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

  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.