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4 Day itinerary in Ecuador, South America

Experience to the Napo Cultural Center

Your local guide, an expert in the rainforest and medicinal plants, will suggest activities adapted to your group and the climate so that you can feel the rainforest, bathe in its rivers, walk the paths and reserves of the primary forest, discover the animals, meet the locals, their way of life, gas... Read More

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Emilie

By Emilie

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Easy
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Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Quito

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Hiking

Purposeful Travel

Nature & Wildlife

Start

Night

End

Highlights

1

Discovery of the Amazon : Yasuní park

2

Indigenous communities

3

Fauna observation

4

Ride on the Rio Napo

Itinerary

standard sup expand_more

Day 1

place Departure for the Amazon

On arrival at Coca, the lodge staff will provide you with a picnic lunch and then you will set off in a motorboat on the Napo River, the first opportunity to take in the exuberant vegetation as far as the eye can see. Yasuní National Park, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve, is one of the most diverse places in the world, with over 9,600 square kilometres of protected natural area and jungle home to some of the world's hardest-to-spot animals such as the jaguar, puma and tapir. By staying at the Napo Cultural Center you will have the opportunity to enter the aboriginal territory of the Kickwa Añangu community. Its members will welcome you with a traditional cold drink called "wayusa", a sort of Amazonian tee. You will then have time to settle into your cabins and get ready for your first excursion along the river.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

  • standard sup: Napo Cultural Center Lodge
Day 2

place Yasuní National Park

After breakfast, you will leave by boat to one of the most popular places in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve. After a 30-minute walk you will arrive at the clay wall where parrots and parakeets come to collect the minerals essential for their well-being. You can see up to 11 species of birds and maybe even some mammals such as howler monkeys, tapirs and peccaries. You will then continue your journey to the "Kuri Muyu" Intercultural Interpretation Centre run by the women of the community who will tell you about the Kichwa culture, their crafts, customs and the use they make of the natural resources around them. Return to the lodge for lunch, then in the afternoon you will take a one hour hike to the observation tower overlooking the canopy at 35m above ground. You will have a great chance to see different species of monkeys, toucans, parrots and sloths. After dinner, you will have the pleasure of boarding the community's ancestral catamaran on the Napo River and listening to traditional legends and songs while the women cook delicious barbecued snacks.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

  • standard sup: Napo Cultural Center Lodge
Day 3

place Yasuní National Park

During this morning you will visit the sustainable projects of the community, talk about the Kichwa cosmovision and the medicinal plants along the “mamakunas” trail. An excellent opportunity to see wild animals, giant ceibos, bambus, lianas and other plants endemic to Yasuní. After a delicious local lunch, you will go by canoe to cross the ecosystem of "aguas negras" where monkeys leap from tree to tree and where caimans and giant otters can sometimes be approached. Traditional Amazonian dinner where you can taste some local flavors such as "maito", fish wrapped in a bilbao leaf, and for the more curious, "chontakuru", grilled barbecued worm. Once night has fallen, a short digestive walk around the lodge to observe reptiles, monkeys and nocturnal insects.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:

  • standard sup: Napo Cultural Center Lodge
Day 4

place Going back to the Sierra

To end your Amazon adventure in style, you can participate in the mystical ritual of the "wayusada" (optional - around 4:30 am). Privileged moment around the traditional drink where the Kichwa families share their knowledge with the new generations, take in heart the traditional songs and interpret the dreams with the wisest “mamakuna” of the community. Breakfast at dawn before taking the boat back to the city of Coca and flying to Quito.

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • Napo Cultural Center Lodge

Meals expand_less

  • Lunch (3)
  • Dinner (3)
  • Breakfast (3)

Transport expand_less

  • Flights Quito - Coca - Quito

Activities expand_less

  • Lodge activities

Extras expand_less

  • Nights in the Napo Cultural Center
  • Bilingual English-Spanish shared guide
  • Full board from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 4
  • Permanent assistance throughout the trip

Not Included expand_less

  • International flight
  • Luggage carrying and tips
  • Drinks and meals not listed as included above
  • Insurance, extras, and any item not specifically mentioned as included in the program

About Emilie

TEAM LEAD

verified Baboo Certified

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Expertise: 

Rural home stays

Kayak & Canoe

Rafting

Snorkeling/Diving

Indigenous culture

Hiking

Meet local people

Visit markets

Cycling

Purposeful Travel

Nature & Wildlife

I am the manager of my agency. I have been living in Ecuador for more than 12 years, and I have travelled across the whole country.I will be very happy to help you planning a trip to discover all the beauty Ecuador has to offer!

Travel that Makes a Difference

By choosing to travel with us, you support local communities, wildlife, and the environment. We are dedicated to positively impacting the world through every journey we offer.

Let’s regenerate the planet together

We overcompensate your entire journey’s carbon footprint including flights - for free.

Learn more
FROM PRICE PER TRAVELER

$1,294.00 USD