Yachana Lodge

per person

Features:
– Located two and a half hours from the city of Coca, upstream by the Napo River.
– It is the perfect place to observe the integration of local communities in sustainable tourism activities.
– You can do various activities such as hiking in the forest, canoe trips on the Napo River, bird watching, knowledge of medicinal plants of the Amazon, traditions and legends of the community, gold mining, organic agriculture.
– It has accommodation for travelers in search of comfort and also for groups of students or researchers.

Yachana Lodge:
Yachana is a Kichwa word that means “a place to learn”. It is part of a foundation that seeks to achieve sustainability through education. The integration of people from the community is encouraged in activities directly related to conscious tourism, such as guidance, food and beverages or cooking services.

The activities carried out in Yachana are in primary and secondary forest, with multilingual guides and native guides who will share with you all the experiences of the Amazonian communities, the diversity of the forest and their love for nature.

Location:
Yachana Lodge, is located between the cities of Coca and Tena, by the Napo River. It is located 2.5 hours upstream and southwest from Coca. Yachana has a reserve of 1,740 hectares of protected forest, which is also a biological station for researchers of the Amazon rainforest and its biodiversity.

Accommodation:
Yachana Lodge has two types of accommodation. In the main lodge has 18 spacious rooms with private bathroom, and balcony. It also has the area of Sisa Wasi, with 8 rooms with private bathroom, bunk beds and queen size, ideal for families or groups of students. The comfortable rooms have the facilities for the greatest comfort of the guests, as well as a panoramic view of the amazonian forest or the Napo river.

Facilities and services:
The lodge employs people from nearby communities to be part of the activities that take place in Yachana. Because they belong to indigenous communities of the Amazon, they have an intrinsic knowledge of the environment that surrounds them. Their training has been based mainly on techniques of guidance, hotels or languages, in order to provide their guests with the best experience of their visit to the Amazonian tropical forest.

Within the reserve activities are carried out to discover the species of animals and plants that inhabit the area. A great variety of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and insects have been found in the reserve.

Within the exploration of nature you can know the wide variety of plants, many of them medicinal; Local guides will explain the use that indigenous communities give to these plants.

You can also make excursions very early in the morning for bird watching or at night for observation of insects, amphibians, reptiles or animals that are active at night. The contact with the community is extensive, it can be part of a traditional cleaning ceremony and also learn from their hunting techniques used until now; In addition, you can listen to their stories, traditional and legends told in the heat of a campfire sharing with the local people.

In the Yachana Lodge activities are carried out on the river, like a canoe ride to enjoy the beautiful Amazonian landscapes and the magical sounds of nature. If time permits, you can see the extraction of gold by Quichua families in the area, they will be happy to share with visitors the technique used for this purpose.

There are multiple activities that take place in Yachana Lodge, it is a unique place where you can get directly involved with the daily life of the communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon and will be part of this genuine project of conservation and education.

4 Días / 3 Noches - 5 Días / 4 Noches

Amazonia

Included

Yachana Lodge

Excursions

All the foods

Accommodation Hotel

Private transportation

Described activities in the itinerary
Not Included

Accommodation

Transfers

Travel insurance

Airplane tickets

Lunch

Personal expenses

Food and drinks

Payment of Tickets

Tour guide

24/7 support

Guide / Driver

FROM OUR GALLERY

4 Days/ 3 Nights

Day 1: Arrival in Quito - Transfer to the Amazon
The capital of Quito, Ecuador, will be our first stop before our adventure in the Amazon. Upon arrival at the international airport in Quito, we will take a half-hour domestic flight to the Amazonian city of Coca. If the sky is clear, from the plane we can see the impressive snowy peaks of the Andes and the endless green landscape of the Amazon.

Upon arrival in Coca, we will receive a guide from the Yachana Lodge. From the airport we will go to the river dock, where we will board a motorized canoe in which we will travel for two and a half hours along the Napo River. While sailing on the Napo River, after securing our life jackets, we will have lunch. On this tour we will observe the beauty of one of the largest tributary rivers of the legendary Amazon River.

Upon arrival at the Yachana Lodge, the indigenous hosts will give us a warm welcome and offer us drinks and snacks, while they accompany us to visit the lodge.

Once we have settled into the room, we will take a short walk with our guide, as an introduction to the majestic Amazon. We will arrive to a waterfall, where a natural pool forms in which we can take a relaxing bath.

In the afternoon, we will have the opportunity to relax in the lodge, in the hammocks or in the bar while having a refreshing cocktail. In the evening we will enjoy a delicious dinner.

Day 2: Exploration in the tropical forest
After a delicious and nutritious Amazon breakfast, we will go out with our guide to explore the depths of the forest. We will travel by second order roads on board the ranch of Yachana, and we will stop on the route to observe birds and other animals, like monkeys. The guide will surprise us with his extensive knowledge about forest wildlife, and he will also tell us about the various medicinal properties of plants.

Upon returning from this tour, we will have lunch at the lodge, and we will have time to rest before our next activity.

In the afternoon, we will return to the ranchera, to head towards the community of Agua Santa. Here we will take a canoe to move downstream, where a family that obtains gold from the river lives, when sifting the waters. Here you can try to do this activity, it may become rich in minutes.

Upon returning to the Yachana Lodge, we will learn how to make chocolate with organic cocoa harvested by local families. Through the use of traditional methods, we can convert cocoa beans into tasty Amazonian chocolate, which is one of the main ingredients of the desserts served at the lodge. We can also drink a delicious coffee made with the beans that we will harvest.

At night, we will enjoy a delicious Ecuadorian dinner, and later we will be able to take an optional night walk through the forest. During the walk we can discover the mysteries of this unique place and see how life emerges from the darkness right in front of our eyes. We will have the opportunity to see insects, amphibians, reptiles and other creatures that only come out during the night.

Day 3: Visit to the indigenous community
If you are an early bird, you can leave early to observe birds. At breakfast we will enjoy the gastronomic delights of the Amazon. After breakfast, we will board a canoe to move downriver to the house of a shaman; Here you can learn from him and his family about the traditions of the Quichua culture. After participating in a spiritual cleansing ceremony, we can try our luck by firing with the blowgun or with the spear. Then we can choose between returning to the lodge or do tubbing on the Napo River.

After lunch, we will receive a short cooking class dictated by the chefs of the Amazon, which will allow us to know about the great amount of natural delights that the Amazon has to offer us. We can even cook some of the dishes that we will serve later.

After lunch, we will visit the Yachana Institute, where young people learn about hotel management and gastronomy. We will have the opportunity to interact with students and share experiences that will enrich each other.

Then we will return to the lodge for dinner.

Day 4: Return to Quito
After a delicious breakfast, we will leave the Yachana Lodge and go by canoe to Coca, where we will take our plane back to Quito. You can also travel from the lodge to Coca by bus, this experience will allow you to know the lifestyle of the communities in the area.

5 Days/ 4 Nights

Day 1: Arrival in Quito - Transfer to the Amazon
The capital of Ecuador, Quito, will be our first stop before our adventure in the Amazon. Upon arrival at the international airport in Quito, we will take a half-hour domestic flight to the Amazonian city of Coca. If the sky is clear, from the plane we can see the impressive snowy peaks of the Andes and the endless green landscape of the Amazon.