7 days - Sacha Lodge - Anakonda Cruise

Tour overview:

The combined program of Anakonda Cruise and Sacha Lodge. Delve into jungle life with our 4D/3N adventure at Sacha Lodge, Coca. Forest walks, caiman-spotting and the one-of-a-kind Canopy Walk are essentials of the expedition to take advantage of our off-site activities, like the Community Encounter. Also, experience the Amazon on board one of our luxury Anakonda vessel 4D/3N. When you enter the Ecuadorian Amazon, you are entering a world that few people have the opportunity to experience. The smells, sounds, and tastes are all different. Of course, so are the cultures that live within the communities. The park contains over 200 species of butterflies, 596 species of birds, 150 species of amphibians, 121 species of reptiles, and 200 species of mammals, numbers which are always on the rise.

Day 1 - Arrive Quito / Coca

Arrive in Quito, complete the arrival formalities and connect to your flight to Coca (need to book separately). 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.

Day 2 - Sacha Lodge

A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier, taking advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest’s animals are most active. Each group agrees on a wake-up time, when their guide will knock on their door for a rude awakening! Breakfast will begin half an hour after that. Wherever the destination, our excursions proceed slowly in order to appreciate the fascinating details that our guides point out around you.

You might begin the day paddling dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, orchids, bromeliads and palm trees thrive, always with the possibility of spotting animals, from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the feared ocelot or puma. Then, you could board the motorized canoe for a short ride along the Napo River to visit the Providencia Community of Yasuní, learning about their jungle way of life and testing out their cooking techniques, stopping to watch the parrot disco of the clay lick along the way.

You will return to the Lodge in the late morning, in time for a 1:00 PM lunch. In the time between lunch and your afternoon adventure, you are free to enjoy the Lodge, lounging on sun chairs with a book on the Balsa, or cooling off in the Lake Pool. Activities begin again between 3:00 PM and 4:30 PM and often continue into the evening, when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins. An afternoon excursion might see you trekking through pristine Terra Firme forest, where 150-foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support, your guide pointing out the crest owl territory and calling to the howler monkeys. You could then climb 94 feet (30 meters) up to the Canopy Walk, a 940-foot (275-meter) bridge across the treetops from where you can spot dozens of animals and birds.

Days at Sacha Lodge do not end with the fading of the light, or even with dinner. Night walks and canoe trips, with the aid of flashlights, often reveal creatures seldom seen during daylight. Caimans (of the alligator family) and giant insects rule the jungle after sunset. 

Please note: activities are subject to weather, though Forest Walks, the Kapok Tower, and Canopy Walk are the keystones of the Sacha Lodge experience.

Day 3 - Sacha Lodge.

You are free to explore the lodge activities.

Day 4 - Coca – Napo River - Amazon Cruise

After breakfast, get ready for another adventure.

4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS ANAKONDA AMAZON CRUISE

You will transfer to the dock and board our motorized canoe for a 90-minute journey down the river, taking in the beauty of the Amazon, until we reach the Anakonda Amazon Cruise and receive our warm welcome aboard. On the Anakonda, we will be joined by expert local naturalist guides, who will provide us with a brief, informative introduction to the Ecuadorian Amazon; and afterwards guests will have the opportunity to explore our cruise ship and admire the rainforest landscape as we glide down the Napo River. After a delicious dinner, we will take a nighttime forest walk to hear the sounds of the rainforest and observe the nocturnal wildlife.

Day 5 - Panacocha, The Mythical Piranha Lagoon

We will travel downstream to the Pañayacu River delta, where we will embark on a canoe trip to Pañacocha Lake (“Piranha Lagoon” in the native Kichwa language), an ecosystem flooded by blackwater river water. The surrounding protected rainforest is home to primates and birds and is the perfect habitat for piranhas, the Paíche or pirarucu (one of the world’s largest freshwater fish), the white caiman, and hundreds of other aquatic animals. The surrounding protected rainforest is home to primates and various bird species, which we will be able to spot during a walk with our guides. We will then recharge our energy with an Amazon-style barbeque at a community camp, and after a short rest, we will take part in aquatic activities such as kayaking and/or swimming. Back on board the Anakonda, we will build on what we learned with an interesting talk about the region given by our guides.

Day 6 - Parrot Clay Licks And Amazon Communities

We will set out on our motorized canoes early in the morning to witness one of the most incredible sights on this side of the Western Amazon - the famous parrot clay licks. This unique place is rich in minerals and attracts hundreds of colorful parrots, parakeets and Amazon birds who meet up here to lick the clay which provides a healthy boost to their digestion. In the afternoon we will visit the Kichwa women’s community project, where we will learn about the indigenous lifestyle along the Napo river, their ancestral culture, and their community, and will have the opportunity to support them by purchasing handicrafts, local products, and souvenirs, as well as the opportunity to participate in the Charapas Turtle Conservation that we support together with the community.

Day 7 - Depart Coca

This is where our adventure ends! But first, we will enjoy our return to Puerto Providencia where we will disembark the Anakonda Amazon Cruise and ride back to the city of Coca in the motorized canoe.