Ecuador Amazon Adventure – Sacha Lodge

Depart Quito’s airport for a 30-minute flight over the Andes Mountains, which leads you to a bustling oil town called Coca located in the Amazon Basin. Enjoy a quick lunch in Sacha Lodge’s private house before boarding Sacha’s private canoes for the 2-hour journey down river to Sacha Lodge. A 30-minute hike through the rainforest leads you to Lake Pilchicocha, where native workers paddle you across the lake to your final destination. Arrive at Sacha Lodge around 3:30 or 4pm.

A refreshing swim after arriving may be just what you need after being in the equatorial heat all day. You can swim in Lake Pilchicocha, which is a black water lake home to many species of fish and animals, or observe birds and watch the sunset from the mini tower. 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 take a canoe ride on the lake to view the spectacled and black caimans with their glowing orange eyes.

Each day at Sacha Lodge is customized to delve deep into the Amazon rainforest. Experienced guides choose between the following activities based on time of day, season, weather, physical abilities of the group and where they believe wildlife is more likely to be found. Excursions and tours are with an English-speaking guide, some more physically challenging than others, and cater to all ages and physical abilities. Each activity is designed to showcase the best of what the Ecuadorian Amazon has to offer and are included in the program price:

Canopy Walk
Cross the rainforest high above the treetops, on a suspended bridge 94 feet above the ground. The 940-foot sturdy walkway is fixed to the ground by three metal towers and offers an astounding opportunity to spot dozens of animals and epiphytes seldom seen from the ground, including possible monkeys.

Canopy Exploration Crane
Take a high-flying ride up 150 feet (45m) above the forest floor into the canopy of the amazing Amazon Rainforest in a hot air balloon-like basket. Explore nearly 2 acres (.78 hectares) of rainforest canopy with its 150-foot-long (45m) boom.

Danta Tower
Nestled within the canopy of a lush swamp habitat, this 72-foot-high (22m) tower offers an intimate perspective of the rainforest’s midstory, allowing you to experience the dynamic interactions and diverse wildlife that thrive beneath the treetops.

Kapok Tower
Enjoy soaring views over the top of the canopy from this observation tower 135 feet above the ground. The platform, built on the highest branches of a giant kapok tree, affords panoramic views of the forest and optimizes opportunities to spot any of the 500 bird species found in the area.

Parrot Clay Lick
Visit clay licks where parrots and other birds frequently gather to eat salty clay to aid their digestion of seeds.

Nighttime Canoe Excursion/Caiman Spotting
Join guides in the canoe with a spotlight on Garzacocha Lagoon to spot monkeys, caimans, bats, owls, the pigmy marmoset and more.

Night Excursions
With flashlight or headlamp, join your guide to see the forest come alive in the darkness.

Kichwa Community Visit
Several indigenous communities live near Sacha Lodge; visit small communities and learn about their ways of life.

Lake Pool Swimming
The Lake Pool at Sacha Lodge is the only one of its kind in the Amazon region. The plunge pool, protected by a mesh cage, allows you to cool off and relax in the black shallows of the Pilchicocha Lake, without the fear of encountering the unknown.

Forest Walks
Your nature guide will point out plants and insects and the fascinating symbiosis between them while you walk along jungle paths. You may hike through the territory of the crested owls or spider monkeys, your guide expertly mimicking the creatures’ call to win their trust and coax them out of hiding.

Creek Paddling
Enjoy paddling down the streams where birds call in surround sound and vast families of monkeys leap from branches overhead, a show to coincide with the setting of the sun.

Birdwatching/Macaw Tree
Of the incredible 1,600 bird species registered in Ecuador, 600 (37%) have been seen at Sacha Lodge-almost 7% of the species found in the entire world. Specialist bird guides can accompany avid birdwatchers, to hone in on the best locations and hours, and provide photography tips.

At the Macaw tree, enjoy easy access to blue-and-yellow macaws, red-billed macaws or chestnut-fronted macaws. Note: Only available on Wednesdays or Sundays.

Each evening at the lodge, enjoy optional talks by the guides who elaborate on specific topics of the rainforest and truly enhance your experience.

Full Day in Yasuní National Park
Take canoes to the national park, to search for the golden mantled tamarin, spider monkey, scarlet and blue-yellow macaws on foot. Along the way, enjoy a snack and lunch, lead by a native guide from the community.

After breakfast, depart the lodge at 7:30am for an easy walk on the boardwalk to watch monkeys one last time before your final departure. Arrive in Coca and be escorted to the Coca airport where all plane tickets will be in the hands of Sacha Lodge employees waiting to help you board the plane and a final farewell. Scheduled arrival at Quito’s airport is at 12:30pm (subject to change).

Depart Quito’s airport for a 30-minute flight over the Andes Mountains, which leads you to a bustling oil town called Coca located in the Amazon Basin. Enjoy a quick lunch in Sacha Lodge’s private house before boarding Sacha’s private canoes for the 2-hour journey down river to Sacha Lodge. A 30-minute hike through the rainforest leads you to Lake Pilchicocha, where native workers paddle you across the lake to your final destination. Arrive at Sacha Lodge around 3:30 or 4pm.

A refreshing swim after arriving may be just what you need after being in the equatorial heat all day. You can swim in Lake Pilchicocha, which is a black water lake home to many species of fish and animals, or observe birds and watch the sunset from the mini tower. 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 take a canoe ride on the lake to view the spectacled and black caimans with their glowing orange eyes.

Each day at Sacha Lodge is customized to delve deep into the Amazon rainforest. Experienced guides choose between the following activities based on time of day, season, weather, physical abilities of the group and where they believe wildlife is more likely to be found. Excursions and tours are with an English-speaking guide, some more physically challenging than others, and cater to all ages and physical abilities. Each activity is designed to showcase the best of what the Ecuadorian Amazon has to offer and are included in the program price:

Canopy Walk
Cross the rainforest high above the treetops, on a suspended bridge 94 feet above the ground. The 940-foot sturdy walkway is fixed to the ground by three metal towers and offers an astounding opportunity to spot dozens of animals and epiphytes seldom seen from the ground, including possible monkeys.

Canopy Exploration Crane
Take a high-flying ride up 150 feet (45m) above the forest floor into the canopy of the amazing Amazon Rainforest in a hot air balloon-like basket. Explore nearly 2 acres (.78 hectares) of rainforest canopy with its 150-foot-long (45m) boom.

Danta Tower
Nestled within the canopy of a lush swamp habitat, this 72-foot-high (22m) tower offers an intimate perspective of the rainforest’s midstory, allowing you to experience the dynamic interactions and diverse wildlife that thrive beneath the treetops.

Kapok Tower
Enjoy soaring views over the top of the canopy from this observation tower 135 feet above the ground. The platform, built on the highest branches of a giant kapok tree, affords panoramic views of the forest and optimizes opportunities to spot any of the 500 bird species found in the area.

Parrot Clay Lick
Visit clay licks where parrots and other birds frequently gather to eat salty clay to aid their digestion of seeds.

Nighttime Canoe Excursion/Caiman Spotting
Join guides in the canoe with a spotlight on Garzacocha Lagoon to spot monkeys, caimans, bats, owls, the pigmy marmoset and more.

Night Excursions
With flashlight or headlamp, join your guide to see the forest come alive in the darkness.

Kichwa Community Visit
Several indigenous communities live near Sacha Lodge; visit small communities and learn about their ways of life.

Lake Pool Swimming
The Lake Pool at Sacha Lodge is the only one of its kind in the Amazon region. The plunge pool, protected by a mesh cage, allows you to cool off and relax in the black shallows of the Pilchicocha Lake, without the fear of encountering the unknown.

Forest Walks
Your nature guide will point out plants and insects and the fascinating symbiosis between them while you walk along jungle paths. You may hike through the territory of the crested owls or spider monkeys, your guide expertly mimicking the creatures’ call to win their trust and coax them out of hiding.

Creek Paddling
Enjoy paddling down the streams where birds call in surround sound and vast families of monkeys leap from branches overhead, a show to coincide with the setting of the sun.

Birdwatching/Macaw Tree
Of the incredible 1,600 bird species registered in Ecuador, 600 (37%) have been seen at Sacha Lodge-almost 7% of the species found in the entire world. Specialist bird guides can accompany avid birdwatchers, to hone in on the best locations and hours, and provide photography tips.

At the Macaw tree, enjoy easy access to blue-and-yellow macaws, red-billed macaws or chestnut-fronted macaws. Note: Only available on Wednesdays or Sundays.

Each evening at the lodge, enjoy optional talks by the guides who elaborate on specific topics of the rainforest and truly enhance your experience.

Full Day in Yasuní National Park
Take canoes to the national park, to search for the golden mantled tamarin, spider monkey, scarlet and blue-yellow macaws on foot. Along the way, enjoy a snack and lunch, lead by a native guide from the community.

After breakfast, depart the lodge at 7:30am for an easy walk on the boardwalk to watch monkeys one last time before your final departure. Arrive in Coca and be escorted to the Coca airport where all plane tickets will be in the hands of Sacha Lodge employees waiting to help you board the plane and a final farewell. Scheduled arrival at Quito’s airport is at 12:30pm (subject to change).