Amazon Rainforest Lodging: Napo Cultural Center

Your Amazon rainforest getaway awaits you at the enchanting Napo Cultural Center, a place unique cultures of the indigenous communities call home. This jungle-lodging adventure offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself in the pristine natural beauty of the jungle while experiencing the rich traditions and customs of the local community.

During your stay at Napo Cultural Center lodge, you will enjoy comfortable and eco-friendly accommodations in charming jungle-style cabins, equipped with all the modern amenities you need for a comfortable and relaxing stay. Expert local guides will take you on a range of guided activities and excursions, including jungle hikes, birdwatching, canoeing, and visits to indigenous villages. You’ll learn about the animals of the rainforest, the ways of life of the local communities, and the importance of conservation efforts to protect this unique ecosystem.

Your stay at Napo Cultural Center is not just about adventure and exploration. It’s also about experiencing the warmth and hospitality of the local communities and learning about their traditions and customs. You’ll savor delicious meals prepared with fresh, locally sourced ingredients and get to know the people behind the food.

Activities in the jungle are very weather-dependent. This is the lodge’s standard 4-night program which is always subject to change:

Day 1 – When you arrive at Napo Cultural Center, your adventure on the prestigious aboriginal territory of the Kichwa Añangu community begins, whose members will welcome you with a traditional and refreshing wayusa drink. The local hotel manager will also welcome you and give you some brief instructions before taking you to your comfortable room with stunning views of the rainforest. You’ll then have your first activity in the afternoon to get ready for. You’ll hike along the Playas Trail to experience amazon wildlife at the river islands and shores, amidst one of the most biodiverse places on earth. Kayaking is available as an optional activity to enjoy a colorful and hypnotizing sunset in the vastness of Napo River. Later you will head back to the lodge for some rest and prepare for a well-deserved dinner.

Day 2 – After enjoying the sunrise at breakfast, you will visit the sustainable community projects to learn and talk about the Kichwa worldview. Then, you’ll take a walk on Mama Kuna Trail, an excellent opportunity to see wildlife, ceiba trees, strangler figs, bamboo canes, vines and endemic shrubs from Yasuni National Park.

After a delicious local lunch, you’ll get to paddle around Añangu creek, a black water ecosystem where you will spot monkeys jumping from tree to tree, caimans and sometimes even giant river otters trying to catch fish – an afternoon to remember! After dinner, you’ll be prepping your flashlight for a night walk around the lodge to see different kinds of insects, reptiles and even nocturnal mammals like night monkeys.

Day 3 – Today you’ll have an early breakfast before heading out in the motor canoe to visit one of the most fascinating highlights of the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve, the parrot clay lick in the riverside of Napo River. Bring your binoculars and camera lenses to see flocks of blue-headed, yellow crowned parrots and even dusky-headed parakeets from the boat.

You’ll then walk along the Pericos Trail for around 30 minutes, to reach the blind in the forest with a direct view to the amazing parakeet clay lick, which brings visitors face to face with up to 11 species of parrots and parakeets (including parrotlets and macaws). Other wildlife such as howler monkeys, tapirs and peccaries also come to this area in search of nourishment from the water and vital minerals from the forest. This morning excursion will finish with a visit to the intercultural interpretation center Kuri Muyu which means “golden seed” in the native language, and is managed by the women of the community, also known as mamakuna. Here you’ll learn about the Kichwa culture, crafts, customs and traditional use of natural resources, directly from the people of the aboriginal community.

After returning to the center of the community to have lunch at the dining hall, you’ll then be able to return to your lodgings to regain some energy. After a bit of relaxation, you will set out to hike for about 1 hour to reach the observation tower that has a height of 36 meters. Here you’ll have high chances of spotting howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, toucans, parrots, sloths, and a variety of birds.

In the evening, it is time for dinner, followed by a unique activity at Napo River, onboard the ancestral catamaran to learn more about their legends and traditional chants, while women grill some delicious snacks.

Day 4 – You’ll wake up to the chirping of Amazon birds, and enjoy our local and organic breakfast buffet. After this, we’ll gear up with rubber boots to start hiking the terra-firme forest at Samona Trail, where you’ll feel like Indiana Jones in the middle of century-old kapok trees, spot capuchin, wooly and saki monkeys, look under the leaves to spot bizarre insects and tune your eyes and ears for the birds, monkeys and reptiles among the dense forest. Later, you’ll return to the eco-lodge to refresh and prepare for an exquisite lunch, which will include local specialties.

In the afternoon, you will visit our second canopy observation tower to see more of the 600 species of birds, with specialized telescopes for wildlife watching. Upon return to the lodge, you’ll have time to relax and prepare for a traditional dinner to taste local flavors of the Amazon, such as maito which is grilled fish in a bijao leaf, and if you have an adventurous palate, you can try the grilled worms of the chonta, locally known as chontakuru.

Day 5 – For a perfect last day, take part in the optional wayusada ritual. The ritual will start as early as around 4:30 am, as at this time the kichwa family shares the sacred wayusa together. This rite has been a way of passing ancient knowledge to the new generations. There will be traditional chants and the option to have dreams read with the wise old mamakuna of the community, a mystique experience indeed.

After the ritual has ended you’ll head back for breakfast, while our staff picks up your luggage for your return to El Coca onboard our comfortable motor boats. This will be your last chance to appreciate the Ecuadorian rainforest landscape, until you reach La Mision river port.