common otters, and if we are lucky, we’ll kayak with the pink freshwater dolphins in Piguali Lake.

We will continue our descent of the Pañayacu River until we reach the broad Napo River where we will board a motorized canoe to ride downstream and then paddle by kayak to Garzacoha Lake and La Selva Lodge, our luxurious home for the next two nights. Upon arrival we will check-in and enjoy a late lunch on lakeside terrace and a maybe a refreshing swim. In the afternoon we will enter the rainforest and explore the “Chaguamango” trail that begins behind the lodge and finishes at the edge of the lake. During the walk we will talk about the various uses of neo-tropical plants by the indigenous groups of the Amazonia as medicine, food, ornamental. At the end of the walk, we will head back to the lodge by canoe. If we’re lucky, you might see large troops of squirrel monkeys approaching the water in the late afternoon.

Today we visit what is thought to be the most biologically diverse spot on earth: Yasuni National Park. A 20-minute canoe ride plus a 15-minute walk takes us back to the Rio Napo, where we board a motorized canoe for a short ride to a trailhead that leads to one of most remarkable wildlife displays in the world. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets perch in the treetops and then descend to a clay bank to ingest the mineral rich soil. This allows the birds to digest forest seeds, some of which have toxic components that elements of the clay help neutralize. The naturalist guide will help you identify the various subspecies present and explain their behaviors in detail. Returning to the motorized canoe, we cruise along the riverbanks of the Napo, bird watching along the way (the currents in the Napo render this unsafe for the kayaks but an experience not to be missed). Next, we’ll pay a visit to an Amazonian Kichwa family. A tour of their garden “chacra” (small farm), followed by a visit to the house will let us experience the Kichwa tradition of hospitality and open a window into the everyday lives of the people that make their homes in Amazonia. Returning to the lodge there will be time to relax before dinner. After dinner, we’ll take a night paddle by canoe around the lagoon looking for caimans, boas, bats, owls, night mammals, and other nocturnal wildlife. If it’s clear, we’ll have a chance to view the blaze of stars in the equatorial night sky accompanied by an unforgettable Amazon night chorus of frogs—a place like no other on earth.

This day starts with an early wake up call, breakfast, and then departure from the lodge. The lodge staff will assist with your checked luggage as we begin our journey back to Quito. A motorized canoe takes us back upstream to Coca, where our representative will take us to the airport to help with checked luggage and boarding passes. Once in Quito we will be transferred from the airport to the Hotel Real Audiencia , a restored grand colonial house in the heart of Quito’s Old Town. UNESCO declared the Old Town a World Heritage site in 1978 and it is one of the best preserved colonial cities in Latin America. For the balance of the afternoon we’ll tour the sites of Old Town, then return to the hotel for our farewell dinner.

Your tour leader will assist with luggage, transfer you to the airport, and ensure that check-in goes smoothly.

Please note that rainforest itineraries might vary slightly in order to maximize wildlife sightings, depending of the reports of our naturalists’ guides, your main interests, and weather conditions.