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On behalf of all the guys and myself, I’d just like to tell you how much we enjoyed and how successful our recent trip was. It was truly great and the second week enjoyed at Napo was fantastic. What a great place and were glad to have stayed there. The total bird list for the first week was just about 300 or so. We all missed a few species of course, the more so for those of us with older eyes and slower reactions. My personal tally was about 285, final details yet to be worked on, and I was very pleased with that. I don’t know yet what the total for the second week at Napo is, but I understand from a quick tally by our guide, that it was already approaching 200, so a total of close to 500 seems about in order. Full marks to our guides Alejandro Solano from Neblina Forest, and Andres Vasquez and Jorge Rivadeneira at Napo. They were amazing and how they pick up the birds was beyond us. Their knowledge of the calls and bird-songs was truly encyclopaedic. Also, all the ground arrangements worked impeccably. I’d certainly recommend this trip to anyone.
J.W. Aberdeenshire
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Ecuador - Amazonian Mammals
Tour Code: ECU02A 10-day tour based at the Napo Wildlife Centre in Amazonian Ecuador searching for the region's exciting wildlife.
Highlights
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Summary
The Napo Wildlife Centre is situated within Yasuni National Park, the largest, most bio-diverse and best-conserved tract of Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Contained within the park is ancestral territory of the Kichwa Community of Añangu who own the Centre. We’ll explore the ‘terra firme’ rainforest, black-water creeks, ‘varzea’ (flooded) forest, rivers and lakes by means of dugout canoe, canopy look-out towers and on foot, enjoying the extraordinary diversity of wildlife on our doorstep. Larger Neotropical mammals, including Brazilian Tapir and Jaguar, are present in the forest here but are shy and elusive, whereas we have a good chance of encountering such endearing species as Giant River Otter, Three-toed Sloth and over 10 species of monkeys along with a host of other Amazonian wildlife.
- Spectacular parrot & mammal clay-licks
- Explore creeks near our lodge for resident Giant River Otters
- Watch Golden-mantled Tamarin & other species from canopy-level towers
- Howler, saki, squirrel, woolly, capuchin & spider monkeys all possible
- Magnificent views of the Andean foothills from main canopy tower
- Over 600 species of birds and over 60 mammal species within Yasuni National Park
- Night-time forest walks to look for nocturnal mammals
- Led by local naturalists, including native Anangu guides
Grading
Plenty of time on foot, sometimes on steep, muddy trails.Napo Wildlife Center, or NWC, is a comfortable rainforest lodge within the Yasuni National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; the largest, best conserved and most diverse tract of Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. Built on the shore of tranquil Añangu Lake, NWC is a conservation project which supports a unique 82 square-mile private nature reserve within the park, an ancestral territory of the Añangu community who co-own the centre. Wildlife viewing possibilities abound in the vicinity of the lodge, with amazing parrot and mammal clay licks, active lake wildlife guarded by the resident family of Giant Otters, stunning endemic monkeys and a huge list of over 565 bird species. The lodge also boasts two solid canopy towers which transport us into the rainforest canopy at dawn to witness flocks of colourful tanagers and other species which are difficult to see from the rainforest floor. We have four full days to explore this fabulous habitat. Depending on our party size, we will divide into two or more sub-groups, and be assigned a native Añangu guide, who doubles up as an official Yasuni Park Ranger. All of the local guides at NWC are a wealth of information on the forest’s medicinal plants and other useful items of the rain forest. Each group will also have the company of an experienced bilingual naturalist guide with a great deal of knowledge on tropical forest biology. We will be sure to take advantage of the highest peaks of activity, together with prevailing weather conditions, with early morning excursions scheduled for dawn and sunrise. After break for lunch and a siesta, further outings will take place in the afternoon and evening and, for those who want to, after dark, when the forest really does come alive and when an overwhelming concert of natural sounds floods the atmosphere!
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation: A mixture of characterful birding lodges and small hotels.
- Food:
All meals are included, except for evening meals in Quito (£30 should be more than enough for these).
Reviews
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The trip was absolutely fabulous! I feel very privileged to have been able to spend some time at Napo Wildlife Centre, its a special place. Everything about it is very organised, exciting, and peaceful. We saw 8 monkey species, the Howlers at close quarters from the top of the canopy tower, lots of wonderful birds of course, and as we were in the canoes leaving for Quito on Tuesday, the Giant Otters put on a show for us, we were so lucky! All the transfers went according to plan, the hotel in Quito was fine, and we had a super day in the cloud forest with the hummingbirds. The guides were all excellent. Thank you for a lovely holiday.
S.H. Cheshire -
NAPO was excellent, the ownership as well as the experience, an unforgettable first taste of the Amazon. Impressive biodiversity and really hope it will stay protected. I'm really tempted to go back. The guy who took us humming birding was first class.
G.W. Hampshire -
I had a fantastic time. Visiting the Amazon Rainforest was a dream come true for me. There was so much plant and animal life with each step we took through the forest, or each creek we travelled along. We saw several monkey species, giant otters, an anaconda, and hundreds of birds Napo Wildlife Centre was a wonderful place to stay, with friendly and knowledgeable staff, expert local guides, tasty and plentiful food, and comfortable and clean cabins. We had a bonus day out in the Andes at the end of the trip, where we saw Andean Condors. I would recommend this trip to anyone.
R.M. West Yorkshire -
It was an enjoyable trip, thanks. The arrangements went well and the service/care was good. Its a lovely spot and the concept of community ownership is a good one.
R.K. Yorkshire -
We thought Napo was fantastic, what a shining example of eco-tourism. The staff at the lodge were truly wonderful and enhanced the whole experience. Mariano was excellent on the walks, as were all the guides. We heard the giant otters twice which were nearly as good as seeing them. I would like to hope that other native communities can follow Napos lead, it has to be the way forward to protect the forests etc. Our day in the Andes was spent with Gustavo Canas, who I feel deserves a special mention; he was an excellent guide, informative and fun to be with.
R. & C.S. Wiltshire -
Napo Lodge is indescribable. Stunning location, accommodation was clean and beautiful. Cabanas were cleaned with fresh bedding and towels daily. All staff were so welcoming and helpful and couldn't do more to help you. The guides knowledge of area and flora and fauna was outstanding - what they didnt know probably wasn't worth knowing! I would strongly recommend Napo to anyone. My first of this type of holiday and the most memorable of any holiday!
H.M. Hampshire -
The whole trip was excellent, and very good value, and I cant really think of any real negatives. In Ecuador the Neblina Forest guides were fantastic, ditto the staff at Napo Wildlife Centre...very high levels of professionalism all round and I cant remember ever being as comfortable in the rainforest as we were at Napo. We saw seven primate species, plus Kinkajou...aspects of natural history are fantastically well represented. All in all a great trip, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Naturetrek tour to others. Its certainly difficult to beat it on price!.
J.P. -
Napo Wildlife Centre is a fantastic place in a glorious setting. The staff were very welcoming, the accommodation was comfortable and the food was good. The guides, in particular, were excellent. Best of all though were the excursions, by canoe or on foot, experiencing the rainforest and seeing and hearing beautiful animals in the natural habitat. We could not recommend the lodge and the people that own and run it highly enough.
J.D. & V.K. Middlesex -
Another great trip! Napo Wildlife Centre was fantastic, great views, fantastic food, great accommodation, fantastic staff and great mammals and birds.
K.R. Lancashire -
Staff at Naturetrek were so helpful and informative. The Napo Wildlife Centre was wonderful. We were looked after with such care and everything was taken care of. All we had to do was turn up for meals and arrive at the jetty for the trips. The venue and events far exceeded our expectations. Local guides Javier (Napo) and George (Quito) were exceptional in their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Mr & Mrs B. West Midlands -
Thank you. Another wonderful trip. Had to go back to the rainforest after a visit to Peru in 2009 and it was worth it. Met some old friends such as the Hoatzins, Caiman and Howler monkeys but had a different experience this time. We travelled by canoe more and spotted tiny frogs, bats, Anacondas and we were always accompanied on the creeks by Morphos (butterflies) - bliss!
Mrs S. West Sussex -
The whole trip was brilliant from start to finish. Our guide Ruben was fantastic: incredibly knowledgeable, very thoughtful, the perfect guide. Our local guide Chian was also brilliant, it was great to learn about the rainforest from him. Ruben and the Napo team went to a huge amount of effort to retrieve baggage that was sent on the plane to Coca after ours. By them rowing for hours in the dark we were reunited with our baggage later in the evening. Amazing! The itinerary was excellent. Lovely to have time for some gentle birdwatching at Puembo before heading to Napo, and Mercedes (our lovely host at Puembo) arranged our last day out to be to Antisana, in the Andes: we got magnificent views of Andean Condor! It was a great chance to see a different habitat and a different range of mammals, birds and plants. We were so well looked after throughout the trip, from being picked up at the airport, lovely food and drink!
R.M. Australia -
The trip leaders and local agents were absolutely fantastic. Nothing was too much trouble and their knowledge was amazing and very broad. Napo was beyond our expectations and we can't wait to go again!
L.A. Kent
Tour Reports
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