Napo Wildlife Center
Leave civilization behind and escape to Napo Wildlife Center, an eco-community in a truly mesmerizing location. The luxurious Napo Wildlife Center is nestled on a small ridge at the edge of a great jungle lake surrounded by the beautiful Amazon rainforest.
Designed for nature lovers who want to experience the Amazon's unique landscapes and observe breathtaking wildlife. Spanning nearly 2.5 million acres of lush Amazonian rainforest, Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The lodge is the only one of its kind located within the vibrant heart of one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on our planet.
A central tower rises above it all to offer you magical panoramic views. This is only one of many observation platforms and common areas designed for guests' recreational use. Resting areas with comfortable seating options are made complete by splendid views of the surrounding landscape. The restaurant and bar are fully equipped to offer local and international cuisine as well as delicious and refreshing cocktails. A handmade souvenir from our boutique can be an emblem of your unforgettable vacation.
The lodge welcomes you to take a glance at the ways of life within the Kichwa Añangu Community. Engaging encounters at our Cultural Center will introduce you to the community, ancestral customs, traditional practices and so much more. There’s many activities you can enjoy while staying here. Take part in our daily forest and canoe excursions, kayaking, birding tours, and feel free to request hiking trails specific to your interests and abilities.
There are a total of 20 cabins built on the banks of the lake which allows for spectacular views of the landscape. 12 Standard Cabins (double or triple) and 8 large suites with a romantic jacuzzi in your ensuite bathroom and a panoramic glass floor in the living room. The boutique suites are ideal for couples and honeymooners.
12 Standard Cabins Feature:
Electricity
Safe-deposit box
Water
Porch with seats and view to the lake
Amenities: slippers, bathrobe, toiletries, bath salts
100% cotton towels
8 Suites Feature:
Living room
Minibar
“Waterfall” Style Shower
Porch with seats and view to the lake
Amenities: slippers, bathrobe, toiletries, bath salts
100% cotton towels
Forest Hiking
With the highest density of biodiversity in the world, there are infinite chances for you to see an immense variety of plants, flowers, and wildlife. Typical jungle animals you can seek out while walking one of our many trails are: birds such as hoatzins, macaws, toucans, parakeets, and parrots; turtles, anacondas, and other reptiles; many insects and amphibians; mammals such as monkeys, tapirs, ocelots, and so much more!Canopy Observation Tower
Get a close-up and personal view of the jungle and its diverse flora and fauna. One of our 36 meter observation towers was strategically built next to a huge tree to offer you the best view of the Amazon Rainforest. From high up in the canopy, you have a broad scope to observe the magnificent scale of the trees, flocks of colorful birds flying, troops of monkeys tussling, and an unobstructed view of miraculous Amazonia.
Canoeing
Explore the black waters of the Añangu Lake and creeks on board a paddle-canoe or kayak. Motorized boats are also available to navigate the Napo River. In the Amazon jungle, you can discover hundreds of different aquatic animals such as fish, caimans, turtles, giant otters, and other exotic creatures. Don't forget to bring your camera and a sense of adventure.
Parrot Clay Licks
Birds like colorful parrots can be the most stunning natural spectacles to see in Amazonia. Special clay deposits containing large amounts of minerals that birds and many other animals require are found in Yasuni. It's essential to get an early start for this event because animals start flocking here first thing in the morning. Hundreds of vibrantly colored birds visiting the licks are a sight and sound to behold and not to be missed.
Interpretive Center
A traditionally-built cabana within the Kichwa Añangu community is the perfect setting to learn about the traditions and culture of your hosts. The women of our community will welcome you with typical dances, music, rituals, handicrafts, artwork, food, and drinks. Allow our oral traditions to enlighten you with truths about the natural world and our place in the circle of life, and feel free to engage in an inspiring cultural exchange.
Birding
More than 610 bird species have been inventoried within the Yasuni National Park. This plethora of feathered friends is known to give visitors the best bird watching experiences of their lives. Bring your birding bucket list and be ready to cast furtive glances at both the colorful winged wonders as well as the camouflaged. An unforgettable adventure awaits you in the most biodiverse place on earth.
The 4 days / 3 nights premium tour includes canoe trips along lakes and rivers, forest excursions, and birding tours. Experience an incredible adventure paddling a small canoe on a tranquil stream, or hike on one of the 16 forest trails. Get a close-up view of the spectacular wildlife living in Yasuní National Park, a sacred land known as one of the most diverse regions on the planet.
Day 1 Quito to Napo
Departing from Quito, a 30 minute flight to Coca will bring you over the eastern Andes mountain range. After landing during the mid-morning, a 5 min transfer will take you to “La Mision” Port, where you will embark on a comfortable covered motor-boat. Here we will ride along the Napo River for about 2 hours while enjoying a box lunch and coffee, which is provided en route.
Along the way, you will have opportunities to spot birds like herons, kingfishers, and others. After arriving at Napo Wildlife Center’s entry dock, we disembark for a short break and to visit the restroom. Next, we take you on a majestic and peaceful 2 hour paddle canoe ride surrounded by trees and wildlife, paddling along a narrow creek that connects to the lake where the lodge is located.
There will be chances to see some species of monkeys as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, or even macaws. A late afternoon arrival to Napo Wildlife Center with an overwhelming view of the Añangu Lake will be accompanied by a welcome drink followed by a briefing from the local manager.
Day 2 Napo Activities
Wake up for an early breakfast and an early start to reach the most accessible parrot clay licks in Ecuador, about 1 hour away from the lodge. Guests reach this destination just before parrot activity kicks off at the clay lick between 7:30 to 8:30am to ensure the best viewing experience. A total of 11 species of parrots, parakeets, and macaws can be seen on a daily basis. Many other animals also visit on a less frequent basis.
Later, hike along a forest trail to visit the Kichwa Community of Añangu and share time with a family on one of their many activities. Enjoy lunch at Napo Cultural Center, where you share with people of the Kichwa community.
Then return to the creek and hike through a Terra Firme Forest for about 30 minutes until we arrive at the second parrot clay lick. If the weather conditions permit, we will be able to find different species of parrots, parakeets, and even macaws.
When you arrive back at the lodge during the late afternoon or early evening, a delicious dinner will be awaiting you.
Day 3 Napo Fun
After another early breakfast, we leave the lodge to experience an amazing view of the rainforest from a 36 meter tall canopy tower, a great way to see the hustle and bustle of life above ground-level. This is the second tower at the Napo Wildlife Center, located about 30 minutes from the lodge deep within the Terra Firme forest. As you ascend the 12-floor tower, you pass through different levels of the forest and emerge at the top of a huge Ceiba tree.
Flocks of colorful tanagers pass right through the canopy of the tree. Blue-and-yellow macaws fly past while, in nearby trees, adorable spider monkeys search for fruit. Two species of large toucans call in the early mornings and afternoons, and the life of the forest canopy is laid out before you. Birds that are virtually impossible to see from the forest floor far below are suddenly right beside you, usually oblivious to your presence. The canopy tower opens a whole new world to guests of the Napo Wildlife Center!
Lunch is served at the lodge. Your afternoon can include discovering another Terra Firme trail, where we hike along primary forest to see the forest interior, possibilities of finding lizards, colorful manakins, or the unique and endemic Golden-mantled tamarin monkey. After the hike, explore the lake and creeks in a dugout canoe and enjoy a likely chance meeting with our local Giant otter family on the way.
Day 4 Goodbye to Napo
Your last day will entail an early departure and final 2 hour excursion canoeing back to the Napo River. The creek may reveal new sights of giant otters, monk saki monkeys, and rare birds along the way. Once we have reached the river, you will transfer to the motorized canoe to return the way you came. You will arrive in Coca after an approximately 2 hour boat ride in order to check-in for your Coca – Quito flight.
