Quito accommodation pick-up and transfer to eco-lodge (D)

Today, one of our representatives will pick you up at your accommodation and take you to the bus station, once there you’ll be transferred to Tena. After your bus transfer ends, you’ll meet your guide at the Araujo Bridge and you will take a motorized canoe and will travel 20 minutes upstream. On this ride you can appreciate the magic and beauty of the Amazon rainforest driving along a zigzag river that flows in the jungle like a giant snake and is considered the vein system of the Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). Once you arrive at the dock area of the Itamandi Eco Lodge, the manager will greet you with a delicious welcome drink. A short briefing will be held by a naturalist guide with general information about the lodge and the activities. When the sun has set it is possible to do a night walk. On this walk you can listen to nocturnal sounds and look for fishing bats, owls, a variety of insects, tarantulas, frogs and possibly snakes. If the sky is clear, you’ll have the opportunity for some stargazing. Afterwards, dinner is served at the lodge.

Meals: Dinner

Parrot clay lick, rainforest hike and indigenous community visit (B/L/D)
If the weather permits, you will visit a parrot clay lick early in the morning; clusters of mineral rich mud pools that attract many birds like parrots and parakeets. It’s a truly spectacular sight to watch. Afterwards breakfast will be served at the lodge. After breakfast you will enter the primary and secondary rainforest with a naturalist guide to hike and explore the surroundings. The naturalist guide will teach you about the ecology and flora and fauna of the rainforest. You will observe a great variety of insects, a range of different birds and with some luck reptiles or monkeys. The hike takes about 3 hours. Back at the lodge you will enjoy a delicious lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon you will visit a native Kichwa community. Here you will learn about their way of life and the interaction they have with the forest. Part of the visit to the community involves the demonstration of the preparation of the famous “Chicha”, a fermented yucca drink that has become part of their festivals and daily use. You will take part in the preparation of this beverage and also try some of the local cuisine. At the end of the visit the children of the community will perform a traditional dance and it ́s possible to buy handicrafts made by the indigenous community. At the end of the day there is an optional activity of making artisanal chocolate. Dinner is served at the lodge and afterwards there is time to relax and enjoy the sounds of the jungle.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Isla Anaconda and indigenous family visit (B/L/D)

After breakfast you will head out to visit “Isla Anaconda”. It takes a 45-minute canoe ride to get here. At the “Isla Anaconda” you can observe the prehistoric bird “́Hoatzin”, woolly monkeys and squirrel monkeys among others. You will visit a family in one of the indigenous communities to learn about their farming habits, medicinal plants, as well as the ancestral way of hunting with blowguns and handmade traps in the forest. After enjoying a delicious box lunch that will be provided by the lodge, you can have an optional visit to Amazoonico (Not included). Amazoonico is a rescue center for animals of the Amazon in Ecuador. Here you can observe a wide variety of monkeys, macaws, ocelots, capybaras, toucans, parrots and much more animals. Afterwards you will return back to the lodge where there is time to relax and enjoy dinner.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Eco-lodge pick-up, Quito accommodation drop-off (B)
Breakfast is served at the lodge and afterwards it is time to gather your belongings and start the return trip.You will travel back by motorized canoe for 20 minutes to the Arajuno bridge, after which you’ll be transferred to the bus station to catch the next ride to Quito, once there you’ll be taken to you accommodation in Quito so you can rest and prepare yourself to continue your journey!

Meals: Breakfast