Amazon Kayak Adventure

Your journey begins with a short flight from Quito to the Amazon frontier town of Coca. Here you board a motorized canoe for the next leg of your trip into the Amazon Rainforest, a three-hour cruise on the Napo River. The jungle grows thicker as you near the entrance to the Challuacocha Reserve on the Challuayaku River. Here you will be greeted by a Kichwa family of the ecotourism collaborative. After an orientation and short safety briefing, you paddle by kayak down the river about two more hours to reach the lodge on Challuacocha Lake. Along the way you may see golden orioles, toucans and many other bird species as well as blue morpho butterflies and an occasional monkey family in the trees above. Reaching the lake, you may be greeted by black caimans, herons, and parrots. After a day of travel, settle into your lodge and enjoy a delicious gourmet meal prepared by your Kichwa hosts. In the evening, look for black caimans, howler monkeys, bats and other wildlife that become active as night falls in the Amazon during this nocturnal hike. (B,L,D)

After breakfast, you paddle out to explore Challuacocha Lake in search of more wildlife. Hugging the shore makes it possible to observe a great variety of bird species, especially in the early morning. Eventually, you will reach a narrow tributary to look for tiger herons, blue cotingas, black-capped donacobius and other fascinating bird species. You disembark at a small trailhead for some Amazon Rainforest hiking accompanied by knowledgeable guides to help identify plants and animals. The path eventually winds back to the kayaks to continue paddling to the lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon, you set out on a jungle hike to an observation tower built around a 500-year-old Ceiba tree. From the 100-ft platform, your guides will be able to point out dozens of bird species as the sun slips below the horizon. After sunset, return to the lodge for another gourmet dinner followed by a nocturnal kayak excursions on the lake for a chance to take a closer look at the black caimans, seen from shore last night. (B,L,D)

This morning, board a motorized canoe and travel on the Napo River to the entrance of the Pañayucu River until you reach Pañacocha Lake. The lake is part of 138,000-acre Pañacocha Reserve that covers many waterways and lagoons, 100% Kichwa owned and managed. Exploring the lake by kayak, you will encounter tropical vegetation much to a birdwatchers delight, a high likelihood of spotting kingfishers, jacamars, trogons, potoos, hoatzin, anis, terns, hawks and eagles. If you are lucky, you’ll achieve todays main objective: spotting the freshwater pink river dolphin. This endangered species has become extinct in many other Amazon tributaries, but a healthy group still inhabits this area. These intelligent mammals grow to nine feet in length and are considered sacred by local tribes that tell tales of dolphins having rescued drowning swimmers. The species is elusive and its numbers are small, but observers have a good success rate here of at least catching a glimpse. In the late afternoon, you return to your jungle lodge for a relaxing evening. (B,L,D)

Today you paddle across the lake to reach the Chorongo (woolly monkey) trail to begin an jungle hike through pristine primary forest within the Challuacocha Reserve. Walking through dense jungle and crossing muddy swamps on log bridges, your guides will point out bromeliads, heliconias, orchids and other tropical flora. You will also find out about the uses of medicinal plants, taste edible fruits and insects, and learn how to weave traditional palm-fiber bags. You are likely to see cuckoos, tinamous, snakes, and with luck, black-mantled tamarin monkeys, poison-dart frogs, giant anteaters and countless other elusive animals native to the Amazon. Adventurous passengers may choose to get their bodies painted in the native style with achiote, a natural red plant dye. Visit a local community to learn about the Kichwa culture, their traditional ways and the importance of the rainforest in nearly every aspect of daily life. You will also tour the local school, health center, and traditional bamboo and thatch-roof homes. The economy, education and medical care have greatly improved thanks to the success of its ecotourism project. This is a unique opportunity to experience a world vastly different from home. (B,L,D)

After an early breakfast, you bid farewell to the Challuacocha and board a motorized canoe up the Napo River back to Coca. Arrive at the airport for your flight back to Quito, where an SE representative meets you at the airport and transfers you to your hotel. (B)

Southern Explorations’ services end with your transfer to the airport for your departure home. We can arrange Galápagos adventures, trip extensions to other regions or extra days in Quito if you have more time to explore Ecuador. (B)