Imagine yourself drifting down a narrow, winding creek surrounded by a lush, endless, sea of tropical greenery; and all that separates you from the deep black Amazon waters is a canoe hand-carved out of a single tree trunk. As you maneuver around a bend something unidentified crashes off into the underbrush, and you catch a glimpse of two magnificent Blue and Yellow Macaws startled into flight.
Getting to Sacha Lodge: The journey to Sacha begins in Quito, Ecuador’s capital city. From here, embark on a 30-minute fight over the majestic snow-capped peaks of the Andes Mountains and then down 8,500 ft (2,600 meters) into the Amazon Basin. Arrive at Puerto Francisco de Orellana, locally know as Coca. A naturalist guide takes guests to Sacha´s private house, with modern facilities, where lunch will be served before being taken down to the docks, where Sacha´s own covered, motorized canoe will be waiting to start on a 2 hour, 50-mile (80 kilometer) journey down the Napo River, one of the Amazon’s main tributaries. Upon arrival to Sacha´s 5000 acre (2,500 hectares) private reserve, a 30-minute walk on a raised boardwalk will lead guests to Lake Pilchicocha. Here, board dugout canoes with native paddlers that will carry guests across the lake to Sacha Lodge.
Accommodations: The lodging at Sacha was carefully designed to offer comfort to the traveler yet preserve the environment and the rainforest. All our cabins have high thatched roofs and private shaded terraces; are constructed with traditional materials and nestle, well concealed, into the lush surroundings. Each of the 26 rooms, which include single, double and (upon request) triple accommodations, provides a private bathroom with flushing toilet and hot shower. All cabins are screened against insects, have ceiling fans and two comfortable double beds. During free time, visitors may overlook the jungle from hammocks and often report seeing wild fauna such as toucans, agoutis and monkeys right from their own cabin! Guests may also enjoy a raised lookout above our main bar and lounge, which offers a scenic view of Pilchicocha Lake and excellent opportunities to birdwatch.
Electricity: Throughout the Lodge, 24-hour electricity is provided by a distant, nearly inaudible generator.
Drinking water: All the drinking water provided at Sacha (including ice) comes from a local well and is purified with both porcelain filters and ozone treatment, the most thorough purifying systems available. This water is tested regularly and has proven perfectly safe for human consumption. If you prefer, however, you may purchase bottled water from the bar.
Amenities: In your shower you will find dispensers of biodegradable soap and shampoo. Although all runoff water is treated with ozone, we recommend the use of these amenities as an extra measure to protect the environment. You will also be provided with fresh towels each day.
Laundry: Sacha Lodge now provides laundry service (washing and drying) for our guests. Please consult costs with our lodge administrator.
Boots and ponchos: Rubber boots and rain ponchos are available for all of our guests at the Lodge, free of charge!
Communications: In case of emergency, both cellular telephone (BellSouth) and radio communications are available from the lodge. In addition, each of our guides maintains permanent radio contact with the lodge during all excursions and activities.
First Aid: We keep a complete first aid kit for any minor injuries or ailments you may experience. However, please take any special medications you might need with you. In case of a serious injury or illness, there is a modern medical center located at 20-minute reach of Sacha Lodge. Security: At all times we have five staff members on duty patrolling our reserve as park rangers to keep both the lodge and the surrounding environment safe.
Bar: Drinks are not included in your package, and may be paid on the last night of your stay in cash (U.S. dollars), travelers checks or credit card (Visa, MasterCard or American Express). There is no minimum charge for credit card payments.
Activities Sacha´s guests will be divided into groups no larger than six people. Each group will be led be a bilingual naturalist guide, educated in the tropical ecology and biology of the area, and a native Kichwa guide with expert knowledge of the rainforest’s medicinal plants and other useful plants utilized by the Kichwa people for centuries. A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest’s animals are most active. In the afternoon, excursions begin between 3:00 and 4:00 and often continue into the early evening, when the nocturnal symphony of the rainforests frogs and insects commences.
*Arrive at airport and receive boarding passes and briefing for the trip to Sacha. Passengers need only to have passports to be presented upon request at the private hangar.
DAY 1
Arrive at Sacha Lodge around 3:00 or 3:30 pm.
Swim in Lake Pilchicocha, which is a black water lake home to many species of fish and animals. A refreshing swim after arriving may be just what you need after being in the equatorial heat all day.
Bird observing from the mini tower offers guests an excellent opportunity to view several species of birds common around the lodge. Also a great place to watch the sun set.
Visit the butterfly house with your naturalist guide to view the beautiful colors of many different species of butterflies.
After dinner, accompany your naturalist guide on a night walk through the rainforest to view the hundreds of different species of animals that can only be found at night. Or maybe a canoe ride on the lake to view the spectacled and black caimans with their glowing orange eyes as you silently paddle across the lake to get a closer view.
DAY 2
Begin morning activity between 6:00 and 7:00 (full-day/ box lunch)
Begin walking on trail Liana Chica and arrive at the canopy walk, for spectacular views of the rainforest canopy and the many different species of vibrantly colored birds.
After the canopy walk, Liana Grande through terra firma and igapo forest habitats where native guides will explain many different species of medicinal plants that have been being used in their culture for hundreds of years.
Liana Grande will turn into the trail Higueron, which will take you through pristine primary forest with huge Kapok and Fig trees towering hundreds of feet above your head.
Higueron will eventually lead to the Finca where an excellent lunch prepared especially for long day trips, will be served while you listen to the many species of birds around the Finca and enjoy the coolness of the covered picnic tables.
From the Finca, you may choose to take a leisurely hike along the Rio Napo, or choose a little more challenging hike on the trail Leoncillo to try and spot the elusive dusky titi monkey. Either way the trails will lead you back to the main boardwalk for your final hike and canoe ride back to the lodge.
DAY 3
Leaving the lodge after breakfast, you begin your hike on trail Lagartococha. This trail offers you the chance to learn more about the native people and their relationship with the forest. Learn about the trees where native people believe the spirits of their ancestors live, and the mysterious “dwende” or devil-man of the forest.
After arriving at lake Lagartococha, take a tranquil canoe ride through a natural swamp, which is the home of anacondas, caimans, and capybaras.
After the canoe ride, a walk on the other side of Largatococha may give you the opportunity to spot capuchin or squirrel monkeys playfully jumping through the trees.
Return from the walk or canoe ride and head back to the lodge for a refreshing dip in the lake, or a nice relaxing nap in your personal hammock on your private balcony.
After lunch, your native guide will teach you how to fish for the infamous razor-toothed piranha. Keep in mind that piranhas will never attack a person and swimming at the same time is perfectly safe and fun!
Around 4:00 you will begin what many think is the best trail at Sacha, a silent canoe ride through the flooded Amazonian forest. Where you have a good chance of being surrounded by 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 your eye-popping ride through the flooded forest, you will arrive at Sacha´s135-foot wooden tower built around an ancient Kapok tree. Get close up views of vibrantly colored birds through Sacha´s powerful scopes, and watch the sun set with an amazing view of Mount Sumaco, a volcano, and possibly a view of the snow-covered caps of the Andes!
Leaving the tower just before or after sunset will give you an experience not soon forgotten. A canoe ride back through the flooded forest at night will be an awe-inspiring experience. Listen to the symphony of frogs and insects as you navigate through the narrow flooded forest trail, keeping your eyes open for caimans. Watch the several species of bats flying over your heads and listen to the many species of nocturnal birds making their eerie nighttime calls. Finally, after your mesmerizing canoe trip through the Amazon, you will arrive back at lake Pilchicocha and the welcoming lights of Sacha lodge.
DAY 4
A chance to view four different species of parrots at the same time is something that should not be missed. Sacha is close enough to Yasuni National Park that a thirty minute motorized canoe ride down the napo to the parrot lick is well worth it. Leaving at six in the morning from Sacha and arriving at the lick around 7:30 will give you plenty of time to get close up views of the parrots eating the clay to neutralize the acids which they get from eating their many different types of fruits and leaves.
Arriving back at the lodge around 11am or so gives you plenty of time to swim or relax before lunch is served. Visit the butterfly house once again to photograph the beautifully colored butterflies.
For your afternoon activity, Pantano is the trail to take. Pantano offers you several different types of rainforest habitats. From secondary to primary forests as well as flooded forest and swampy areas. An excellent trail for monkeys and birds in the afternoon, your naturalist and native guides will intrigue you with their knowledge of the jungle and its inhabitants as well as provide you with an everlasting experience and memory of the neotropical rainforest.
DAY 5
6:15 am breakfast and a departure from the lodge at 6:45am.
Leave the actual lodge itself at 6:45 am for an easy walk on the boardwalk to watch monkeys one last time before your final departure.
Arrive in Coca and be escorted to the Coca airport where all plane tickets will be in the hands of Sacha employees waiting to help you board the plane and a final farewell.
Scheduled arrival at Quito´s airport is at 11:50pm
Depart Quito´s airport. A 30 minute flight over the Andes Mountains leads you to a bustling oil town called Coca located in the Amazon Basin.
A quick lunch in Sacha´s private house and then its off to the town docks where you will board Sacha´s private canoes for the 2 hour journey down river to Sacha´s Lodges property.
A 30 minute hike through the rainforest leads you to lake Pilchicocha. Here, you are met by native workers to paddle you across the lake to your final destination.
Arrive at Sacha Lodge around 3:00 or 3:30 pm.
Swim in Lake Pilchicocha, which is a black water lake home to many species of fish and animals. A refreshing swim after arriving may be just what you need after being in the equatorial heat all day.
Bird observing from the mini tower offers guests an excellent opportunity to view several species of birds common around the lodge. Also a great place to watch the sun set.
Visit the butterfly house with your naturalist guide to view the beautiful colors of many different species of butterflies.
After dinner, accompany your naturalist guide on a night walk through the rainforest to view the hundreds of different species of animals that can only be found at night. Or maybe a canoe ride on the lake to view the spectacled and black caimans with their glowing orange eyes as you silently paddle across the lake to get a closer view.
DAY 2
Begin morning activity between 6:00 and 7:00 (full-day/ box lunch)
Begin walking on trail Liana Chica and arrive at the canopy walk, for spectacular views of the rainforest canopy and the many different species of vibrantly colored birds.
Designed to be a self-standing rigid suspension canopy walk. It is one of only a few in the world! Located within Sacha´s private reserve, 2miles from the shores of the Rio Napo and 1 mile from the lodge, the bird walk gives guests the opportunity to get an up close and personal view of the rainforest canopy. Two of the three towers have observation decks every 12 meters making towers accessible for everyone. The canopy walkway is at 36 meters high and 275 meters long, giving guests a "birds eye view" of all the wonders and beauty the tropical rainforest has to offer. The canopy walk is designed as a sturdy walkway enabling guests to casually move along while enjoying the spectacular views.
After the canopy walk, Liana Grande through terra firma and igapo forest habitats where native guides will explain many different species of medicinal plants that have been being used in their culture for hundreds of years.
Liana Grande will turn into the trail Higueron, which will take you through pristine primary forest with huge Kapok and Fig trees towering hundreds of feet above your head.
Higueron will eventually lead to the Finca where an excellent lunch prepared especially for long day trips, will be served while you listen to the many species of birds around the Finca and enjoy the coolness of the covered picnic tables.
From the Finca, you may choose to take a leisurely hike along the Rio Napo, or choose a little more challenging hike on the trail Leoncillo to try and spot the elusive dusky titi monkey. Either way the trails will lead you back to the main boardwalk for your final hike and canoe ride back to the lodge.
DAY 3
Leaving the lodge after breakfast, you begin your hike on trail Lagartococha. This trail offers you the chance to learn more about the native people and their relationship with the forest. Learn about the trees where native people believe the spirits of their ancestors live, and the mysterious "dwende" or devil-man of the forest.
After arriving at lake Lagartococha, take a tranquil canoe ride through a natural swamp, which is the home of anacondas, caimans, and capybaras.
After the canoe ride, a walk on the other side of Largatococha may give you the opportunity to spot capuchin or squirrel monkeys playfully jumping through the trees.
Return from the walk or canoe ride and head back to the lodge for a refreshing dip in the lake, or a nice relaxing nap in your personal hammock on your private balcony.
After lunch, your native guide will teach you how to fish for the infamous razor-toothed piranha. Keep in mind that piranhas will never attack a person and swimming at the same time is perfectly safe and fun!
Around 4:00 you will begin what many think is the best trail at Sacha, a silent canoe ride through the flooded Amazonian forest. Where you have a good chance of being surrounded by 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 your eye-popping ride through the flooded forest, you will arrive at Sacha´s135-foot wooden tower built around an ancient Kapok tree. Get close up views of vibrantly colored birds through Sacha´s powerful scopes, and watch the sun set with an amazing view of Mount Sumaco, a volcano, and possibly a view of the snow-covered caps of the Andes!
Leaving the tower just before or after sunset will give you an experience not soon forgotten. A canoe ride back through the flooded forest at night will be an awe-inspiring experience. Listen to the symphony of frogs and insects as you navigate through the narrow flooded forest trail, keeping your eyes open for caimans. Watch the several species of bats flying over your heads and listen to the many species of nocturnal birds making their eerie nighttime calls. Finally, after your mesmerizing canoe trip through the Amazon, you will arrive back at lake Pilchicocha and the welcoming lights of Sacha lodge.
DAY 4
Breakfast and a departure from the lodge
One last walk on the boardwalk to the river, and from there a 2 hour canoe ride back to Coca for your 35 minute flight back to Quito.
Explore Ecuador's Rainforest World "The big trees of the forest are very powerful," claims my Achuar guide Gilberto, standing in the shadow of a mammoth ceiba tree. "All plants and trees are people, but you can't see them normally. The tall ceiba earns great respect, but is also dangerous for newly born children. It whispers to them and makes them ill." He pauses and arches his neck back to look at the tree's top, some 40 m (130 ft) up in the canopy.
Walking through the forest with Gilberto, the green and brown morass of decay and destruction in turn comes alive. After an hour on a trail, his knowledge of plants, flowers, animals, myths and customs turns what seems like an impenetrable mass of life and death into a forest of revelation.
Dream world In common with many other Amazonian peoples, the Achuar, who are part of the jívaro linguistic family, don't separate the waking world from the dream world, the "real" from the "spiritual." They use hallucinogens such as naatam, known more commonly as ayahuasca, or "the truth vine" Banisteriopsis caapi, under the guidance of a shaman for ritual trance purposes, a practice not recommended for the uninitiated.
"When you take naatam, the forest comes alive." For most people, the forest itself is hallucinogen enough. Although the missionaries have done their best to banish shamanism and prohibit the use of the forest's hallucinogens, both practices are still integral to the older generation of Achuar.
Further on, Gilberto points out an arrow-leafed plant carpeting the forest floor. "The shishin speaks kind words while you are in a trance. It is very friendly. The shamans brush it over the body of a patient, chasing bad spirits." Another plant, chirikiaspi, gives the hunter strength and fortifies the lungs to be able to shoot monkeys high in the canopy with a blow pipe. "It also anaesthetizes the body," explains Gilberto, "making you feel numb and able to walk for days without much food," which is exactly what the Achuar use it for: their territory is the size of Belgium or Maryland.
During the afternoon we sit on a little wooden bench drinking nijiamanch, a slightly acidic, yeasty, milky-white broth. It is made by one the village women by chewing up manioc and spitting it into a big, earthenware pot where it ferments for a few days. It is said that this "beer" or chicha as it's known in most of the country after its Quechua name, tastes of the woman who makes it. As practiced beer drinkers, we had no trouble quaffing it down from bowls continually refilled by the local shaman's first wife. Following Achuar custom, we carefully avoided looking her in the eye as she served us.
The Amazon Experience Drinking strange beer, taking herbal teas, eating new foods, and learning about the day-to-day lives of the Indians of Ecuador's rainforest is a worthwhile and humbling experience. It is worthwhile as an opportunity to glimpse a way of life different in almost every respect to that with which we are familiar. Also because revenues from tourism undoubtedly play a part in protecting the fragile forests. Humbling because we are confronted with a totally alien environment which most of us would be unable to cope with alone and unaided. Most people come away from meeting jungle peoples in awe of their self-reliance and their apparently simple, uncluttered lives. Most regard their jungle trips as among their most lasting memories.
The Ecuadorian Amazon options One of the most positive developments in the last years in Ecuador has been the development and consolidation of community-based and community-benefiting tourism. There are several excellent initiatives that Metropolitan Touring works with.
We also take guests to lodges that have large nature reserves where the chances of spotting the rainforest's elusive creatures are high. Sacha Lodge's canopy walkway, for instance, is an amazing structure that young and old enjoy no end, allowing one to appreciate the forest from a unique perspective. We also arrange tours aboard the Manatee Amazon Explorer boat, which takes passengers on cruises of varying days along the Napo River, an Amazon tributary, offering yet another perspective on this region's great riches.
Amazon Rainforest - Ecuador
Ecuador's rainforest is located in the heart of the world's largest and most famous tropical rainforest, the Amazon Basin. A short flight, or a descent by road down the flanks of the Andes, leads modern explorers and adventurers along the same routes the first Spanish Conquerors ventured through in their search of El Dorado or the land of Cinnamon... and found the mighty River Amazon instead.
Accessibility Ecuador's portion of the Amazon is regarded as the most accessible of all the countries that share the Basin. Leaving Quito in the morning, you can be swinging in a hammock at your chosen lodge by lunchtime. The country is also a continent-leader in nature- and community-based tourism initiatives, where the value of the forest and of its inhabitants' heritage has been recognised and prized above its short-term exploitation. By visiting the rainforest and staying at responsible lodges, you are actively contributing to its conservation for future generations - and of course, exploring one of the planet's most fascinating ecosystems.
Explorations and Discoveries Our Ecuadorian Amazon itineraries offer environmentally-conscious programs for all ages, enjoyed in safety and comfort with reliable operators and experienced naturalist guides: explore the rain forest on treks on terra firma forest beneath the gigantic Amazon trees, along boardwalks crossing palm swamps and up observation towers for a close look at the forest canopy. Take to native dugout canoes to paddle up rivers and creeks, or start early for birdwatching outings. Climb canopy towers or walkways for wonderful perspectives of the forests and its denizens... A new, green world awaits.
Metropolitan Touring is currently developing a new lodge, Mashpi Rainforest Biodiversity Reserve, located on the western, Pacific, slopes of the Andes. The reserve harbours some 1,000 hectares of cloud- and rainforest, and is located a mere two hours' drive from the capital, Quito. Find out more here.
Metropolitan Touring is one of South America’s best-known and most-respected travel companies. It has provided unrivalled service to guests for over five decades. The company runs its own ground operations in Ecuador, Peru, Argentina and Chile, and owns and operates the finest ships for expedition cruises in the Galapagos Islands, the M/V Santa Cruz, Yacht Isabella II and Yacht La Pinta, as well as the Finch Bay Eco Hotel. Come explore with us!
Related content
Share
Print
