Sacha Lodge

Day one starts after being collected from your hotel in Quito before a short flight to Coca. After making your way to the docks of the Napo River, you board a motorized canoe and embark on a two-hour trip downstream.

At the end of the first leg you arrive at the beginning of the Sacha Reserve, where you traverse a boardwalk for half an hour until you reach the shores of Lake Pilchicocha. After hopping into canoes, Sacha Lodge staff takes you across the lake to the Rainforest luxury lodge.

One suggestion for the first day is a visit to the Butterfly House, where you can explore the breeding process of some of the forty species of butterflies that thrive in the Sacha Reserve.

After an early breakfast, one of the Sacha lodge activities worth getting up for is the canopy walk, a 94 feet (36 meters) high, 940-foot (275-meter) suspension bridge over the canopy of the jungle that gives you an eagle-eyed view of the surrounding treetops and the creatures that live in their branches. Keep a lookout of monkeys, macaws, toucans, and harpy eagles, bustling with life in the morning hours.

After lunch in the afternoon, a different experience at the Amazon Rainforest lodge is a forest walk, where the creatures of the lower part of the jungle are found with the help of a naturalist guide. Crested owls, spider monkeys, and a myriad of insects, frogs, and spiders are en force here, and the trip through the dense foliage opens up new paths into the natural world. After dinner, night hikes take you into a world where snakes, caiman, and stick insects come out of the woods.

After an early morning breakfast on day three, more bird watching awaits at the nearby Yasuni clay lick. A short canoe ride away and a heaven for the 30 or so species of parrots, macaws, and parakeets-arriving early in the morning gets you there in time to see the flock descend from high above for feeding. It’s a natural kaleidoscope of color and a somewhat clumsy symphony of movement that sparks the imagination and amazes the senses.

After a yummy lunch with a view of the lake at Sacha Lodge, head over to the Kapok Tower, a 130-ft observation tower built high in the branches of a gigantic Kapok tree. From the skyward vantage point, the massive scope of the Sacha Reserve comes into focus, as do the creatures that live in the tree tops. Guides point out birds of prey like the harpy eagle - a predator that stays up high until it spots smaller birds of the lower layers of the canopy to swoop down upon.

After breakfast and a last leisurely stroll around the Rainforest luxury lodge and the shores of the lake, goodbyes are said to the staff of Sacha Lodge and the return trip ensues. It’s often said that the best rainforest trip is one that awakens the wonders of nature, and on the journey back to the modern world thoughts begin to take shape about preserving the jungle for generations to discover for themselves.

Sacha Lodge began as a smaller version of its current self, growing in size as the word got out about the reserve, the lodge, and the strides that they were making to protect the forest from logging and threats from the outside world.

After discovering the wonders within the Sacha Lodges borders, a seed is planted that stays with you for years to come with the hopes that the jungle continues to inspire those who take the journey to visit it.

Depart Quito for a half-hour flight to the rainforest town of Coca in the Amazon. Lunch in town is followed by an immersive two-hour canoe ride down the Napo to get to Sacha Lodge. Your first activity is a hike to Lake Pilchicocha, where you will meet native workers who will paddle you to the lodge.

After you settle in, take some time to climb the observation tower and see the many species of birds flying through the canopy. An evening hike led by a naturalist guide takes you on your first real excursion into the jungle, where you will spot many different species of nocturnal animals.

Your morning starts with a hike to the canopy walk, where you will literally be among the birds. There are multiple tower observation decks. Come down from the canopy to walk Liana Chica and Liana Grande trails through terra firma and igapo forest habitats, where you will learn about the various species of medicinal plants from your guide.

In the afternoon, you can choose to explore other trails around the lodge or go for an exciting canoe ride around the lake looking for wildlife, this top Ecuador Amazon lodge also features a nice swimming pool adjacent to the main lake where you can take a refreshing swim or enjoy the tranquil views of the lagoon.

Today you will hike the Lagartococha trail, located right next to the Sacha Lodge followed by a canoe ride through a natural swamp, where anacondas, caimans, and capybaras can be spotted. On the other side of the trail, you might see capuchin or squirrel monkeys in the trees, some of the main species to be found in the Amazon rainforest.

After lunch, your guide will teach you how to fish for piranhas. Then, you will be delighted by a final afternoon hike or canoe ride with time to look for more wildlife.

An early morning will take you to the renowned parrot clay lick just 30 minutes down the Napo River in Yasuni National Park, the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest. Here, you will see hundreds of birds flocking to get their fill of clay to balance the acidity in their diets. Then journey back to Sacha lodge enjoying fabulous views of the surrounding forest, you can go for more trail exploration or to relax and enjoy of the comfort of your Amazon rainforest lodge.

Enjoy one final breakfast and early morning walk to spot monkeys and birds before heading back to Coca. Once in Coca, you will be escorted to the airport, where the Sacha lodge staff will be waiting to help you board the plane and bid you a final farewell from the Ecuadorian jungle. You will arrive back in Quito by 12:30 pm and this will be the end of an amazing Sacha Lodge Trip.