Menu
Join us on our carefully crafted 6-day tour into the Ecuadorian Amazon. Here, we will immerse ourselves in the magic of one of the most biologically diverse places on earth Yasuni National Park. The park is a unique convergence zone of the Andes Mountains, the Equator, and the Amazon Rainforest, hosting one-third of all native bird species in the Amazon.
Situated along a picturesque lagoon on the Napo River, we will be staying at the Sani Lodge, an incredible indigenous-owned eco-tourism project operated by the Sani Isla Kichwa Community. In addition to the 596 species of birds found in the National Park, Yasuni is also home to 150 species of amphibians, 121 species of reptiles, 4,000 species of vascular plants, 500+ species of fish, and 100,000 species of insects.
Yasuni is also home to an incredible diversity of mammals like Common Wooly Monkey, Black-mantled Tamarin, Colombian Howler Monkey, Humboldt’s Spider Monkey, Spix’s Night Monkey, Western Pygmy Marmoset, White-tailed Titi Monkey, Puma, Jaguar, Ocelot, Margay, Jaguarundi, Giant Otter, Giant Armadillo, Giant Anteater, and the Tukuxi,
Our daily forays in the jungle include visits to canopy towers, clay licks, rainforest trails, and backwater lagoons by hand-paddled canoes, all providing opportunities for intimate experiences with breathtaking views and enchanting ecology.
So what are you waiting for? Let’s explore the Amazon together!
Dates: 19 July – 25 July 2024 (6 days 5 nights)
*Price: $2,600 per person/double occupancy
Single supplement: $400.00
*Based on double occupancy at lodgings with a minimum group size of 4 and a max of 8.
Note if you have requested a roommate we will try to find you one, but this is not a guarantee, if none is available you will be charged the single supplement fee.
Type: Bird watching and Wildlife Viewing
Length: 6 days
Starting city: Quito, Ecuador
Ending city: Quito, Ecuador
Pace: easy to moderate
Physical difficulty: easy to moderate
Focus: Bird Watching and Wildlife viewing
Max group size: 8 + 1 leader + local guide(s)
Join us for an incredible 6-day tour into the Ecuadorian Amazon. Yasuni National Park, one of the most biodiverse places on earth will be our home base as we search for birds, monkeys, caiman, and more!
Our wildlife-packed tour includes a variety of adventures like epic canopy tower birding, raucous parrots at clay licks, and canoe paddles by starlight looking for owls and nightjars.
——-
*This tour can be done as a standalone tour, or as an amazing extension to our NW Ecuador Birding Tour
July 19th – Flights Arrive
Today we’ll pick you up from Quito International Airport (Aeropuerto Internacional Mariscal Sucre) and transfer you to your comfortable and proximal hotel for the evening.
D & ON Zayasante Eco-lodge
After breakfast, we will catch a domestic flight from Quito into Coca City, the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon. Our quick flight lasts around 40 minutes.
After arriving in Coca City, we will meet with the guide provided by Sani Lodge, then travel by motorized canoe down the Rio Napo to the Sani Lodge. Our travel down the Rio Napo will be about 2 hours.
After our motorized canoe ride, we’ll head ashore, walk for about 5 minutes, and hop in a smaller, hand-paddled canoe. Our final leg of the journey will last about 40 minutes surrounded by gorgeous tropical forest with chances to spot some aquatic birds along the way.
Our paddle will end at the dock of the Sani Lodge, where we will be treated to delicious refreshments and snacks followed by checking into our rooms.
After we freshen up, we’ll hop back in the canoe for a breathtaking paddle around the Challuacocha Lagoon, keeping our eyes peeled for resident birds like Capped Heron, Hoatzin, Amazon Kingfisher, Ringed Kingfisher, Chestnut-bellied Macaw, Greater Ani, White-winged Swallow, Magpie Tanager, Little Cuckoo, Snail Kite and many more species.
B Zaysant Ecolodge BL, D & ON Sani Lodge
During our 4 full days at Sani Lodge we’ll be accompanied by a local indigenous guide who will take us on a variety of different outings, helping us see and photograph tons of beautiful birds and wildlife.
Each day’s itinerary at Sani will depend on the weather and recent observations.
Outings include:
The Sani Lodge has 588 species of birds reported here, below is just a sampling of some of the epic birds we might encounter!
Great Tinamou, Little Tinamou, Horned Screamer, Muscovy Duck, Speckled Chachalaca, Marbled Wood-Quail, Sapphire Quail-Dove, Gray Fronted-Dove, Little Cuckoo, Common Pauraque, Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Great Potoo, Long-tailed Potoo, Gould’s Jewelfront, Long-billed Starthroat. Blue-tailed Emerald, Purple Gallinule, Gray-breasted Crake, Sungrebe, Limpkin, Wattled Jacana, Sunbittern, Anhinga, Neotropical Cormorant, Least Bittern, Rufescent Tiger-Heron, Cocoi Heron, Little Blue Heron, Agami Heron, Capped Heron, Boat-billed Heron, Least Bittern, Bare-faced Ibis, Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, Osprey, Crested Eagle, King Vulture, Crane Hawk, Snail Kite, Swallow-tailed Kite, Plumbeous Kite, Black-tailed Trogon, Amazonian Trogon, Ringed Kingfisher, Pied Puffbird, Ivory-billed Aracari, Golden-collared Toucanet, Channel-billed Toucan, Yellow-tufted Woodpecker, Ringed Woodpecker, Cream-colored Woodpecker, Red-throated Caracara, Bat Falcon, Scarlet Macaw, Red-and-Green Macwa, Mealy Parrot, Orange-winged Parrot, Cobalt-winged Parakeet, Pygmy Antwren, Gray Antbird, Black-faced Antbird, Black-banded Woodcreeper, Dwarf Tyrant-Manakin, Blue-capped Manakin, Wire-tailed Manakin, Orange-crowned Manakin,Plum-throated Cotinga, Screaming Piha, Spangled Cotinga, Black-tailed Tityra, Brown Jacamar, Cocha Anthsrike, Gilded Barbet, Paradise Tanager, Masked Tanager and many other species.
B, L, D & ON Sani Lodge
Today is our last day in the Amazon, and we will say goodbye to the amazing Sani Lodge. First things first, we’ll enjoy a final breakfast followed by a hand-paddled canoe, then motorized canoe traveling West along the Rio Napo back to Coca City.
After our short flight from Coca to Quito, we’ll visit the Intiñan Site Museum, located on the outskirts of Quito, and at the equatorial center of the world, latitude 0°00’00”.
The interactive museum is a tribute to the indigenous cultures of Ecuador and includes unique experiments relating to physics and the site’s equatorial position. Exhibits include a sundial, balancing an egg on a nail, and replicas of indigenous dwellings including a guinea pig farm.
One of the features of the museum is the Totemic Forest – a display of totems that have been sponsored by various foundations and embassies. The intricately carved totems represent the belief in protective spirits of the various clans, and how these are related to the Sun God revered by the ancient Incas and still honored today.
After our fun and educational visit here, we will be transferred to Mariscal Sucre International Airport (Quito Airport) to catch your international flight.
B Sani Lodge L on the route D Not Included T Included
B – Breakfast
L- Lunch
D – Dinner
BB/BL – Boxed Breakfast/Boxed Lunch
ON – Overnight lodging location
Amazon Ecuador Adventure
Tour Map
1. Quito
2. Coca City
3. Sani Lodge & Yasuni National Park