Yachana (Multiple options)

Yachana (Multiple options)

Overview

Quick Info
Price: From USD 630 Days: 3 / 4 / 5 Place: Amazon Jungle Kichua Community
Overview
Yachana Lodge's contributions to conservation and education are at once extraordinary and subtle. They range from preparing the next generation of environmental stewards to protecting enormous swaths of rainforest. They include serving our own organic, farm-raised meals to sustainable solar electricity. In other words, the environment is not something we 'consider' at Yachana, but rather living in harmony with nature pervades every aspect of our life. Yachana Lodge is the only Ecuadorian Amazon lodge that hires virtually all local staff and indigenous naturalist guides. Our personnel receive extensive and continuous training and have years of experience providing a true eco-tourism experience and award-winning service. All the guides are from the Amazon region, which means they have an intrinsic understanding of the rainforest. Additionally, they are fluent in English, Spanish, Kichua and other indigenous languages Your professional guide will be by your side as you: • Hike deep into primary and secondary rainforest to discover wildlife (7 species of toucan, Great Potoos, Long-tailed Potoos and many more animals, birds, insects, snakes and spiders await!) • Discover native plants and trees including an extraordinary array of medicinal plants and their uses. • Early morning birdwatching on an island upriver and see over 30 species of birds in an hour including Whitehawk eagles and Blackhawk eagles. • Explore Yachana's 4,300-acre (1,700 hectare) Protected Forest and visit our biological research station where biologists are documenting thousands of species and and new species. • Go on a night hike and discover another world that comes out only at night including the Tailess Whip Scorpion with its 20cm long antennae, snakes and frogs and enormous spiders. • Participate in a traditional cleansing ceremony led by a local medicine man and test your skills at the indigenous arts of blowguns and spears used for hunting. And others activities. Thanks to the generous support from the National Geographic Society, Yachana is working to discover, cultivate and reintroduce the use of many of the "lost foods of the Amazon". Be a part of this adventure. Extend your visit two extra days and learn how to collect the different foods from the forest and add to them foods like yuca and rare-variety potatoes and rice picked freshly from the Organic Farm. Learn how to prepare these exotic and unusual ingredients into delicious dishes. You will be experiencing things you never dreamed of eating before!

PRICE 2010 (USD)
DURACIÓN	PRECIOS
4 days / 3 nights	630 per person
5 days / 4 nights	840 per person

◊ PRICE INCLUDES

•   Transfer in & out in El Coca city.
•   Lodging in Yachana Lodge.
•   3 diary meals.
•   Boat from Coca-Yachana Lodge-Coca.
•   Guided Tour with a bilingual guide.
•   Rubber boots, water poncho and lifejacket.

◊ PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE

•   Plane ticket Quito-Coca-Quito (USD 136.00 round trip per person).
•   Tips.
•   Alcoholic beverages and personal expenses.
•   Ecuadorian taxes 22% for national passengers.

Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

• Day 1:

Your journey into the Amazon Jungle starts in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. During the 30 minute flight over the Andes from Quito to the jungle town of Coca you'll enjoy amazing views of snow covered mountains and the endless green expanse of the rainforest as you begin your descent into the Amazon.

At the Coca airport you’ll be greeted by Yachana guide, transported by bus to the river port and then board by canoe the 57 foot for three hour trip up river. A box lunch will be served as we navigate the Napo River, so please let us know of any dietary restrictions in advance of your trip. Also, life vests are provided so you can fully relax and enjoy your ride along one of the largest tributaries to the legendary Amazon River. At Yachana Lodge, you’ll receive a warm welcome by native staff that will serve you a refreshing beverage and snack while introducing you to the Lodge facilities.

After you’ve had a chance to rest and wash up, your guide will take you on a short hike to an overlook where you can see the splendor of the rainforest reach out as far as the eye can see in every direction. On clear days you can even see Sumaco Volcano rising up in the distance. If you don’t want to take the hike up the hill to the overlook, you can also choose to visit the Butterfly House.

• Day 2:

After breakfast, your guide will lead you on a journey into the rainforest where he’ll explain the uses of various plants and amaze you with the diversity of birds and animals that inhabit the rainforest he calls home. You’ll return to the Lodge for a traditional Amazon lunch. After lunch you’ll have an opportunity to rest or explore the Lodge grounds on your own.

Later in the afternoon you’ll have the option of staying at the Lodge or visiting a local healer where you’ll participate in a traditional cleansing ceremony. This is an interesting cultural experience where you’ll also have the opportunity to practice your skills at using a blowgun and spear. Afterwards you’ll have time to rest and clean up before dinner. Dinner is served at 7:00.

On one of your evenings, you’ll have a chance to take a night walk to discover a totally different side of the forest. On this walk, you’ll experience the small insects, amphibians, reptiles and other animals that only come out at night.

• Day 3:

You have the option to start your day early by participating in a bird watching excursion before breakfast, or you can sleep a little longer before enjoying another splendid breakfast, the first of the day’s Amazon culinary delights. After breakfast, your guide will lead on a hike in search of the endemic hoatzin, a prehistoric bird found only in select areas of the Amazon, and then to the Yachana Technical High School, where you’ll have a chance to interact with the region’s next generation of leaders. This will take most of the morning and will give you an opportunity to see how a meaningful education is making a difference in the lives of many young people from the Amazon region. If you want, you can return to the Lodge before lunch and participate in an Amazon cooking class led by chefs. After lunch, there’s time for a siesta before you try your hand at making a natural fiber basket and a traditional ceramic bowl from Amazon clay. After dinner there’s free time for your own leisure activities or optional activities scheduled by the Lodge.

• Day 4:

Before breakfast you have the chance to participate in a second bird watching excursion, and after breakfast you’ll enjoy a forest hike to a different area of our 4,300 - acre Protected Forest. Your guide will show you native flora species which have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds if not thousands of years and also for building homes, making baskets, twine, weapons, clothing and food. After lunch you’ll have time to relax and then you have the option of visiting a local family doing gold panning in the river or you may float down the Napo River in an inner tube or return to the high school for further interaction with the students.

• Day 5: (The itinerary of this day is the same that apply in the case of a tour of 4 days and 3 nights)

You’ll have a hearty breakfast and then travel by canoe from Yachana to the city of Coca for your flight back to Quito. As you navigate downstream you’ll have one last opportunity to appreciate the vastness of the Amazon rainforest and reflect on your experience at Yachana.

*Please be aware that Yachana Lodge cannot guarantee that you see wildlife because of the unpredictable nature of animals and due to the fact that the area around the Lodge has been impacted by human presence.

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Yachana (Multiple Options), With All The Confort You Need

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¡Nunca
olvidaré esta
experiencia!

Y no solo fue subir al Cotopaxi, fue el haber conocido a los guías de Pioneer Journeys, el compartir sus aventuras, el aprender de su experiencia.
El trato inmejorable y muy profesional, en un espectáculo natural.

¿Qué se puede pedir más?

Lluís Casas – Barcelona (Spain)

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Overview

PRICE 2010 (USD)

Itinerary