Ecuador's Amazon region is a fantastic place for wildlife viewing vacations. One can experience life in Ecuador's amazon jungle in relative luxury by staying at one of the many jungle ecolodges that are a short flight plus a couple of hours travel by boat from Quito. This is a visitors chance to practice responsible tourism in Ecuador: there are various Amazon lodges that all claim to practice "ecotourism" - in reality only a handful are genuine ecotourism lodges. Many of the lodges are foreign owned - we won't even be mentioning these as there equally good, if not better, community run ecotourism projects in Ecuador's Amazon. A stay at any of the following Amazon lodges helps preserve the rainforest you'll be visiting - practice responsible tourism on holiday.
Ecuador's Best Amazon Lodges
La Selva Lodge - very highly regarded and consisting of thatched bamboo huts, La Selva ecolodge is a comfortable community managed lodge with twin beds covered with mosquito nets - rooms have electricity and private bathrooms with hot water (many other lodges don't have such amenities). The restaurant offers excellent home made food. La Selva lodge is located two hours travel downstream from Coca on the Rio Napo. Excursions are organised locally and include piranha fishing, rainforest nature walks, caiman spotting, birdwatching tours and canoeing. The lodge has plans for an indigenous spa and new luxurious cabins for 2010. Flights from Quito to Coca are free if you quote the promo code "YES" when booking. La Selva is also a full service travel agency, one of the specialities being honeymoon packages.
Napo Wildlife Centre - Napo wildlife centre is a community run ecotourism project with 10 individual thatched cabins with private bathrooms with hot water. Electricity is solar powered, and an observation tower provides good views of the nearby lake and the jungle canopy. The nearby dock is perfect for spotting giant otters and caiman and the lodge is a great place for wildlife viewing in general. Various rainforest and wildlife viewing excursions can be organised locally.
Kapawi Lodge - A visit to Kapawi ecolodge is more about experiencing local indigenous culture rather than wildlife spotting, as many of the animals are still being hunted by the local Indigenous Achuar. That's why your visit helps - to persuade the indigenous local Indians to seek sustainable alternatives for their Amazon rainforest. Having said this, there's plenty of wildlife and rainforest still left! Kapawi has 20 rooms with private balconies overlooking the nearby lagoon. Hot water and lighting are supplied by sustainable power sources.
Jungle excursions, nature hikes, camping treks, fishing for piranha and kayaking can be arranged locally in this fascinating, remote part of Ecuador.
Yachana Ecolodge - located on the banks of the Napo river, Yachana Lodge has won numerous prestigous ecotourism awards. The area is very biodiverse and indigenous guides offer rainforest tours, canoeing trips and there are also plenty of opportunities to learn about Amazonian culture (eg. by visiting traditional shaman healers). There is also a butterfly house and tropical gardens to explore.
Other rainforest lodges in Ecuador
There's plenty of scope for wildlife viewing and rainforest tours elsewhere in Ecuador. Lodges that aren't in the Amazon region of Ecuador are often more easily accessible and not as expensive. Consider visiting Mindo, or alternatively:
Piedra Blanca Ecotourism Project - Piedra Blanca is a pioneering community run ecotourism project on the other side of the Andes (the West). The region is spectacularly beautiful but rarely visited by tourists. Piedra Blanca provides a great opportunity to get off the beaten track in Ecuador. In addition to rainforest tours and nature hikes, there are various other trekking routes into the Andes that can be arranged. Horseback riding tours and visits to small village communities and markets are done with local guides. Rafting in ancient design (Kon Tiki style) rafts can take tourists as far as Guayaquil if they are truely adventurous in spirit. See www.piedrablanca.org for info.
