5 Days Yasuní Private Birding Expedition
A private birding guide, the parrot clay lick and the macaw and parakeet clay lick, primary-forest specialists, the 40 m canopy tower and a river island: five days for birders in Yasuní.
4.9· 161 reviews- Difficulty
- Moderate – every walk is optional
- Group size
- Private tour · your group only
- Price per adult
- From $1,225
- Private guide included
- All-inclusive: lodge, meals, guide, park fees and transfers from Coca.
This tour runs privately for your group with its own guide, so the price per person depends on how many of you travel. Pick your rooms and dates to see the exact total.
About this Yasuní tour
Sinchi Wayra Lodge is a family lodge on the Napo River, inside Yasuní National Park. The Gualinga family runs it; they belong to the Sani, a Kichwa community of the Amazon, and most of our staff are Sani.
Yasuní has about 600 bird species, roughly a third of all Amazon birds. This tour is built for birders: your own birding guide, early starts, and every habitat around the lodge, from the wet understorey trails and the north-bank forest to the 40 m canopy tower, the macaw and parakeet clay lick, and a river island in the Napo. The private guide and the macaw and parakeet clay lick entrance are included in the price.
Highlights
- Parrot clay lick at dawn, and the macaw and parakeet clay lick: scarlet and red-and-green macaws
- Primary-forest specialists: antbirds, antpittas, wood-quails and manakins
- The Yasuní canopy tower: trogons, jacamars and barbets at eye level
- A Napo river island for species the mainland forest does not have, such as Parker's Spinetail
- The Sani forest on the north bank, towards Cuyabeno
- A private birding guide for your group only
You'll love this trip if…
- You keep a list and want a guide who knows the calls.
- You are happy with pre-dawn starts and long days in the field.
- You want the guide's full attention for your group.
Not for you if you are hoping for a resort. We are a simple family lodge in the jungle: there is no air conditioning or hot water, showers are cold and power runs from 6:00 to 22:00, so a small battery fan is a good idea. If you mainly want mammals and culture, the 5-day Wildlife and Kichwa tour suits you better.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1 - Down the Napo River and the lodge trails
Full dayCanoe to the lodge and birding on the lodge trails
Pickup in Coca · 2.5 h by canoe · afternoon birding, night walk
We meet you in Coca and take the canoe down the Napo River: keep your binoculars out for Cocoi and Striated Herons, kingfishers and Swallow-winged Puffbirds. After lunch at the lodge, your private birding guide takes you onto the wet palm-trunk trails behind it, good for Golden-headed and Wire-tailed Manakins, White-shouldered and Silvered Antbirds, and woodcreepers, with Blue-and-yellow and Scarlet Macaws overhead. At dusk we listen for potoos, and after dinner there is a night walk on the boardwalk for frogs and insects.
Day 2 - Parrot clay lick and the north bank
MorningParrot clay lick and birding on the north bank
Pre-dawn start · canoe to the clay lick · north bank in the afternoon
After coffee before dawn we take the canoe to the parrot clay lick, where Mealy Amazons and Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged and Blue-headed Parrots come down to eat the clay. After breakfast we walk the forest for mixed flocks of tanagers, flycatchers and ovenbirds, and your guide helps you sort out the calls. In the afternoon we cross to the Sani forest on the north bank, towards Cuyabeno, for Black-necked Red-Cotinga, Great Tinamou and, with luck, a Harpy Eagle.
Day 3 - Primary forest and the canopy tower
MorningPrimary forest birding and the Yasuní canopy tower
Full day · long walk in primary forest · 40 m (130 ft) tower
A full day in the primary forest of Yasuní National Park, working through the layers of the forest. On the ground we look for Marbled Wood-Quail and antpittas; in the mid-storey for foliage-gleaners and antbirds, with luck a Lunulated or Hairy-crested Antbird. Then the canopy tower, 40 m (130 ft) up: from the platform you look for trogons, Purplish Jacamar, and Gilded and Lemon-throated Barbets at eye level. At dusk the canoe takes us back to the lodge, and your guide's torch picks out the red eyes of caimans along the riverbank.
Day 4 - Macaw and parakeet clay lick, and a river island
MorningMacaw and parakeet clay lick, and a Napo river island
Canoe to the macaw and parakeet clay lick · river island in the afternoon
In the morning the canoe takes you to the macaw and parakeet clay lick: scarlet and red-and-green macaws, Cobalt-winged Parakeets and Orange-cheeked Parrots, often with spider monkeys in the trees around. It is the best morning of the trip for photos. In the afternoon we visit a river island in the Napo for species that do not live in the mainland forest: Parker's Spinetail, river tyrannulets and, with luck, Olive-spotted Hummingbird or Oriole Blackbird.
Day 5 - Back to Coca
MorningCanoe back up the Napo River to Coca
Early start · in Coca about 9 AM · easy
A last breakfast at sunrise, then you pack and say goodbye to the family. The canoe takes you back up the Napo River to Coca, and we reach the pier around 9 AM. If you have a morning flight to Quito, we take you to the airport in time. Thank you for staying with us: your visit helps the Sani protect this forest.
Your route
Where each day takes you
Tap a day to light up its places, or tap a place for details. Faded places belong to other tours.
Not to scale: the lodge area is enlarged so nearby places stay readable. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
What our guests say
What's included
- Canoe transport Coca – lodge – Coca
- 4 nights at Sinchi Wayra Lodge, private bathroom
- All meals, with coffee and tea
- Parrot clay lick visit
- Macaw and parakeet clay lick visit (entrance in the price)
- Private birding guide
- Starlink internet at the lodge
- All activities in the itinerary
- Yasuní National Park entrance fee
- Rubber boots
Not included
- Flight or bus from Quito to Coca (the flight takes 35 min)
- Hotel in Coca
- Bottled and alcoholic drinks, tips, laundry
What to bring
- Binoculars
- Headlamp or torch
- Insect repellent
- Sun block
- Hat and sunglasses
- Small battery fan
- Rain jacket
- Comfortable shoes, long sleeves and long socks for the trails
- Camera
- Refillable water bottle
- Waterproof day pack (or one with a rain cover)
- Cash in USD 10 and 20 bills
Other ways to see Yasuní
Per adult, all-inclusive, compared with this tour.
Good to know before you book
Can I travel alone?+
Of course. Solo travellers get their own private room — we never pair strangers in a room. A single supplement applies; the booking widget shows the exact price when you select one guest.
For the activities you join our small group, and your tour runs even if you are the only guest.
Can I start a tour on any day, and how many nights is it?+
Yes. There are no fixed departure dates — every tour can start on any available day of the week.
The number of nights is one less than the number of days: a 4-day tour has 3 nights. Day 1 starts with the morning pick-up in Coca, and on the last day you are back in Coca in the morning.
What is included in the tour price?+
Included:
- Accommodation in a private room with private bathroom
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and purified drinking water
- Canoe transfer Coca – lodge – Coca
- All activities and excursions with a naturalist guide
- Rain ponchos and rubber boots
Not included:
- Travel to and from Coca (flight or bus)
- Bottled and alcoholic drinks
- Laundry
- Tips
- Optional extra activities that are not part of your itinerary
Can I bring children?+
Yes. There is no minimum age. Children aged 0 to 11 pay 50% of the adult price and we adapt the activities to their pace.
The only exception is the 9-day Waorani tour, which is for adults only.
Do I need malaria pills or a yellow fever vaccine?+
Health authorities recommend yellow fever vaccination for the Ecuadorian Amazon, and some countries require the certificate when you arrive from here or travel on. The malaria risk in this area is low; protecting yourself from mosquito bites (long sleeves, repellent) matters more than pills.
Requirements differ by country and person, so please check with a travel doctor well before your trip.
Is Yasuní safe to visit?+
Yes. Sinchi Wayra is a family-run lodge and every outing is led by an experienced local guide. Life jackets are provided for all canoe rides, and we brief you on the rules for jungle walks before we set off (stay behind your guide, stay on the trail, wear the rubber boots).
The lodge is remote, but our local manager is reachable by phone and can organise help if anything happens.
What is the cancellation policy for bookings?+
Refunds for booking cancellations will be made as follows:
- Free cancellation up to 60 days before the start of the tour (100% refund)
- 50% refund for cancellations 30–59 days before the start of the tour
- No refund for cancellations less than 30 days before the start of the tour
The cancellation policy is effective regardless of the reason for cancellation.
How can we get to Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana)?+
Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana, airport code OCC) is about 40 minutes by plane from Quito or 6 to 8 hours by bus. From Coca we take you down the Napo River to the lodge, about two and a half hours by motorised canoe.
LATAM and the Ecuadorian airline Aeroregional fly daily from Quito (UIO) to Coca (OCC). Book a morning flight that lands before 10:00 AM; your guide waits for you at the airport.
Buses leave from Quito's Quitumbe terminal several times a day and through the night; we recommend Cooperativa de Transportes Baños (WhatsApp or cooperativabanos.com.ec). A night bus gets you to Coca in the morning, in time to meet your guide. Transport to Coca is not included in the tour.
All the details, including the meeting point and the trip back: Getting to Sinchi Wayra.
How do we get from Coca to the lodge on tour start?+
We pick you up as agreed, around 10:00 AM in Coca: at the airport if you fly in, or at our office and tour meeting point in the town centre (Camilo de Torrano y Chimborazo, open in Google Maps).
We agree the meeting place and time with you right after you book, based on your flight or bus. That arrangement stands: we don't get in touch again before the tour starts. From the office it is a short ride to the river, where the canoe to the lodge leaves.
Have a question about this trip?
We're happy to tailor it to your group, dates and interests.