TL;DR: I could not recommend this highly enough. I saved up to go as a student and have no regrets. It was hard to fall asleep the first night.... read more As the hours passed, layers of insect and animal sounds, all in rhythmic coexistence, built to a surprising volume. I pushed aside the mosquito net above my bed and stepped outside of the thick canvas tent to find a night's sky in full definition. Yasuni is a different world at night. There is life calling from every direction: treefrogs singing from the hollows of bromeliads, stridulating insects, night monkeys howling from a nearby canopy. Morning comes and you are woken up by a bamboo horn. Breakfast is substantial and delicious. Soon you are in your rubber boots or on a kayak, on the lookout for anything that moves. The untrained eye will notice blue morphos, frogs, and birds. Our guide, Ramiro, would point out a pack of red howler monkeys, stationary in the top of a distant canopy, or a Great Potoo, asleep, and perfectly camouflaged on a branch. The sixth sense of the guides is consistently impressive. So too was Ramiro's knowledge. He was able to identify almost every species of animal we came across or heard, often in Latin. I compiled a list of all the species I remembered to note (see six species of monkey): ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Mammals) Squirrel Monkey Red Howler Monkey Dusky titi monkey White fronted Capuchin... TL;DR: I could not recommend this highly enough. I saved up to go as a student and have no regrets.

It was hard to fall asleep the first night. As the hours passed, layers of insect and animal sounds, all in rhythmic coexistence, built to a surprising volume. I pushed aside the mosquito net above my bed and stepped outside of the thick canvas tent to find a night's sky in full definition. Yasuni is a different world at night. There is life calling from every direction: treefrogs singing from the hollows of bromeliads, stridulating insects, night monkeys howling from a nearby canopy. Morning comes and you are woken up by a bamboo horn. Breakfast is substantial and delicious. Soon you are in your rubber boots or on a kayak, on the lookout for anything that moves. The untrained eye will notice blue morphos, frogs, and birds. Our guide, Ramiro, would point out a pack of red howler monkeys, stationary in the top of a distant canopy, or a Great Potoo, asleep, and perfectly camouflaged on a branch. The sixth sense of the guides is consistently impressive. So too was Ramiro's knowledge. He was able to identify almost every species of animal we came across or heard, often in Latin. I compiled a list of all the species I remembered to note (see six species of monkey):
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(Mammals)
Squirrel Monkey
Red Howler Monkey
Dusky titi monkey
White fronted Capuchin monkey
Black spider monkey
Woolly monkey
Neotropical Otter
Tucuxi (dolphin)
Tapir

(Birds)
Speckled Chachalacha
Russet-backed oropendola
Crested oropendola
Spix's Guan
Piping Guan
Striated Heron
Capped Heron
Cobalt-winged parakeet
Mealy Amazon Parrot
Orange cheeked parrot
Black-headed parrot
Chestnut-fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
White-fronted Toucan
Sungrebe
Spotted sandpiper
Greater Ani
Neotropic Cormorant
Tree Swallow
Roadside hawk
Black hawk-eagle
Black Caracara
Lesser Kiskadee
Great Potoo
Hoatzin
Laughing Falcon
Salvin's Currasow
Crimson-crested Woodpecker

(Reptiles)
Bothrops atrox
Helicops Pastazae
Green Anaconda (Eunectus murinus)
Gonatodes concinatus
Black Caiman
Yellow-spotted River Turtle

(Amphibians)
Smooth-sided toad (Rhaebo Guttatus)
Crested Forest Toad (Rhinella Margaritifera)
Ecuadorean Poison Dart Frog (Ameerega Bilinguis)
Treefrog
Bolitoglossa

(Fish)
Redeye Piranha
Yellow Piranha
Blue Whale Catfish (Cetopsis Ceocutiens)
White Catfish
Carachama Catfish (Pseudorinelepis genibarbis)

(Arachnids)
Orb weaver spider
Argiope
Wolf spider
Garbage Spider
Tarantula
Salticidae Jumping Spider
Spiny Orb weaver

(Insects)
Rhinoceros Beetle
Red Assassin Bug
Tree-hopper
Leaf-hopper
Stickbug
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More fascinating than the animals is the way the people of Mandari Panga (& other indigenous communities) have learned to used the jungle. Certain leaf stems are useful for making fishing poles, certain roots are natural anesthetics, certain leaves can be manipulated and blown into to make the sound of the Toucan. The wood of the Cecropia tree is made up of hollow capsules, making it the ideal candidate for firewood, as the smoke the passes through the capsules in the wood and is spread in all directions, instead of billowing into the sky and into your face. The volume of natural knowledge any person there is able to share is huge. All of this is to say that, if you visit Mandari Panga, the naturalist in you will doubtless be satisfied.

About the amenities: toilets are dry (you poop on a toilet seat into a hole beneath you and throw dirt on it), the canvas tents are on raised wooden platforms and the beds in them are comfortable, the shower water is refreshing but not too cold, the food is excellent. There is coffee.

About the activities: there are a number of hikes through the jungle you can do, you can kayak down the river (this is best for seeing wildlife), you can camp on the beaches in meanders, you can take night walks to see spiders, amphibians, and snakes. You can go fishing. You can meet the matriarch of the community. The guides are comfortable in the environment and are generally happy to plan each day according to your interests. Everybody there is interesting and interested in you. Do not miss out on the chance to learn about their lives (you must speak Spanish to communicate with many of them). More

  We spent 5 days, 4 nights at the Mandari Panga Camp on the Tiputini River. It absolutely was a trip of a lifetime! Will always recommend this place and these... read more people! Staff: One of our favorite parts of the trip was our connection to the staff and community. By the end of the week, we felt like family. While we were there, a park ranger was making the rounds and stayed at camp for a couple days. He even told us this group is one of his favorites that he’s gotten to know over the years, one of the most tight-knit. If you can request Eric as your guide, we’d highly encourage it. He is a great guy who grew up in the nearby town of Dayuma outside of Coca. He is kind, caring, very knowledgeable, and has strong english and great stories. The cultural learning and sharing aspect of the trip was very special and powerful. Wildlife: The fact that the tiputini is a tributary to the Napo River means that the river is narrower and you can see much more wildlife: monkeys, exotic birds, spiders, snakes, tree frogs even happened across a river dolphin one day. Beyond the incredible night hikes, piranha fishing, chocolate making, there is a young rescued tapir that roams in and out of camp that we were able to hang out with. Itinerary: Everyday we woke up to a bamboo horn calling us to... We spent 5 days, 4 nights at the Mandari Panga Camp on the Tiputini River. It absolutely was a trip of a lifetime! Will always recommend this place and these people!

Staff: One of our favorite parts of the trip was our connection to the staff and community. By the end of the week, we felt like family. While we were there, a park ranger was making the rounds and stayed at camp for a couple days. He even told us this group is one of his favorites that he’s gotten to know over the years, one of the most tight-knit. If you can request Eric as your guide, we’d highly encourage it. He is a great guy who grew up in the nearby town of Dayuma outside of Coca. He is kind, caring, very knowledgeable, and has strong english and great stories. The cultural learning and sharing aspect of the trip was very special and powerful.

Wildlife: The fact that the tiputini is a tributary to the Napo River means that the river is narrower and you can see much more wildlife: monkeys, exotic birds, spiders, snakes, tree frogs even happened across a river dolphin one day. Beyond the incredible night hikes, piranha fishing, chocolate making, there is a young rescued tapir that roams in and out of camp that we were able to hang out with.

Itinerary: Everyday we woke up to a bamboo horn calling us to breakfast. There was always a morning and afternoon activity with lunch and rest time in between. In our opinion it was the perfect amount of activities and rest time, nap time in the hammock watching the monkeys swing in the trees across the river.

Accommodations: The accommodations are very nice, and it always felt wonderful to be able to clean up in a nice shower house. The beds are very comfortable and have great mosquito nets. More

  We stayed at Mandari Panga for 4 nights and 5 days and had such an incredible experience. If feels like you are in the middle of a national geographic documentary.... read more So up close and personal with the nature and wildlife of the Amazon! The team at Mandari Panga is so passionate about preserving and protecting the Amazon which is exactly what we were looking for.

  For over a decade, it's been a dream of ours to visit the Amazon. The week we spent at Mandari Panga exceeded our expectations! We were fully submerged in the... read more sounds, smells, and energy of the rainforest. We hiked through the virgin jungle, kayaked up and down the river and through nearby lagoons, camped in the wilderness, and explored every bug, mammal, fish and bird we could lay our eyes on. And there surely were plenty! The staff was wonderful and loving, and the guides were super professional and down-to-earth. Special thanks to Erik who spent the entire week with us! The whole Mandari Panga project is noble and awe inspiring, and we'd recommend everyone interested in the Amazon and local communities to pay them a visit. For us, this truly was an uplifting and life-changing experience.

  We stayed a week at Mandari Panga, took a night walk and spent two additional nights camping in the jungle after kayaking downriver. The experience was fantastic. The people were... read more warm and friendly. Our sleeping space was safe and comfortable. The guides were considerate and knowledgeable. And we really got to experience pristine Amazon forest. We were followed by curious squirrel monkeys, visited by a friendly tapir, and enjoyed the abundant life in the jungle. The experience is so rich and compelling that words cannot adequately describe it. We can’t recommend any place more highly. There could be so much more to write but you must experience it to understand how great of a place Mandari Panga really is—just go! It’s amazing.

  Exactly what we were looking for - and much more! We were in the middle of nature and its sounds (during our stay we had repeated visits from Tapir Salvador).... read more We could feel the guides love for nature and their great know-how about it and were able to experience it in small groups on our hikes, canoe trips and fishing. The way the whole Mandari Panga project is set up is highly recommended and worthy of support. Thank you, Freddy and the team for your human kindness. A very loving and personal project.

  The best option for an authentic, non- "touristy" Amazon ecosystem experience, this is as far as you can get into the world's premier biodiversity region, the Yasuni, a UNESCO world... read more heritage site. There are no other tourist or commercial sites in this 100 mile-long Rio Tiputini valley. Freddy, Eric, Kevin, Mr. Abrahm, and others form a brilliant Kichwa interpretive team who will spot and explain the traditional uses for the stunning old growth jungle flora and fauna. You're mostly outdoors all day, so pick the dry season; by early Feb. we had virtually no rain, no mosquitos. Stay a week; kayaking the rivers and blackwater ponds, fishing, hiking, and the wonderful local-cuisine meals will keep you quite busy. Flexible, customized schedule for each visitor. We did two fascinating night hikes. The bug-proof canopy and elevated luxury platform tents (ask for Camp 5) really exude a "living in the Amazon" feel that one can't get on the adjacent Rio Napo (downstream from the city of Coca.) All this, and part of your fee funds the neighboring (upriver on the Rio Tiputini) Kichwa people's community school and education program; you'll meet "Grandma", the community's founder. Founded by Freddy and his team and community c. 2014; wonderful 2019 dining facility-lounge. More

  The best option for an authentic, non- "touristy" Amazon ecosystem experience, this is as far as you can get into the world's premier biodiversity region, the Yasuni, a UNESCO world... read more heritage site. There are no other tourist or commercial sites in this 100 mile-long Rio Tiputini valley. Freddy, Eric, Kevin, Mr. Abrahm, and others form a brilliant Kichwa interpretive team who will spot and explain the traditional uses for the stunning old growth jungle flora and fauna. You're mostly outdoors all day, so pick the dry season; by early Feb. we had virtually no rain, no mosquitos. Stay a week; kayaking the rivers and blackwater ponds, fishing, hiking, and the wonderful local-cuisine meals will keep you quite busy. Flexible, customized schedule for each visitor. We did two fascinating night hikes. The bug-proof canopy and elevated luxury platform tents (ask for Camp 5) really exude a "living in the Amazon" feel that one can't get on the adjacent Rio Napo (downstream from the city of Coca.) All this, and part of your fee funds the neighboring (upriver on the Rio Tiputini) Kichwa people's community school and education program; you'll meet "Grandma", the community's founder. Founded by Freddy and his team and community c. 2014; wonderful 2019 dining facility-lounge.

  Stayed five days, each filled with amazing experiences. Incredibly friendly staff who will try their best to make your stay as comfortable and exciting as possible. While you're there keep... read more an ear out for the beautiful calls of the Russet-backed oropendola.

  Mandari Panga could offer us the exact thing we were looking for. An authentic and sound experience of a tropical rainforest with its unique fauna and flora. It was great... read more that we could get a very individual itinerary with a combination of some days in the camp and some days on a kayak trip down the river. The planning and booking at the office in Quito went very smooth and nicely.
All the guides and staff were super friendly and helpful. Their knowledge about nature is amazing. The activities offered were very diverse and all of them were super good. You could always choose what you preferred to do.
The camp is very very nice, the only tourist camp on the river, located in the middle of the forest on the river bank. If you're lucky you can see the monkeys in the trees across the river. All the facilities are very neat and the tents were super cozy and comfortable. The food was extraordinary too!
For us everything was just perfect!
A big thank you to all of the Mandari Panga team and the whole community! A special thank you to our guide Eric who did a perfect job providing us this unique experience!
Pagarachu 🙂

  We stayed 7 nights in Yasuni National Park at the Tiputini River with the team from Mandari Panga Lodge and had a great time. The Mandari Panga Lodge, a community... read more project, is located at a very nice spot along the river, with no other lodges around. The only sounds you hear, is wildlife. The very attentive team from the community serves excellent local food, has very knowledgeable guides and takes care of everything which makes the trip a great and save experience. During our stay, we also went on a 4 days paddling trip with wild camping along the Tiputini. We learnt much about wildlife and how people live there. We felt save at any time, had much fun and would go there any time again. Big thanks to Fredy (the manager and our tour guide) and his team.

  Just returned from a stay at Mandarin Panga. It is beautifuly situated in the Amazon. The staff was excellent and went out of their way to make our... read more stay memorable and comfortable. The "rooms" are tent like with comfortable beds, and most have shared bathrooms and showers although ours had a private bath and shower. I called it Glamping but my adult children corrected me and said it is better than Glamping. The food was very good and well accommodated for Vegans and vegetarians. Our guides were great and did all they could to make sure we saw and experienced as much as possible. We loved it and may even come back More

  In the very noble and valiant quest to bring back the traditional spirit of the Amazonian jungle exploration, Mandari Panga is offering the essential ingredients.

Through the vision and... read more hard work of he owner, over the past few years, the small local community has seen the value of sustainable tourism and development. The individual lodges (read a double bed covered by a mosquito net, mounted on an elevated wooden platform facing the river, plus two candles at night) are built on a piece of land obtained from the matriarch of the community. We were the first to arrive at the newly erected hall, an impressive wooden construction which serves many purposes, including the restaurant. Each family from the community takes in turn a week to work at this location, whether it is for new buildings, maintenance or cooking.

One of the aims of this project is to restore the human-animal relationship and trust. Exploring the river by kayak is certainly a good way to immerse yourself in all that is jungle and river, and by all I mean all - full sun or soaked by the rain, bird noises, breeding pink dolphins, tapirs, piranhas... The trips are usually 15-20 km long, going down the river. It provides a good workout! Coming back is by the motorised long kayak, driven by the community's priest...

The local jungle guru - Marco - is one of the very few young members of the community who did not renounce the jungle for the city lights. Since he was 5, the Grandmother took him in all her jungle and river errands, teaching him all that she new. I am not afraid to say it - I am not sure I would bet on Sir David Attenborough if there ever was a contest between him and Marco on jungle and Amazon "things". Marco speaks very little English but I am sure he understands a lot more. He is very proud of who he is, where he belongs to, and even prouder to show and explain that to you. The visit to his village, meeting Grandmother, preparing darts and shooting through the sarbacana, drinking the local fermented drink, and not wasting time while group chatting ("use your hands and decorticate some corn" ) are all part of understanding the jungle and Amazon life.

In the jungle, every noise, every tree, every leaf, bug or animal is described, and the traditional medicinal use explained. Being doctors, we could appreciate it to the full extent.
There is very little not traditional in the food served, whether at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacks during the day, in the jungle or on the river. If you do catch some piranhas or find some rhinoceros beetle larvae in your explorations, you can have them cooked for you. Should you also eat them, you are really making some good new friends, and be offered adoption!
Are there not so good things? Yes, there are. But all need to be put in context. Electricity is the next thing the community is going to invest the money in, and there is nothing wrong with not having it at this stage. The humidity and the impossibility to dry your clothes saw us apologising in manners we have never knew we were able to to the laundry man in Cusco...

With all the profits staying in the community, the project's concept is in very good stead to be successful, and, already, it has not gone unnoticed for it has been awarded first place in international competition.

Can they do it on their own though? No! They need travellers like you to go, paddle, explore, eat, marvel, sweat, climb, slip on mud...
What are you waiting for?

  If you are looking for an unique experience, then you should choose Mandari Panga. It is inside the Yasuni national park and that‘s just one of the things which makes... read more it so special. The food is fantastic, the accommodation great but still authentic and the activities were so exciting.
Thanks again a lot to our guides Bill & Erik - they were simply awesome, with a lot of knowledge & we always felt absolutely cared for

  Me and my boyfriend stayed at the Mandari Panga Lodge for 4 days and it was an amazing experience.
Everything was perfect, from the transport, the delicious food, the... read more comfortable beds in the beautiful tents to our guide Xavier.
He did everything to show us monkeys, tucans, parrots, a snake, a tarantula and many other animals and answered every question we had. It was also possible to change the itinerary with him as we were more interested in the parrot clay lick - the staff is really flexible and everyone is so friendly!
Before coming to the lodge we were not sure about the mosquitoes or other animals, but if you always keep your tent closed you will be completely safe from the insects and there are also not many spiders around at the lodge (just a few very tiny ones), so you don’t have to worry about that either.
Bathrooms are always clean and the showers are equipped with really nice smelling soap and shampoo.
Also the visit at the house of „la abuela“ (the grandmother of the Mandari Panga Community) was really nice and authentic. We read about other lodges that bring people from coca to their lodge to show them to the tourists as indigenous people half-naked an hour later, but that was not the case here at all. We really enjoyed staying at Abuela’s and listening to stories from her, that are translated by Freddie, then making our own chocolate afterwards and watching the sunset from her home on a hill, where you have a wonderful view above the jungle.
In general all the staff is very involved to help their guest having the best time, so big thanks to everyone there!

  My daughter and I visited the Mandari Panga in July 2019. It was a great experience that we both really enjoyed.

The other two groups that were entering the... read more jungle the same day were unexpectedly delayed at the start of our trip. Fredy graciously provided us with a tour of Coca while we waited.

Once in the jungle, our guide was Javier. He is very knowledgeable and personable, and was an excellent guide. He ensured that everyone in the group was able to see many monkeys, birds, and other wildlife - we even saw a tarantula during a night hike!. Javier led us on several really enjoyable hikes during our five day stay.

The entire operation is very well organized and the staff was friendly and attentive.

At the end of the trip we had several hours to kill before our flight back to Quito. Javier volunteered to spend the afternoon with us, taking us to Yasuni Land, where he again shared his expertise and we were able to see many monkeys and birds.

I strongly recommend the Mandari Panga for a great Amazon experience.

  Life at Mandari Panga is like glamping to the extreme. The tents are beautiful with comfy beds and there are many hammocks and Adirondack chairs. You are lulled to sleep... read more by the sounds of the jungle. This is a very comfortable way to experience the amazon rainforest.
The staff is incredibly kind and hardworking. The guides are knowledgeable and I felt safe with them even when hiking through a slippery forest in the middle of a thunderstorm. They showed us many beautiful parts of the jungle, and we had lots and lots of fun. The food was great and quite gourmet for being prepared dozens of miles from the nearest grocery store.
My experience at mandari panga was eye opening and I'm pretty sure there's no better way to experience the Amazon for the first time. I was especially touched by the community behind this place.