Day 1: Quito – Coca City – Amazon Lodge

In the morning you will take a short flight of about 30 minutes from Quito to the town of Coca.  Once you arrive at Coca, Sacha Lodge staff will meet you and transfer you to the Napo River where you board a canoe powered by outboard motors.  They will lead you down the river for about 2.5 hours until you reach the lodge. 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, Sacha Lodge.

In the afternoon after your arrival, you can choose to swim in Lake Pilchicocha, 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 near the lodge offers you an excellent opportunity to view several species of birds common around the lodge such as colorful parrots, toucans, hummingbirds, tanagers, hawks, and oropendolas, it is also a great place to watch the sunset. You can also 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.

INCLUDED: departure transfer, private transportation, English-speaking guide for the transfer, boxed lunch, dinner, shared excursion, standard accommodation, arrival transfer, domestic flight

Day 2: Canopy Bridge and Rainforest Hike

An early morning activity on the Liana Chica Trail will have you arrive at the canopy walk for a spectacular view of the rainforest canopy and the many different species of vibrantly colored birds you may be able to find. 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, 2 miles 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 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 the Liana Grande Trail once more through terra firma and Igapo forest habitats where native guides will explain many different species of medicinal plants that have been used in their culture for hundreds of years.

The Liana Grande Trail will turn into the Higueron Trail, which will take you through a pristine primary forest with huge Kapok and Fig trees towering hundreds of feet above you. After lunch, you may choose to take a leisurely hike along the Napo River or choose a little more challenging hike on the Leoncillo Trail to try and spot the elusive Dusky Titi Monkey. Either way, the trails will lead you back to the main lodge while you walk or have a canoe ride back to the lodge.

INCLUDED: breakfast, dinner, English-speaking guide, shared excursion, standard accommodation, lunch, water poncho.

Day 3: Lagartococha trail, Canoe Trip Through the Swamp, and Kapok Tower

Leaving the lodge after breakfast, you begin your hike on the Lagartococha Trail. 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 “duende” 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 Lake Largatococha may give you the opportunity to spot capuchin or squirrel monkeys playfully jumping through the trees.  Returning back to the lodge you can enjoy 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! You will begin what many think is the best activity 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´s 135-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 sunset with an amazing view of the Sumaco Volcano.

Leaving the tower just before or after sunset will give you an experience not soon forgotten. A canoe rides back through the flooded forest in the evening 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 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.

INCLUDED: breakfast, dinner, English-speaking guide, shared excursion, standard accommodation, lunch, water poncho.

Day 4: Return to Quito

After breakfast, you depart from the lodge for a short walk over the boardwalk to hopefully spot monkeys and tropical birds one last time, before your final departure. Back in Coca, you are brought to the airport for your return flight to Quito.

INCLUDED: Breakfast, English-speaking guide, departure transfer, flight to Quito, water poncho.