Sacha Lodge
Sacha Lodge is located in a reserve of 2 000 hectares on the banks of the Napo River, next to the Pilchicocha Lagoon. Departing from Quito, in Puerto Francisco de Orellana you will take a canoe that will take you downstream to the port of Sacha; From there you should walk approximately half an hour to the banks of the lagoon, where the employees of the Sacha Lodge will take you by canoe to the hotel. In this place you will have the opportunity to know and explore the Amazon jungle and enjoy a comfortable stay, friendly with the environment and also full of adventures.
The trails vary in length and take them from one hour to a full day. Sacha Lodge owns 2 000 hectares of rainforest that cover a wide variety of habitats, mostly primary forest, ranging from the mainland to the swamp, passing rivers and lakes. Although most tours are on foot, some can be combined with river trips in a canoe. The forest cover has been made accessible by the construction of an observation tower 43 meters high. The jungle extends to the horizon in all directions. On a clear day, you can see the peak of the Sumaco volcano, an extinct volcano 160 kilometers away.
Through tourism, Sacha educates visitors and promotes the knowledge and culture of indigenous peoples, apart from defending the protection of the jungle.
Sacha Lodge has 26 individual or double cabins (there is an option to make triples on request), with private bathroom, hot water, mosquito nets, fan, safety box and private terrace with hammocks.
Several elevated paths connect the cabins with the communal services; Sacha Lodge offers a restaurant, bar, computer room, butterfly farm, pier, craft shop and laundry service. In addition, it provides customers with boots, water ponchos and umbrellas.
The activities are organized in small groups, according to the interests and languages of the visitors, and each group is accompanied by a native guide and a naturalist guide. The activities are varied and start very early, and include jungle tours during the day and at night, bird watching, canoe trips through the narrow rivers and lagoons, exploration in the Yasuní National Park, visit to the butterfly garden and much more .
Sacha Lodge also has two towers that constitute a true adventure. The first, 43 meters, is built around a giant ceibo, and from the top you can see the variety of birds that populate the jungle. From the other tower, 30 meters high, you can hike over the jungle and observe the wonderful immensity practically from the top of the trees, an unforgettable experience.
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IncludedSacha LodgeExcursionsAll the foodsAccommodation HotelTour guidePrivate transportationDescribed activities in the itinerary
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Not IncludedAccommodationTransfersTravel insuranceAirplane ticketsLunchPersonal expensesFood and drinksPayment of Tickets24/7 supportGuide / Driver
4 Days/ 3 Nights
Day 1: Quito - Coca - Sacha Lodge
We will leave Quito early in the morning and take a 30-minute flight to the city of Francisco de Orellana, better known as Coca. Upon arrival, a representative of the lodge will be waiting for us and will take us to the pier. Here we will take a motorized canoe that will take us for two and a half hours along the Napo River. Although the Napo River is one kilometer wide, in some places it is incredibly shallow, so sometimes the canoe driver will take us in a zigzag following the deepest canals. We will see on the banks of the river the thatched houses where the Quichua communities live, who grow coffee, bananas and cassava. During the journey our guide will tell us about the struggle of the communities to preserve their environment, which is in danger with oil exploitation. We will have lunch in the canoe. When we arrive at the dock, at around 3:00 p.m., we have a short walk along a path along the river and then through the flooded forest. We will see several giant butterflies, macaws and squirrel monkeys. At the end of the trail, a rowing canoe will wait for us to cross the lake of Pilchicoha to the lodge. After a short talk about the tour, each group of 4 to 6 passengers will be assigned a naturalist guide and a native Quichua guide. Later, we will have time to swim in the Pilchicocha lake, or, if you prefer, observe birds from the mini-tower or visit the butterfly garden. After dinner, we will accompany our naturalist guide to a night walk through the forest, to see hundreds of species that can only be observed at night. Or we can take a canoe ride while we look for the orange eyes of the black alligators.
Day 2: Elevated walk, walk
We will start the day very early, between 06:00 and 07:00, and we will take the Liana Chica trail until we reach an elevated walk that rises 30 meters above the treetops. This 274-meter walk, which is supported by three metal towers, gives visitors a different option to bird-spotting. In addition, two of the three towers have spaces for observation. After this elevated walk, we will take the Liana Grande trail, between forest of the mainland and igapó. During the tour, the guides will explain us about the different medicinal uses of the plants. Then we will take the Higuerón trail, which will take us through the primary forest, where huge ceibos and fig trees (also known as strangler fig trees) are raised. This path will take us to the Finca, where we will have lunch. After lunch you can choose to take a walk on the banks of the Napo River or walk the Leoncillo trail, where we will look for the elusive red-bellied marmoset. Any of these two roads will take us to the main path, which will lead us to the river, where we will board the canoe to return to the lodge.
Day 3: Hike, canoe ride, observation tower
Today we will leave the lodge to walk along the Lagartococha trail. This trail offers the opportunity to learn more about the life of the indigenous community and its relationship with the forest. We will learn about the trees, where the Quichuas believe that they inhabit the spirits of their ancestors, or about the elf of the forest. Arriving at Lake Lagartococha, we will take a small canoe ride through the natural marshes, where anacondas, capybaras and alligators inhabit. After this tour, during a walk on the other side of the lake we will have the opportunity to observe capuchin monkeys or squirrels that swing playfully among the branches of the trees. Then we will return to the lodge, where we can relax in the hammocks or eat something light at the bar before lunch. After lunch, the guide will tell us about the dreaded piranhas. Keep in mind that piranhas never attack people, so swimming with them is safe and fun. Around 4:00 p.m., we will take a canoe ride through the flooded forest. Here we will have the opportunity to watch groups of squirrel monkeys, capuchins and howlers. You must be very attentive to look at the elusive giant otter or the three-toed sloths that camouflage themselves among the trees. After this tour, we will climb to a 30 meter observation tower built in a giant ceibo. Here we will marvel at the amount of colorful birds that fly over the treetops, and we will see a beautiful sunset with Mount Sumaco in the background, and perhaps some snowcapped Andes. After this incredible experience, we will return to the canoe and return to the lodge at nightfall.
Day 4: Sacha Lodge - Coca - Quito
After breakfast, we will leave the lodge, to navigate the Napo River to Coca, where we will take our trip to Quito.
5 Days/ 4 Nights
Day 1: Quito - Coca - Sacha Lodge
We will leave Quito early in the morning and take a 30-minute flight to the city of Francisco de Orellana, better known as Coca. Upon arrival, a representative of the lodge will be waiting for us and will take us to the pier. Here we will take a motorized canoe that will take us for two and a half hours along the Napo River. Although the Napo River is one kilometer wide, in some places it is incredibly shallow, so sometimes the canoe driver will take us in a zigzag following the deepest canals. We will see on the banks of the river the thatched houses where the Quichua communities live, who grow coffee, bananas and cassava. During the journey our guide will tell us about the struggle of the communities to preserve their environment, which is in danger with oil exploitation. We will have lunch in the canoe. When we arrive at the dock, at around 3:00 p.m., we have a short walk along a path along the river and then through the flooded forest. We will see several giant butterflies, macaws and squirrel monkeys. At the end of the trail, a rowing canoe will wait for us to cross the lake of Pilchicoha to the lodge. After a short talk about the tour, each group of 4 to 6 passengers will be assigned a naturalist guide and a native Quichua guide. Later, we will have time to swim in the Pilchicocha lake, or, if you prefer, observe birds from the mini-tower or visit the butterfly garden. After dinner, we will accompany our naturalist guide to a night walk through the forest, to see hundreds of species that can only be observed at night. Or we can take a canoe ride while we look for the orange eyes of the black alligators.
Day 2: Walk and hike
We will start the day very early, between 06:00 and 07:00, and we will take the Liana Chica trail until we reach an elevated walk that rises 30 meters above the treetops. This 274-meter walk, which is supported by three metal towers, gives visitors a different option to bird-spotting. In addition, two of the three towers have spaces for observation. After this elevated walk, we will take the Liana Grande trail, between forest of the mainland and igapó. During the tour, the guides will explain us about the different medicinal uses of the plants. Then we will take the Higuerón trail, which will take us through the primary forest, where huge ceibos and fig trees (also known as strangler fig trees) are raised. This path will take us to the Finca, where we will have lunch. After lunch you can choose to take a walk on the banks of the Napo River or walk the Leoncillo trail, where we will look for the elusive red-bellied marmoset. Any of these two roads will take us to the main path, which will lead us to the river, where we will board the canoe to return to the lodge.
Day 3: Hike, canoe ride and observation tower
Today we will leave the lodge to walk along the Lagartococha trail. This trail offers the opportunity to learn more about the life of the indigenous community and its relationship with the forest. We will learn about the trees, where the Quichuas believe that they inhabit the spirits of their ancestors, or about the elf of the forest. Arriving at Lake Lagartococha, we will take a small canoe ride through the natural marshes, where anacondas, capybaras and alligators inhabit. After this tour, during a walk on the other side of the lake we will have the opportunity to observe capuchin monkeys or squirrels that swing playfully among the branches of the trees. Then we will return to the lodge, where we can relax in the hammocks or eat something light at the bar before lunch. After lunch, the guide will tell us about the dreaded piranhas. Keep in mind that piranhas never attack people, so swimming with them is safe and fun. Around 4:00 p.m., we will take a canoe ride through the flooded forest. Here we will have the opportunity to watch groups of squirrel monkeys, capuchins and howlers. You must be very attentive to look at the elusive giant otter or the three-toed sloths that camouflage themselves among the trees. After this tour, we will climb to a 30 meter observation tower built in a giant ceibo. Here we will marvel at the amount of colorful birds that fly over the treetops, and we will see a beautiful sunset with Mount Sumaco in the background, and perhaps some snowcapped Andes. After this incredible experience, we will return to the canoe and return to the lodge at nightfall.
Day 4: Clay lick for parrots and walk
During the morning we will have the unparalleled opportunity to observe several types of parrots and macaws. The lodge is near the Yasuní National Park, 30 minutes by motorized canoe on the Napo River, and in the National Park you can find clay licks, where parrots, macaws yos and parrots come to lick this material that allows them to be immune to the toxins of certain plants from which they feed. Around 07:30 we can observe a colorful show with all the birds that come to lick clay. This visit will depend on the weather, since the birds do not go when it is raining, but generally the climate is favorable. We will return to the lodge around 11:00, and we will have time to relax for a moment to swim or rest until lunch time. After lunch, we will take the Pantano trail, where we will observe several types of rainforest habitats, from primary and secondary forests to flooded forests and swampy areas. This is an ideal route to observe monkeys and birds in the afternoon. Our guides will tell us, during the journey, about the life in the forest and the properties of the plants.
Day 5: Sacha Lodge - Coca - Quito
After breakfast, we will leave the lodge, to navigate the Napo River to Coca, where we will take our trip to Quito.