Amazon Kayaking Exploration

This morning, your expert kayak guide will meet you in the lobby to give you a short briefing about the upcoming trip, and assist with your luggage and transfer to the airport. You will fly to Coca, a small city, where your exploration of the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin will begin. From Coca, a kayak trip down the Napo River, a half an hour hike, and finally dugout canoe ride, will take you to the magnificent Sacha Lodge, your base for the next three nights. Sacha Lodge sits on the edge of the mysterious black waters of Lake Pilchicocha, and its reserve covers more than 5,000 acres. The isolated setting of Sacha Lodge and the vastness of the rainforest will have you feeling as though you are the only group exploring the Amazon. After settling in and some time to refresh, you can enjoy a refreshing swim in the black-waters of Lake Pilchicocha, a bird watching stroll around the lodge, or visit the butterfly house with your guide. After dinner, you will have the option to embark on a special night excursion through the rainforest to spot the species of the rainforest that can only be seen at night, or take a canoe ride to view the spectacled, black caimans and their glowing orange eyes as you stealthily paddle across the lake to get a closer view. Kayak time and difficulty: 2 hours, easy - moderate Wildlife: butterflies, caimans, boas, bats, owls and other night mammals  

Meals included: L,D 

Accommodation: Sacha Lodge 

Amazon Basin: Indillana River Kayak Excursion 

After a hearty breakfast, you will head out from the lodge to depart on a scenic kayak down the tranquil Indillana River. This is an off the beaten path expedition to show you some of the Ecuadorian Amazon’s less discovered areas. The river is unique because it runs all the way from the Andes Mountains and down to the Napo River in the Amazon Basin, which means you will see the interesting intersection of the fresh water from the Andes meeting the rainforest’s blackwater. Depending on the level of the river, the speed of our descent may vary, but this will not affect your chance to enjoy the breathtaking beauty and mystery of the Amazon, and all its abundant wildlife. Once you reach the Napo River you will board a motorized canoe for a half an hour ride back to the lodge where you can enjoy the lovely facilities of the lodge and beautiful setting of Lake Pilchicocha. Kayak time and difficulty: 3 – 4 hours, moderate  

Meals included: B,L,D 

Accommodation: Sacha Lodge

Today, you will venture up and into the canopy of the Amazon for a new and unique perspective of the rainforest. You will first paddle through one of the many intriguing creeks in the Sacha Lodge reserve, observing exotic birds and monkeys playing in the forest along the way. Arrive at Sacha Lodge’s impressive Canopy Walk for spectacular views of the rainforest’s canopy. The canopy walkway is 100 feet high and 900 feet long, giving you the opportunity to see wildlife that cannot usually be seen from the ground. If you are lucky, watch troops of howler monkeys making their way through the rainforest, or if you can’t see them, you will most definitely hear them! In the afternoon you will take another kayak excursion of a hidden creek, where you can observe a variety of wildlife, especially looking out for the incredibly well camouflaged three-toed sloth! Kayak to Sacha Lodge´s 135-foot wooden tower built around an ancient Kapok tree, with more than 500 species of birds registered in the area, many of which can be spotted from the Kapok tower, including rainbow-colored toucans and parrots. Come back down from the magnificent heights of the rainforest this evening to enjoy your last dinner at Sacha Lodge on the shores of Lake Pilchicocha. Kayak time and difficulty: 2 – 3 hours, easy Wildlife: Amazonian birds, squirrel, capuchin, howler monkeys, river otter, three toed sloth, frogs, caimans, and bats  

Meals included: B,L,D 

Accommodation: Sacha Lodge 

This morning you will say goodbye to Sacha Lodge and take an early motorboat ride on the Napo River to the Pañayacu River where you will board your choice of kayak or stand up paddleboard. The surrounding rainforest is a pristine blackwater lagoon and riverine system located in the narrow gap between Ecuador's two largest protected areas in the Amazon: the 982,000-hectare Yasuni National Park and the 600,000-hectare Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. This excursion will give you another chance to discover relatively unexplored areas of the Ecuadorian Amazon as your kayak or stand up paddleboard gives you access to this narrow river where you can take your time passing through the incredible scenery. As you make your way down the narrow river you have the opportunity to see the most incredible wildlife of the tropical rainforest, possibly even the exotic Pink River Dolphin. You will have the opportunity to see several species of birds, Charapa Turtles, and the common otter. After your Pañayacu River exploration, you will arrive at Dolphin Lodge, your accommodation for the next two nights. Dolphin Lodge is a comfortable lodge located in a virtually untouched part of the Amazon basin, and is named for the famous Pink River Dolphin in the area so make sure you keep your eyes on the look out. Kayak/Stand-up Paddleboard time and difficulty: 3 – 4 hours, moderate Wildlife: Pink River Dolphin, monkeys, snakes, and butterflies, Charapa Turtles, common otter  

Meals included: B,L,D,Snacks - Dolphin Lodges 

Accommodation: Amazon Dolphin Pañacocha
 

Today you have a great opportunity to explore some of the Ecuadorian Amazon’s lesser-known lakes. Laguna Pañacocha and Laguna Piguali are both accessible from Dolphin Lodge by kayak and are home to some incredible wildlife. After breakfast, you will take a short boat ride off the Río Napo through a wild network of creeks brimming with wildlife. Upon your arrival at Pañacocha Lagoon (‘Lake of Piranhas’ in Kichwa) you will transfer to your kayak to start exploring. This lagoon is a hidden gem in the Amazon, an ideal place to see hoatzins and monkeys, and there will be chances to find and float with the famous Pink River Dolphin. From Pañacocha you will paddle downstream to Laguna Piguali. This is a unique experience, as along the way you will pass through several distinct forest zones that illustrate the incredible diversity of the Amazon ecosystem. You will have the opportunity to see several species of birds, troops of howler monkeys, Charapa Turtles, common otters, and if you are lucky, you will kayak with the Pink River Dolphins, and watch the sunset from Piguali Lake. Kayak time and difficulty: 3 – 4 hours, moderate Wildlife: Hoatzins, monkeys, Pink River Dolphin, Amazonian birds, howler monkeys, Charapa Turtles, common otters 

Meals included: B,L,D 

Accommodation: Amazon Dolphin Pañacocha

This morning you will travel to La Selva Lodge, your accommodation for your last two nights in the Amazon. The journey will include two interesting routes in your kayak, as well as a motorized boat ride and short walk. You will firstly kayak down the Pañayacu River, to the Napo River, where you will have plenty of opportunities to observe the Amazon’s exceptional fauna. Once at the Napo River, you will board a motorized canoe and ride upriver to a small stream where you will board your kayak again, and paddle through to Garzacocha Lake. Enjoy the physical accomplishment of transporting yourself to your accommodation as you arrive to the beautiful La Selva Lodge, situated on Garzacocha Lake. Upon arrival, you will check-in and have lunch, and the rest of the afternoon will be yours to enjoy. There will be more opportunities for kayaking in the lake and exploring the surrounding scenery and wildlife, or may choose to simply relax in the comfort of the lodge. Remember that today is your last day to explore the Amazon by kayak so make sure you take the opportunity to soak up your surroundings by paddle. Afterwards you may wish to treat yourself to a massage for your weary muscles from the lodge’s private spa, or enjoy a refreshing drink on the patio overlooking the lake before dinner this evening. Kayak time and difficulty: 3 – 4 hours, moderate Wildlife: toucans, monkeys, and several species of butterflies, alligators, boa, otters  

Meals included: B,L,D 

Accommodation: La Selva Lodge 

Very early this morning, you will visit the Yasuní National Park, one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. A motorized canoe ride, and a short 20-minute walk, you will take you to an amazing display of hundreds of parrots and parakeets chattering in the treetops before flying down to eat the clay bank of the river. Your naturalist guide will help you to identify the different parrot and parakeet species, and provide plenty of interesting information about these birds´ and their behavior. It will be a bonus if you can bring some binoculars to see this amazing spectacle of color and sound close up. This afternoon you will visit a local Amazonian Kichwa family in their home. You will first see the “chakra” garden, a garden created using ash from burnt forest that is used to grow local crops such as yucca and plantains, and new growth forest is replanted when all the nutrients from the ash have been used. After visiting the chakra you will visit the house to see and learn about what the homes and lives of local Amazonian people are like. After having some time to rest at the lodge and enjoy dinner, you will take a paddle canoe around the lagoon to experience the Amazon at night and spot the nocturnal wildlife including caimans, boas, bats, owls and other night mammals. If you are lucky enough to have clear skies, you will be able to stargaze and reflect on your amazing experiences in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin. Wildlife: a wide variety of parrots including Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged and Blue-headed parrots, caimans, boas, bats, owls and other night mammals  

Meals included: B,L,D 

Accommodation: La Selva Lodge 

Today you will have an early start to make the journey back to Quito. A motorized canoe will take you back to Coca where you will meet a representative to assist with your luggage and take you to the airport.  

Meals included: B,BL 

Accommodation: