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The Napo Wildlife Center is located in northeast Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, the country's largest tract of protected tropical rainforest and a UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. Privately owned, the center consists of eighty-two square miles of pristine lowland rainforest along the Amazon's largest tributary, the Napo. In a small clearing on the shores of Lake Anangucocha within the reserve lies Ecuador's premier Amazon overnight accommodation for guests on Ecuador tours. As tropical wildlife reserve and eco-lodging, the Napo Wildlife Center has been educating and pampering guests since 2003 when the indigenous Anangu Quichua community and the EcoEcuador Foundation embarked on this joint eco-tourism project.
Today, the lodge itself is 100% owned and operated by the Anangu community and proceeds from the lodge pay to conserve the rainforest that surrounds it. Birdwatchers, naturalists and eco-travelers from throughout the world are attracted to this special place for the wildlife spectacle of some 562 bird species and the exciting array of other tropical wildlife including eleven species of monkeys.
If you're looking to experience the sultry beauty of the remote Amazon without roughing in your Ecuador adventure travel, this is the perfect destination.
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Getting there
This Ecuador adventure travel begins with a breathtaking thirty-five minute flight from the nation’s capital over the snowcapped eastern Andes to the headwaters of the Amazon Basin near the port town of Coca. From Coca, the reserve is reached by covered motorized canoe on a two-hour ride offering many birdwatching opportunities.
After reaching the reserve, guests may travel to the lodge in either of two ways, both guided and filled with colorful birds, monkeys and other jungle wildlife: on foot along rainforest trails or a ninety-minute paddle in a dugout canoe through a flooded palm forest.
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Accommodations
Built with native materials and designed in the style of indigenous architecture, the lodgings on these Ecuador tours consist of ten luxury cabanas with expansive terraces, offering guests an idyllic spot to escape the equatorial sun and observe wildlife from their own private viewing area. From their rooms, guests may see caimans and giant otters in the lake, capybaras in the forest and brilliant macaws in flight. Each paradise hide-away is appointed with a king-size and twin bed, private bathroom with hot water shower, a ceiling fan and 24-hour electricity. Windows are screened, and mosquito nets surround the beds. Cabanas are double-occupancy with sufficient space for a family of three.
Serving guests on these Ecuador tours, the communal lodge facility contains an open-air dining room where tasty meals cater to international tastes, a bar stocked with ice cold beer and other refreshing beverages, a tree-top wildlife observation tower, and a library filled with books about tropical flora and fauna.
To minimize the project's environmental impacts, sustainability principles are employed throughout the complex. These include noiseless generators powered by solar panels and industrial batteries for energy and a wastewater treatment design that adheres to a water quality standard higher than the lake itself. Safe drinking water is supplied through a reverse osmosis filtration system.
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Activities And Sites Of Interest
In addition to lounging in a hammock at the lodge or taking a safe refreshing swim nearby, a number of unique Ecuador adventure travel activities are available to guests. Guided excursions explore the reserve morning, afternoon and evening in small groups, scheduled according to weather, temperature and wildlife sightings. These outings are led by bilingual native Anangu park rangers with expertise as naturalists and versed in tropical forest biology. Guests with particular interests on these Ecuador tours can be matched with group leaders who have birding, botanical or entomology expertise, and specialized workshops may be arranged. Rain ponchos and rubber boots are provided by the lodge when necessary.
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Yasuni Parrot Clay Licks
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The reserve contains two natural clay licks that are reached by dugout canoe. Observation blinds have been constructed to offer a comfortable shielded viewing area with minimal disturbance to the many birds that gather there. Species that frequent the licks include parrots of the blue-headed, mealy, orange-cheeked, orange-winged and yellow-crowned varieties; and three species of parakeets: the cobalt-winged, dusky-headed and white-eyed. The rare scarlet-shoulder parrotlet and scarlet macaw are sometimes seen on Ecuador tours. In favorable weather, one can expect to see as many as 800 birds, and when weather is inclement, at least a few dozen. Trips are made to the licks twice daily, in the early morning and the afternoon either as a full-day excursion including picnic lunch or as a half-day trip with lunch at the lodge.
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Dining Room Observation Tower
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There is no more memorable dining experience on Ecuador adventure travel in the Amazon than the Napo Wildlife Center's open-air dining hall with its fifty-foot observation tower. Located at the summit of a forty-two foot hill, this facility provides great views of the wildlife, lodge and lake. There you may see rare monkey species, the golden-mantled tamarins and macaws at close range.
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Canopy Tower
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Thirty-five minutes from the lodge is an ideally-situated canopy tower. Engineered to industrial specifications, this sturdy steel structure is over 125 feet tall and erected next to a magnificent Kapok tree with ample space for fifteen guests and photographic gear. From here, one may see troops of capuchin, howler and spider monkeys. Nearby, flocks of over eighty bird species feed including toucans, macaws and colorful tanagers. Three-toed sloths are sometimes spotted moving between branches. Dawn and sunset provide the most prolific wildlife sightings, and on a clear day, several Andean volcanoes are visible in the distance. Guides carry optic gear to enhance viewing so you'll get the most out of these sights on your Ecuador tours.
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Lakes and Creeks
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Lake Anangucocha is fed by two creeks where additional monkey species may be seen including saddle-backed, squirrel and white-fronted capuchins plus species that only appear on the south side of the Napo River.
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Forest trails and hikes
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The reserve contains many trails of different lengths that pass by unfamiliar plant species and colorful or well-camouflaged insects. From the trails, a fascinating array of tropical wildlife species may be seen including army ants, frogs, lizards, monkeys, tortoises and such birds as hummingbirds, macaws, manakins, parrots and toucans. Large elusive creatures such as the giant anteater, giant armadillo, jaguar, puma and tapir are sometimes encountered on these Ecuador tours. Exotic night-hikes offer more wildlife viewing opportunities.
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Birdwatching
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Over a third of Ecuador’s birds have been identified in the reserve, making it a mecca for amateur and professional birdwatchers alike.
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Trip Scheduling
Scheduled departures for four and five-day Ecuador tours take place on Mondays and Fridays. For a modest additional fee, customized Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday departures and eight-day extended stays may also be arranged. Departures to and from the reserve are not possible on Sundays except by special arrangement.
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Safety Standards
The Napo Wildlife Center attends to the safety of its guests throughout the reserve. All facilities are equipped with fire extinguishers and linked by short-wave radio and telephone. Motorized canoes carry life-vests, and all river safety regulations are strictly followed. Equipment and operating systems are checked according to a regular maintenance schedule. Minor medical problems are handled by trained lodge staff. In the event of a more serious emergency, the guest would be evacuated by helicopter to a medical center located thirty minutes from the lodge.
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Aircraft
Guests on these Ecuador tours are transported from Quito to Coca in a nineteen-seat JetProp Beechcraft 1900 D or sixty-nine passenger Fokker MK-4000 Fellowship. Aircraft and pilots are FAA-certified in the U.S. Passengers are allowed one carry-on piece of luggage plus one 44-lb checked bag. There is an extra charge by the pound for additional luggage.
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