Wild nature at Napo Wildlife Center

Arrival in Quito and flight to Coca. Flight schedules are announced according to bookings and groups logistics. Napo Wildlife Center will operate and provide departures and programs on any day of the week except Sunday, when there are no reliable flights in routes Quito-Coca, with an inexpensive extra fee for non Monday and Friday canoe trips.

During the tour visitors will be divided into small groups and led by a native Anangu guide, who is also an official Yasuni Park Ranger, expert of medicinal plants and other useful items of the rain forest, and an excellent bilingual naturalist guide with great deal of knowledge in tropical forest biology. Both guides using their unmatchable enthusiasm will create informative enjoyable excursions every day providing an educative fun experience.

Groups and guides will tailor their excursions so the itinerary we present is only a sample program. Outings will be scheduled before dawn or at sunrise. 

One of the main attractions at Napo Wildlife Center is setting of on a very early excursion to reach two of Ecuador's most accessible parrot clay licks in the Napo region. These parrot clay licks are exclusive part of the reserve and lodge territory and are two of the over a dozen clay licks found on the Anangu Community territory.

The parrot clay licks can be reached by following the Giant Otter creek downstream on dugout canoe near the Napo river. This could be a full day excursion visiting both licks with a packed lunch, or a half day visiting the main lick and returning for a served lunch at the lodge.

If you love viewing wild nature don't miss the two observation towers of the lodge: the Dining Room Tower and the Professional Canopy Tower. The first 19 m tall, high enough to get great views of the lake and lodge and nearby the active resident birds can be seen nesting and feeding within the lodge grounds. 

The second is located only 35 minutes away from the lodge and is the best and most professional canopy tower ever built in Amazonian Ecuador.

Napo Wildlife Center boasts a large lake with two creeks that can be easily explored on a canoe paddled by expert guides. The possibilities to spot wildlife are great: you will be able to view different species of monkeys (Napo Wildlife Center is home to a total of 11 species).  All four species of cayman are found at Napo Wildlife Center.

The lake is home to black cayman species, which can easily be seen best at night canoe rides or even at sunny days by the edge of floating vegetation. Following the creeks a group of giant otters in a hurry to catch their fish for supper are a good chance.

During your stay you can enjoy a great variety of hikes on different forest trails where guests can see monkeys, lizards, tortoises, frogs and army ants in addition to an array of birds, including toucans, macaws, parrots, manakins and hummingbirds.

The largest mammals like jaguar, puma, tapir, giant anteater and giant armadillo have been spotted on this area. Night hikes are also possible at Napo Wildlife Center providing unexpected wildlife.

Over 562 species of birds have been recorded at the Napo Wildlife Center, more than one third of all of Ecuador`s birds. A vast and rich bird-life that can reward the most avid birdwatcher: Agami and ZigZag herons are found near the lake and creeks, including all 5 kingfishers.

The large raptors like harpy and crested eagles find healthy mammal food around our area.

Añangu territory is not only home to the great Napo Wildlife Center lodge, it has been the ancestral territory of a Quichua indigenous community that has the same name. Anangu people actively contribute to the conservation and management of a large territory within the park as well as being partners of the lodge in tourism. The staff will surely invite you to visit the community.

You can join some families on their daily activities when harvesting bananas, coco, manioc, a starchy jungle root, staple food for Amazonian people, or maybe helping preparing chicha, a traditional drink based on cooked and fermenting manioc. 

Your tour will end on the 6th day and you will be transferred back to Coca for your flight back to Quito.