Tour duration
- 5 days / 4 nights
Group size
2 to 6 persons
Activities
- Bird Watching, Canopy Tower, Hiking, Macaw Clay Lick, Night Excursion, Private Guide
Accommodation
Private rooms in main house or private cabin
Introduction
Embark on an unparalleled 5-day birdwatching journey into Ecuador's Yasuní National Park, a realm boasting over 600 bird species – one-third of all native Amazonian birds! This expedition is meticulously designed for birders, with a private guide taking you through diverse ecosystems from river islands to dense primary rainforest. Witness spectacular parrot and macaw clay licks, search for elusive antbirds, marvel at colorful tanagers, and scan the canopy for mighty eagles. With expert local guides, you'll explore birding hotspots, maximizing your chances to see iconic and endemic species in this global biodiversity hotspot. This is more than a tour; it's an immersion into an avian paradise.
Rates 2025 (USD)
- Private cabin with bathroom suitable for 2-4 persons: $1,420 per adult | $710 per child (0-11 years)
- Private double/triple rooms with bathroom: $1,270 per adult | $635 per child (0-11 years)
- Single occupancy in private double room with bathroom: $1,720 per adult
- Private guide: included
- Visit of two macaw clay licks: included
Check price and availability
Additional tour information
- Itinerary
- Room categories
- Included in tour
- Not included in tour
- What to bring
- Important information
No details found.
Day 1 - Arrival in Coca & Avian Welcome at Sinchi Wayra Lodge
Your Amazon birding adventure takes flight upon arrival at Coca airport (OCC). We'll greet you and escort you to the river port, where our motorized canoe awaits. The 2.5-hour journey down the magnificent Napo River is your first birding opportunity – keep your binoculars ready for riverside specialists like Cocoi Herons, Striated Herons, kingfishers, and perhaps Swallow-winged Puffbirds perched on emergent branches. Upon reaching Sinchi Wayra Lodge, settle into your private room. After lunch, your expert birding guide will lead you along the lodge’s trails, a fantastic introduction to Yasuní's understory birds. This very wet forest, with its palm-trunk pathways, is excellent for spotting elusive species like manakins (e.g., Golden-headed Manakin, Wire-tailed Manakin), antbirds (e.g., White-shouldered Antbird, Silvered Antbird), and various woodcreepers. As dusk approaches, we'll listen for nocturnal birds like potoos beginning their calls.
Day 2 - Parrot Clay Lick Spectacle & Cuyabeno Birding Exploration
An early start is crucial for one of the Amazon's greatest avian shows! After a pre-dawn coffee, we travel by canoe to a nearby parrot clay lick. From the comfort of our boat, you'll witness a vibrant spectacle as hundreds of parrots from multiple species, such as Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged, and Blue-headed Parrots, descend to eat the mineral-rich clay. Keep an eye out for rarer visitors too. Following this breathtaking display and breakfast, we'll embark on a rainforest hike, focusing on mixed-species flocks which can include various tanagers, flycatchers, and ovenbirds. Your guide will help you identify the myriad calls and songs. In the afternoon, we cross the Napo River to explore the edge of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. Here, rain forest trails offer chances to spot specialties like the Black-necked Red Cotinga, Great Tinamou, and perhaps even the magnificent Harpy Eagle scanning the canopy. As the sun sets, we return to the lodge, tallying our day's sightings.
Day 3 - Deep Yasuní Trails with a Symphony of Forest Birds
Today is dedicated to exploring deeper into the primary forests of Yasuní National Park, a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot. We’ll embark on an extended hike, focusing on the rich avifauna that inhabits different forest strata. We'll be on the lookout for secretive ground-dwellers like wood-quails (e.g., Marbled Wood-Quail), skulking antpittas, and terrestrial insectivores. In the mid-story, we hope to find various Furnariids, more antbird species (perhaps the sought-after Lunulated or Hairy-crested Antbird), and with luck, a shy foliage-gleaner. The canopy might reveal trogons, jacamars like the striking Purplish Jacamar, and barbets such as the Gilded Barbet or Lemon-throated Barbet. We'll enjoy a packed lunch amidst the jungle sounds. Throughout the day, your guide will highlight the incredible diversity that makes Yasuní a world record holder for bird species.
Day 4 - Double Clay Lick Marvel & River Island Birding
After a hearty breakfast, we will embark on our motorized canoe and head to two different clay licks, a truly exceptional opportunity! Here, we can spot an incredible array of species, including the rare Red-and-Green Macaws, brilliant Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, dazzling Scarlet Macaws, vibrant Cobalt-winged Parakeets, and charming Orange-cheeked Parrots. You might even spot troupes of Spider Monkeys in the surrounding trees. The large and colorful birds are breathtaking to watch gather at their clay licks, where they go daily to eat clay, which neutralizes toxins in the wild fruits that they consume. This is a fantastic time to take pictures of these magnificent parrots and macaws in action. We then continue to the lodge to have lunch. In the afternoon, we’ll take a boat trip to a river island in the Napo. These unique habitats are crucial for specialized bird species that don't thrive in the mainland forest. Here, we'll search for island specialists such as various spinetails (e.g., Parker's Spinetail), riverine tyrannulets, and perhaps the Olive-spotted Hummingbird or Oriole Blackbird. It's an excellent opportunity to see how different microhabitats within Yasuní contribute to its staggering bird diversity. We'll enjoy dinner back at the lodge, sharing stories of the day's avian discoveries.
Day 5 - Final Birding & Departure from Coca
Returned up the Napo River to Coca Malecon - end of tour
If you get up early, enjoy a final early morning birding session around the lodge grounds, perhaps revisiting a productive trail or simply observing the canopy activity from a comfortable vantage point. Many species are most active at dawn, offering a last chance to add to your impressive list. Species like the Masked Crimson Tanager, various hummingbirds (e.g., White-necked Jacobin, Rufous-breasted Hermit), and toucans (e.g., Channel-billed Toucan, White-throated Toucan) are often active. After breakfast, we'll begin our journey back up the Napo River to Coca, birding along the way. We'll transfer you to the airport for your departing flight, filled with memories of the incredible avian treasures of Yasuní National Park.
We have two room categories, regular rooms and private cabins. Private cabins are only available from two persons.
Private Cabins
Better quality pictures coming soon.
Regular rooms
- River transport Coca - Sinchi Wayra Yasuni - Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana)
- Lodging at Sinchi Wayra Yasuni
- Full meals including coffee and non-alcoholic beverages as provided
- Visit to clay lick of Parrots and Parakeets
- Local Guide
- Internet
- Activities visits according to the itinerary
- Entrance to Yasuní National Park
- Rubber boots
- Transportation between Quito and Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana)
- Any accommodation in Coca
- Entrance to clay lick of Macaw
- Bottled beverages, alcoholic drinks, tips, laundry and any other not specified
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Binoculars
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Flashlight
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Insect repellent
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Sun block
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Hat
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Sunglasses
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Pocket fan for a cooling breeze
- Raincoat
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Comfortable shoes, long-sleeved clothes and long socks
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Camera
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Refillable water bottle
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Waterproof day pack (or with rain cover)
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Cash in $20 or $10 bills
Suitcases and large bags can be taken to the lodge, we have enough space in the canoes.
Refunds for booking cancellations will be made as follows:
- 100% refund for cancellations 90 days before the start of the tour
-50% refund for cancellations 60 days before the start of the tour
- 25% refund for cancellations 30 days before the start of the tour
- 0% refund for cancellations less than 30 days before the start of the tour
The cancellation policy is effective regardless of the reason for cancellation.
You can get to Coca (OCC) either by bus or by a 35 minute flight from Quito, where we will start our 2.5 hour transfer to the Sinchi Wayra lodge by motorized canoes.
We recommend Aeroregional (https://aeroregional.net) as airline, that offers flights for around 90$ one way. The other airline flying from Quito (UIO) to Coca (OCC) is LATAM.
If you prefer bus, we recommend Cooperativa de Transportes Baños (https://www.cooperativabanos.com.ec).
Transportation to Coca is not included in the tour.
We will pick you up around 10:00 in the morning at the airport or directly at the pier in Coca. We will get in touch with you few days before your arrival to coordinate the pickup with your flight/bus schedule.
We will depart at the lodge at sunrise with our motorized canoes and will arrive in Coca around 10:00 in the morning and bring you to the airport if needed. If your flight schedule requires you to be at the airport earlier, we can align our departure from the lodge accordingly.
No, our power supply does not allow this, unfortunately. There is no electricity after 10 PM, but the temperatures are not so stifling and absolutely okay for a restful sleep for most of our guests. Unless you are particularly sensitive, we recommend you take a battery-powered fan with you.
Unfortunately, our power supply does not currently allow us to prepare hot water and the clear shower water is at ambient temperature. With the warm temperatures in the rainforest, a refreshing shower is very welcome for most of our guests and therefore you won't freeze when showering.
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