Sacha Ecuador Amazon jungle lodge

Sacha Lodge

Overview

Quick Info
Price: 4 days / 3 nights: From USD 790 5 days / 4 nights: From USD 920 Days: from 4 days Location: Amazon Jungle
Overview
Sacha Lodge is found within a 5000 acre private ecological reserve in Ecuador's Amazon region, an accessible yet pristine rainforest sanctuary where you and your family may enjoy a true jungle adventure in safety and comfort. Among many other attractions, there is a 940-foot (275-meter) long canopy walkway. At approximately 94 feet (30 meters) above the ground, imagine exploring the rainforest up in the treetops! A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest's animals are most active. Each group may decide on its own wake-up and breakfast time, as well as the difficulty and duration of their morning outings. In the afternoon, visits begin at around 3:00pm and often continue into the evening, when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins. Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Several trails lead through pristine forest, where 150 foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support. Others follow strategically raised boardwalks in seasonally flooded forests, where walking on the ground would be nearly impossible during most of the year due to groundwater. One trail many choose to follow even leads across fallen tree trunks and a steel cable zip-line through rich swampland! A favorite activity of many guests is to paddle dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, orchids, bromeliads and palm trees thrive. And wherever an outing may lead the possibilities of spotting animals, from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the feared ocelot or puma are endless. During free time at the lodge, swimming and piranha fishing are also activities not to be missed… but don't worry! Piranhas are scavengers and the guides will prove that swimming is perfectly safe. For adventurous souls, the day does not necessarily end with dinner. Night walks and canoe trips, with the aid of flashlights, often reveal creatures seldom seen during daylight. Caimans (of the alligator family) and giant insects rule the jungle after sunset… Do you dare search for them? About Wildlife… Anyone who has ever planned to visit the rainforest has at least once asked: “What animals will I see there?” There is an incredibly high diversity of species found around Sacha Lodge, and we are sure that you will have the opportunity to see many fascinating creatures here. However, the wild is unpredictable and no two visits are ever the same! Monkeys are seen quite frequently, but how many of the 8 species will cross your path? They range in size from the tiny half pound pygmy marmoset to the noisy 17 pound red howler monkey, and night monkeys can be found in groups as small as 2 while squirrel monkeys can travel in groups of more than 150. And besides monkeys, there may be as many as 60 other species of mammals within the reserve (not including up to 50 species of bats), and 587 different species of birds!!! So keep your eyes open, and maybe you'll spot an anteater, a 3-toed sloth, or even an ocelot as you explore their natural habitat. As for reptiles, be sure to take advantage of night activities to look for one of Pilchicocha's resident spectacled caimans. Members of the alligator family, caimans are often seen from canoes out on the lake, and sometimes even their babies hide under the dining room! A variety of lizards and snakes can also be found along trails, if you move quietly and keep your eyes peeled. Several different boas, vine snakes and even the giant anaconda have been seen during many of excursions. There are a few poisonous snakes as well, but not to worry – they try to stay out of peoples' way and no one has ever been bitten here. Frogs, on the other hand, are much more common to see, from bulgy-eyed tree frogs to camouflaged leaf frogs to tiny colorful poison-dart frogs. So watch your step, day or night!

PRICE 2010 (USD)
Double / Triple		Single Sup. 50%
TOUR	PRICE	TOUR	PRICE
5 days/4 nights program (monday-friday)	920	5 days/4 nights program (monday-friday)	1380
4 days/3 nights program (friday-monday)	790	4 days/3 nights program (friday-monday)	1093
* Children under 12 years old have 30% discount on Hotel prices and 50% discount on Airfare.
* Children under 5 years old have FREE Hotel and 50% discount on Airfare.

◊ PRICE INCLUDES

•    Accommodations
•    Aquatic transportation
•    A native naturalistic guide
•    An english speaking guide
•    Three meals per day during the tour
•    Programed excursions
•    Pure water to drink all time
•    We supply rubber boots up to size 43

◊ PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

•    Transportation Quito and back to Quito. Air ticket USD 120
•    Bus tickets (USD 20 round trip or, USD 10 one way)
•    Bar bills
•    Tips for the staff
•    Personal jungle equipment
•    Rubber boots (size 44 upwards)
•    National Park Fees USD 25

Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

*Arrive at airport at 09h20 to receive boarding passes and briefing for the trip to Sacha. Passengers need only to have passports to be presented upon request at the private hangar.

• Day 1:

- Depart Quito´s airport at 11:30. A 30 minute flight over the Andes Mountains leads you to a bustling oil town called Coca located in the Amazon Basin.

- A quick lunch in Sacha´s private house and then its off to the town docks where you will board Sacha´s private canoes for the 2 hour journey down river to Sacha´s Lodges property.

- A 30 minute hike through the rainforest leads you to lake Pilchicocha. Here, you are met by native workers to paddle you across the lake to your final destination.

- Arrive at Sacha Lodge around 3:00 or 3:30 pm.

- Swim in Lake Pilchicocha, which is a black water lake home to many species of fish and animals. A refreshing swim after arriving may be just what you need after being in the equatorial heat all day.

- Bird observing from the mini tower offers guests an excellent opportunity to view several species of birds common around the lodge. Also a great place to watch the sun set.

- Visit the butterfly house with your naturalist guide to view the beautiful colors of many different species of butterflies.

- After dinner, accompany your naturalist guide on a night walk through the rainforest to view the hundreds of different species of animals that can only be found at night. Or maybe a canoe ride on the lake to view the spectacled and black caimans with their glowing orange eyes as you silently paddle across the lake to get a closer view.

• Day 2:

- Begin morning activity between 6:00 and 7:00 (full-day/ box lunch)

- Begin walking on trail Liana Chica and arrive at the canopy walk, for spectacular views of the rainforest canopy and the many different species of vibrantly colored birds.

- After the canopy walk, Liana Grande through terra firma and igapo forest habitats where native guides will explain many different species of medicinal plants that have been being used in their culture for hundreds of years.

- Liana Grande will turn into the trail Higueron, which will take you through pristine primary forest with huge Kapok and Fig trees towering hundreds of feet above your head.

- Higueron will eventually lead to the Finca where an excellent lunch prepared especially for long day trips, will be served while you listen to the many species of birds around the Finca and enjoy the coolness of the covered picnic tables.

- From the Finca, you may choose to take a leisurely hike along the Rio Napo, or choose a little more challenging hike on the trail Leoncillo to try and spot the elusive dusky titi monkey. Either way the trails will lead you back to the main boardwalk for your final hike and canoe ride back to the lodge.

• Day 3:

- Leaving the lodge after breakfast, you begin your hike on trail Lagartococha. This trail offers you the chance to learn more about the native people and their relationship with the forest. Learn about the trees where native people believe the spirits of their ancestors live, and the mysterious “dwende” or devil-man of the forest.

- After arriving at lake Lagartococha, take a tranquil canoe ride through a natural swamp, which is the home of anacondas, caimans, and capybaras.

- After the canoe ride, a walk on the other side of Largatococha may give you the opportunity to spot capuchin or squirrel monkeys playfully jumping through the trees.

- Return from the walk or canoe ride and head back to the lodge for a refreshing dip in the lake, or a nice relaxing nap in your personal hammock on your private balcony.

- After lunch, your native guide will teach you how to fish for the infamous razor-toothed piranha. Keep in mind that piranhas will never attack a person and swimming at the same time is perfectly safe and fun!

- Around 4:00 you will begin what many think is the best trail at Sacha, a silent canoe ride through the flooded Amazonian forest. Where you have a good chance of being surrounded by troops of squirrel, capuchin, and howler monkeys. Keep your eyes peeled for the shy and elusive river otter as well as the incredibly well camouflaged three-toed sloth!

- After your eye-popping ride through the flooded forest, you will arrive at Sacha´s135-foot wooden tower built around an ancient Kapok tree. Get close up views of vibrantly colored birds through Sacha´s powerful scopes, and watch the sun set with an amazing view of Mount Sumaco, a volcano, and possibly a view of the snow-covered caps of the Andes!

- Leaving the tower just before or after sunset will give you an experience not soon forgotten. A canoe ride back through the flooded forest at night will be an awe-inspiring experience. Listen to the symphony of frogs and insects as you navigate through the narrow flooded forest trail, keeping your eyes open for caimans. Watch the several species of bats flying over your heads and listen to the many species of nocturnal birds making their eerie nighttime calls. Finally, after your mesmerizing canoe trip through the Amazon, you will arrive back at lake Pilchicocha and the welcoming lights of Sacha lodge.

• Day 4: (do not apply to 4 days/3 nights tour)

- A chance to view four different species of parrots at the same time is something that should not be missed. Sacha is close enough to Yasuni National Park that a thirty minute motorized canoe ride down the napo to the parrot lick is well worth it. Leaving at six in the morning from Sacha and arriving at the lick around 7:30 will give you plenty of time to get close up views of the parrots eating the clay to neutralize the acids which they get from eating their many different types of fruits and leaves.

- Arriving back at the lodge around 11am or so gives you plenty of time to swim or relax before lunch is served. Visit the butterfly house once again to photograph the beautifully colored butterflies.

- For your afternoon activity, Pantano is the trail to take. Pantano offers you several different types of rainforest habitats. From secondary to primary forests as well as flooded forest and swampy areas. An excellent trail for monkeys and birds in the afternoon, your naturalist and native guides will intrigue you with their knowledge of the jungle and its inhabitants as well as provide you with an everlasting experience and memory of the neotropical rainforest.

• Day 5:

- 6:15 am breakfast and a departure from the lodge at 6:45am.

- Leave the actual lodge itself at 6:45 am for an easy walk on the boardwalk to watch monkeys one last time before your final departure.

- Arrive in Coca and be escorted to the Coca airport where all plane tickets will be in the hands of Sacha employees waiting to help you board the plane and a final farewell.

- Scheduled arrival at Quito´s airport is at 11:50 pm.

Photo Gallery
Sacha Lodge

Sacha Lodge, Birdwatching Tower

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Testimonials

The whole trip from the time we landed in Coca was totally positive. The guides were excellent. They have an uncanny ability to find birds and animals in the jungle!. Very impressive.
The highlight for me, was the trip on the lake at night with powerful light, which attracted hundreds of bats which flew all around the canoe ( different species). Also, swimming in the lake in the evenings, when returning from trekking through the jungle.

Trip Advisor (Anonymous)
Ireland

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Overview

PRICE 2010 (USD)

Itinerary