Nature + Culture Tour

4 Day Tour Starting Every Monday and Friday

2022: $660 per person
2023: $720 per person

Limited to 6 persons
(available also as a private tour)

DESCRIPTION

For most, the Amazon rainforest is just something they’ve heard about or seen in the news. Come experience this amazing region, with its remarkable beauty and diversity of life. Our tour will take you deep into the jungle, where you’ll learn about its unique flora and fauna, natural history, and the cultural traditions of its people, while gaining an understanding of the importance of protecting the remarkable biodiversity it holds.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival at Mandari Panga

Upon arrival in Coca (airport or bus terminal), you’ll be met by your local guide. Depending on your time of arrival, you’ll have a chance for breakfast (not included) at "Maitos del Yasuní" a typical restaurant created by the association Challuwa Mikuna to benefit indigenous women.
We'll then begin a journey of about an hour and 45 minutes in land transport and another hour and a half in a motorized canoe along the Tiputini river. When we arrive at the camp, you will have time to get to know the facilities and settle into your tent. Enjoy a welcome drink; then a delicious lunch will be served in the main house.
In the afternoon, we'll cross to the other side of the Yitsu Yacu River for a walk of approximately 2 hours. We'll finish the afternoon enjoying the sunset onboard our motorized canoe, and when we return to camp, a delicious dinner served by candlelight will be ready for you.

Day 2: Hiking the "Pecary Trail"

After an early breakfast (6:30), we will cross to the other side of the Tiputini river in a traditional canoe and start a walk of approximately 4 hours along a loop trail passing through spectacular virgin jungle. We'll arrive at the lagoon of the anacondas where, with luck, you will be able to see this reptile so characteristic of the area.
We'll return to camp for lunch, and you'll have time to relax in your hammock or tent, walk around the campsite and even cool down with a swim in a tranquil tributary of the Tiputini river.
In the afternoon, we'll enjoy a pleasant traditional canoe trip in the Pishña lagoon (giant otter oxbow lagoon) for about 2 hours. This black water lagoon is a fascinating ecosystem, a blackwater lake where unique species live. We'll enjoy the sunset and then return to the campsite for dinner.

Day 3: Rio Tiputini and the Casa de la Abuela

Early in the morning, we'll begin a trip along the Tiputini River in a traditional wooden canoe and have breakfast during the journey while we enjoy the sunrise. We'll have plenty of opportunities to observe birds and wildlife during our trip, from monkeys and other mammals to river otters and freshwater dolphins (with luck); we'll be back at the camp around 11:30.

When we return, you'll have a refreshing drink and a delicious lunch. Time for a short rest or a swim, then around 15:30, we'll depart in our motorized canoe for the Casa de la Abuela (Grandmother's House), a traditional home where the founding grandmother of the community still lives. We'll learn how to make traditional chocolate, which we'll serve with our dinner this evening. Time to enjoy amazing views of the sunset from this hilltop home, then we'll return to camp for a delicious dinner.
After dinner, we'll take a night walk along a short trail known as the Tucán trail near the camp; this walk is about an hour.

Day 4: Return to Coca

Breakfast will be served early in the morning (depending on the time of the group's flight departure). We'll begin our trip in our motorized canoe for about an hour and a half; during the relaxing trip, you can say goodbye to the beauty of the Amazon rainforest. We'll then be met at the shores of the river and travel overland for about an hour and a half back to Coca, where you'll be dropped off at the airport or bus terminal for your return to Quito or travel to your next destination.

TRIP CONSIDERATIONS

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

Tour Includes:

Transportation Coca – Mandari Panga – Coca
Bilingual and native guide
Accommodation in tents complete with mattress and bedding
Use of rubber boots for hikes, life jacket for canoe travel
Three meals a day (starting with lunch on the first day through breakfast on the final day)
Purified water

Not included:

Transportation Quito – Coca – Quito
Additional beverages and snacks; extra meals in Coca before and after the tour
Rain ponchos (can be purchased in Coca before the tour if needed; highly recommended for adequate protection from heavy Amazon rains)
Tips
Personal Expenses
Travel insurance

BEFORE YOU COME

PACKING LIST (recommendations):

ORIGINAL PASSPORT (in waterproof plastic bag)
Fast drying, lightweight clothing including long sleeve shirts and pants
A light jacket for colder nights
Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
Sandals or walking shoes
Thick, absorbent hiking type socks
Hat or cap
Sunglasses, sunblock and repellent (no spray)
Water bottle
One small (waterproof recommended) daypack
Flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries
Plastic bags to protect electronic equipment
Camera and Binoculars
Swimming suit

CLIMATE:
The Amazon Rainforest is characterized by rain, heat and more rain and heat (usually 72°-90°F, 22°-32°C), providing the perfect environment for plants and wildlife! The Amazon is always humid with generous amounts of rain occurring year-round. Both the rainy and “rainier” seasons are great times for an Amazon tour.

Sunshine and rain showers during the day and slightly chilly temperatures at night are a rule of thumb to go by on Amazon rainforest tours.

December and January are the driest months-with January and February being a shoulder season that leads to the months with the heaviest rainfall.

March, April, May, and June see the most precipitation in the Ecuador Amazon Basin. These months coincide with the wet season in the rest of the country. Rainfall in the Andes spills over into the Ecuador Amazon Basin-raising water levels of the Napo River and its tributaries.

July through December see a decline in the amount of rain that falls each month. The average temperature in the jungle remains around 25°C (77°F) year-round, but during the dry season, daytime temperatures can reach 40°C (104°F).

ELECTRICITY:
There is limited electricity at the camp; there is a charging station for electronics which functions from 6 pm to 10 pm. There is electric lighting at the camp during these hours.

LUGGAGE:
There is no luggage limit weight that you can bring to the campsite

VACCINATIONS AND HEALTH TIPS:
Full Covid-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test is required to enter the Yasuni National Park.

Yellow fever and Malaria are the usual concern of our visitors. We haven’t had any cases at our campsite, but it is always recommendable to have a shot and bring medication for this, as well as a type of anti-biotic for Traveler’s diarrhea (TD).

Consult your doctor for the most current recommended health precautions for your time visiting the Amazon rainforest. The US Center for Disease Control is an excellent source for detailed information on preventing travel-related illnesses.

TRAVEL TO AND FROM COCA

On the first day of the tour, passengers are met in Coca in the morning (approx. 10 AM).
At the end of the tour, passengers will be in Coca by about 10 AM, and can take a flight or bus to their next destination. This may change upon flight availability.
To get to Coca, there are currently flights departing from Quito on our operation days. There are currently 2 airlines flying this route, please ask us for options. If there are no early flights, passengers traveling to Coca should arrive the day before the tour. Exceptions can be made if necessary, please contact us. Regular bus service to/from Coca is also available, the trip is about 6 hours.
Passengers beginning their tour in the morning will have the option to stop at a local restaurant for breakfast (not included), this restaurant is operated by a Kichwa women’s association to benefit community conservation projects.
For those traveling by bus, there are day and evening buses as well as overnight buses departing at 11 PM or 11:30 PM.
We can assist with purchasing flight or bus tickets.