Sacha Lodge

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The Ecuadorian Amazon may seem like a world away, but Sacha Lodge is easily accessible from Quito. After a short 25-minute flight from Quito and a two-hour ride on the Napo River in a motorized canoe leaving civilization far behind, by lunchtime, you will be in a hammock relaxing or maybe listening to the chatter of tamarind monkeys. Along the way, you may glace your sight on the numerous shorebirds, including herons, kingfishers, spoonbills, and ospreys. Adventure beckons from the treetops, the jungle floor, the water, and even from the sky.

The lodging at Sacha was carefully designed to offer comfort to travelers while preserving the environment and the rainforest environment. A typical day in Sacha begins at dawn or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest animals are most active.

Activities

Paddle canoes along tannin-rich black-water streams and lakes, where lush lianas, orchids, bromeliads, and palm trees grow. And enjoy a spectacular setting on the inland lake of Pilchecocha, a short hike, and a canoe ride from the Río Napo.

Imagine walking across a bridge suspended over the rainforest canopy, paddling through creeks in search of monkeys and river otters, climbing to the very top of a giant kapok tree, or swimming in a black-water lake, threading your way through trees in search of the world’s tiniest monkeys. Activities are spread over a wide area and allow you to explore several but equally fascinating habitats.

You’ll find these exclusive experiences, plus many more, within its pristine 5,000-acre (2,000-hectare) ecological reserve in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is a world of wildlife in the heart of the animal kingdom, home to eight species of monkeys, 50 species of bats, anteaters, three-toed sloths, ocelots, and birds with more colors than you could ever imagine. Contact Us.

Francisco de Orellana, EC

22°C

Tour Plan

Day 01

Arrival to Sacha Lodge

From the moment you set foot at Quito airport, you will be in the safe hands of one of our bilingual team members, and will be guided all the way to the Lodge. After arriving at Sacha Lodge around lunchtime and meeting your guide – who stays with you for the entirety of your trip – you will take your first excursion into the forest. Once you have returned and had dinner, you will set out for your first nighttime adventure.

Day 02

Parrot clay lick - Providencia Community visit - Caimans by night

A short distance from Sacha Lodge is Ecuador’s most accessible parrot lick, an exposed clay riverbank where technicolor parrots of several species gather in the early morning. In ideal conditions (sunny and dry) hundreds of parrots will perch on and eat the exposed clay in a spectacular show of sound and color! The lick is located on the edge of Yasuní National Park, which is accessible from Sacha by a short canoe trip down the Napo River.

Providencia Community project

Our visit takes us to Shipati Warmi project, an initiative run by and benefiting the women of the Providencia community of Yasuní. Through an unobtrusive dialogue, we learn about their day-to-day lives: how they dry clothes in the jungle and the challenges of getting to school, before helping to prepare and trying traditional food. It’s an intimate, unique experience, in which we discover both the differences and similarities between our own and another culture. The Shipati Warmi project asks that each guest donates $5

Caiman spotting by night

A nighttime expedition to look for caiman on the lake is perhaps the most magical experience of an adventure already filled with wonder. Under cover of darkness, you will take a canoe out onto the water, your way lit by glittering stars. The eyes of the caiman glow ghoulishly red in the torchlight, as the amphibious creatures float along the swampy shallows.

Day 03

Canopy Walk - Kapok Tower - Butterfly farm

Canopy Walk

Imagine crossing the rainforest across a bridge 94 feet (36 meters) high over the treetops. This 940-foot (275-meter) sturdy walkway is fixed to the ground by three metal towers, and offers an astounding opportunity to spot dozens of animals and epiphytes seldom seen from the ground, immersed in the canopy. You might even follow along with troops of monkeys as they forage through the forest canopy. And if you don’t see them, you’ll almost certainly hear them: howler monkeys roaring through the sunset like true kings of the jungle.

Kapok Tower

You’ll feel like you’re on the very top of the world on the 135-foot (43-meter) observation tower, a platform built on the highest branches of a giant kapok tree. From here, magnificent, panoramic views of the forest unfold all around, while the 500 species of birds registered in the area, including rainbow-colored toucans and parrots, become easy to spot. Climb onto the crows’ nest for the 360-degree experience, the captain of the Amazon.

Butterfly Farm

Sacha Lodge is home to one of the largest butterfly farms in Ecuador. Designed as a live exhibition conservatory, the Butterfly House is now successfully breeding nearly 40 local butterfly species. Guests will be shown how these beautiful insects are bred and raised, and may roam through "the flying room” where hundreds of colorful butterflies flutter from flower to flower. Transparent glass-wing butterflies, spectacular blue morphs, striking tiger long wings, bright yellow swallowtails and giant nocturnal owl butterflies are only a few of the species you’ll encounter here, up close and personal.

Day 04

Pilchicocha Lake Pool - Departure

Use your last hours in the Amazon to take a dip in the lodge's pool. Ideal for families, the Lake Pool is the only one of its kind in the Amazon region. The plunge pool, protected by a mesh cage, allows you to cool off and relax in the black shallows of the Pilchicocha Lake, without the fear of encountering the unknown. You could even spot caiman and giant otters swim by the other side of the net… Afterwards, your Amazon adventure comes to an end. You will be taken back to Coca, from where you will take your flight to the capital Quito.

Services included in the price

Transfer to and from Sacha Lodge from Coca airport
Local taxes
Accommodation
Meals
Water, instant coffee or tea
Activities: Treetop Walk, Kapok Tower, Forest walks, Nighttime caiman spotting, Piranha fishing, Butterfly house, Lake Pool

Not included in the price

Air ticket Quito-Coca-Quito
Soft drinks, except the ones detailed above
Alcoholic drinks
Tips for guides
Visit to Providencia Community of Yasuní
Gift shop purchases

Sacha Lodge

Tour Plan

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