From: $ 1400 USD p/person dbl room

Level: Moderate

Activities: Searching for Wildlife, Lake and River Kayaking, Hiking, Bird Watching, Observation Tower, Indigenous Community Encounters

Accommodations: Premium Jungle Lodge

Deep in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon lies Calluacocha Lake, located in the heart of a 40,000 hectare nature and wildlife sanctuary home to more than 500 species of birds, 13 species of monkeys, 1,000 species of butterflies, and 1,500 species of trees, as well as caimans, jaguars, ocelots, otters, millions of insects, and more. We experience this amazing biodiversity firsthand by kayak, traversing the Amazon’s breathtaking waterways around Calluacocha and Pañacocha Lakes. Pañacocha Lake is home to the endangered freshwater pink dolphin and the equally rare Amazonian manatee. These reserves are located in a wildlife corridor that connects two important larger reserves: Yasuni National Park (982,000 hectares) to the south, and Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (600,000 hectares) to the north. Our home base for this extraordinary trip is a beautiful lakefront lodge that offers quality accommodations, personalized service, and gourmet meals. The lodge and nature reserves we visit in this wildlife journey are 100% Kichwa-owned ecotourism projects. When you explore these amazing reserves, you will contribute directly to improving these indigenous communities’ education, transportation, and health infrastructure and services. This sustainable tourism operation promotes nature conservation, cultural identity preservation, re-integration of ancestral customs, and political autonomy despite the pressure of nearby oil companies.

Day 01:  transfer to coca & kayaking on the challuayaku river (l, d)
Day 02:  kayak in the challuacocha lake & observation tower (b, l, d)
Day 03:  kayaking in pañacocha lake (b, l,d)
Day 04:  jungle exploration hike & kichwa community visit  (b, l, d)
Day 05:  parrot clay lick & return to quito (b)

NOTE: This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions and/or river water levels.

INCLUDED:
Private road and river transportation, professional bilingual naturalist guide, local Kichwa indigenous guide, hard-shell or inflatable kayaks, life vests and other safety equipment, dry bags, deluxe jungle lodge accommodations, and all meals as described.

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare between Quito-Coca-Quito ($120 roundtrip, subject to change); bar service at jungle lodge; and guide tips.

Amazon kayaking in two different pristine wildlife reserves

Searching for the endangered Pink Freshwater Dolphin

Actually seeing over 100 different bird species

Quality lodge accommodations and gourmet meals

Contributing to a 100% Kichwa-owned ecotourism project

A 30 meter (100 foot) observation tower over the Amazon canopy

Close encounters with the Black Caiman crocodile and other nocturnal
life

Hiking through pristine primary forest

Cultural encounters with traditional Kichwa indigenous families

Parrot Clay Lick with hundreds of parrots from 4 different species