7 Days Yasuní Wildlife and Birding Tour

About this Yasuní tour

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1 - Down the Napo River to the lodge

   MorningCanoe from Coca down the Napo River to the lodge

   About 10:00 pickup · 2.5 h by canoe · easy

   We meet you in Coca, at the airport or the pier, and board a motorized canoe down the Napo River into Yasuní National Park. On the way you will likely see herons, kingfishers and river turtles. At Sinchi Wayra Lodge you settle into your room while lunch is prepared, then explore the garden and the hammocks.

   

   AfternoonAnaconda Back Trail behind the lodge

   1 to 2 h · easy to moderate

   The Anaconda Back Trail starts right behind the lodge. The forest here is wet, so stretches of the trail run along fallen palm trunks: wear the rubber boots we give you. Your Sani guide shows you medicinal plants and giant trees and finds what you would walk past: monkeys, dart-poison frogs, blue-and-yellow and scarlet macaws and, with luck, a sloth. We come back at dusk, when the forest is loudest.

   

   EveningNight walk on the boardwalk by torchlight

   After dinner · easy

   With headlamps we follow the boardwalk near the lodge. At night the forest belongs to other animals: you will see frogs, toads and strange insects, and you will likely see a small snake or a tarantula. Your guide explains how each one uses the dark to hunt or to hide. Bring a headlamp and long sleeves.

   

2. Day 2 - Parrots, monkeys and the north bank

   MorningParrot clay lick by canoe and hike to the giant trees

   Sunrise start · canoe, then a rugged hike

   Breakfast is at sunrise, then we go 30 minutes upriver by canoe to the parrot clay lick. From the boat you watch four species of parrots and parakeets come down to eat the mineral clay: first the noise, then the colour. Then a rugged hike through primary forest to giant trees the Sani consider sacred. You will likely see Napo saki monkeys and golden-mantled tamarins. Expect mud, roots and steep slopes.

   

   AfternoonSani forest on the north bank, towards Cuyabeno

   Canoe crossing and trail walk · moderate

   After lunch we cross the Napo River to the Sani forest on the north bank, towards Cuyabeno. Narrow trails lead through dense forest where we look for black-mantled tamarins and dart-poison frogs, with toucans and macaws calling overhead. Your guide points out what you would walk past alone. We are back at the lodge at sunset, in time for dinner.

   

3. Day 3 - Yasuní trails and the tower at sunset

   MorningPrimary forest trails in Yasuní National Park

   Long walk, lunch on the trail · moderate

   A longer walk into the primary forest of Yasuní National Park, with lunch on the way. We look for dart-poison frogs, spider monkeys, Napo saki monkeys and golden-mantled tamarins; you will see several monkey species and, with luck, something rarer. Your guide reads the forest as you go: calls, tracks and the plants the Sani use as medicine.

   

   AfternoonYasuní canopy tower at sunset, night walk back

   Late afternoon · 40 m (130 ft) tower, walk back in the dark · moderate

   In the late afternoon we walk to the Yasuní canopy tower and climb the staircase 40 m (130 ft) above the forest. From the platform you look over the canopy to the Napo River while toucans and parrots fly below you, and you stay for the sunset. On the walk back, by torchlight, we look for tree frogs, stick insects, geckos, tarantulas and bats. The last stretch is by canoe, watching for the red eyes of caimans along the riverbank.

   

4. Day 4 - Panacocha Lagoon and piranha fishing

   MorningFull day at Panacocha Lagoon

   Full day · 1.5 h by canoe each way · easy

   Panacocha is a large blackwater lagoon an hour and a half from the lodge, known for its wildlife. Pink river dolphins live here, and with luck you will see them surface. We eat a packed lunch on the water while watching birds, then try piranha fishing. If you catch one, the kitchen cooks it for your dinner. We are back at the lodge in the late afternoon.

   

5. Day 5 - The Sani community and kayaking

   MorningSani Warmi: school, garden and women's association

   About 4 h · easy

   We visit Sani Warmi, the central village of the Sani community, with its school and women's association. You try the blowgun, walk through the garden of medicinal plants and food crops, and cook lunch together with the women. Handicrafts are on sale, from jewellery to pottery, and your visit supports the association. The Sani are about 800 people, and tourism helps them protect their forest.

   

   AfternoonKayaking on the Napo River and its side channels

   Paddling with breaks · easy to moderate

   In the afternoon we paddle kayaks on the calm Napo River and into its side channels and blackwater lagoons. Birds and monkeys move in the trees along the banks, and all you hear is the paddles and the forest. We go at the group's pace and stop whenever you want: after the last few days on the trails, nobody has to prove anything.

   

6. Day 6 - Macaw and parakeet clay lick, and a river island

   MorningMacaw and parakeet clay lick by canoe

   Canoe to the macaw and parakeet clay lick · easy

   After breakfast we take the canoe to the macaw and parakeet clay lick. Macaws come down to eat the clay, which neutralises toxins in the wild fruit they eat: scarlet and red-and-green macaws, with cobalt-winged parakeets and orange-cheeked parrots. You will likely see spider monkeys in the trees around. Bring your camera: this is the best morning for photos. Lunch is back at the lodge.

   

   AfternoonBirding on a river island in the Napo

   Short boat ride · easy

   In the afternoon we take the boat to a small island in the middle of the Napo. It is cut off from the forest, so only birds reach it, and they use it as a safe place away from land predators. With your guide you look for island specialists such as Parker's Spinetail and river tyrannulets, along with herons and kingfishers. Back at the lodge there is time for the hammocks before dinner.

   

7. Day 7 - 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.