Napo Wildlife Centre, The Amazon

Location

Amazon (The Amazon, Ecuador)

Description

In Yasuní National Park, 2 hours by boat and 1 hour by canoe from Coca, Napo is set in an 82 square mile nature reserve. It is the only lodge on the relatively undisturbed south bank of the Napo river, where there is a particularly high concentration of bird and animal species. The lodge is based on a conservation partnership with the local Kichwa Añangu community. The dining room overlooks Añangu lake, and there is a library, bar and shop. On a clear day you can see the Andes from the 131-foot ecological tower, which was built using palm leaves, bamboos and other local materials.

Activities

Bilingual guides lead all excursions. Activities include fishing, excursions in dugout canoes around the lake, forest walks, visits to the clay licks and visits to the local communities.

Accommodation

Spacious bungalows with screened windows to protect against insects, mosquito nets over the beds and ceiling fans. Each bungalow has a private veranda with views of the lake.

Our comments

A gem in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The rooms are very comfortable, guides knowledgeable and the area is rich in wildlife. A top jungle experience and a successful eco-tourism project, the lodge is run by the local Añangu indigenous community.

Client comments and reviews

Brilliant! They are very caring people. The gift of a water bottle and waterproof bag (containing packed lunch for the inward boat trip) was very kind and both excellent quality. The tours were all enjoyable and the room was very clean and bug free (considering the location). We thought 4 nights was the perfect length of time. Suggestions for others: take a torch for nighttime and early walks. - MB (May 2023)

Napo was Brilliant. 3 nights is probably about right, but it's a wonderful place and a superb demonstration of what can be achieved by indigenous communities with the right leadership. All animal-sighting boxes ticked, including 2 and 3-toed sloths and a giant otter family. - RS (January 2017)

The visit to the Napo Wildlife Centre was a fantastic experience. - IM (May 2016)

During our fascinating stay at Napo we decided against the walk to visit the second parrot lick (on the advice of our guide) as the rain was pouring down. Instead, we asked if we might visit the local school. This was welcomed and arranged and proved to be delightful. - SB (February 2016)

Amazon - a dream come true and I definitely recommend staying at Napo - a must to be right in the jungle. - TS (January 2015)

Napo Wildlife Centre - lovely place and we enjoyed the transfer by canoe. We were very glad we were there and not at any other lodge. Very friendly staff and we had a very knowledgeable guide who was very enthusiastic. 3 nights seemed about the right length of time. Any shorter it would have been too far to go. - JF (January 2015)

Napo was a dream come true, the highlight was watching eight giant river otters catching, eating and sharing fish they caught in front of us. - RN (January 2014)

Napo was outstanding in every way - the guides, staff, activities, rooms, food (and wildlife). And we loved that it's community-run and that we were able to play even a small part in helping to support the local Kichwa community. It had such a great atmosphere. Our guides, Edwin and Meliton, were wonderful, and our group of 8 had a lot of fun spending time together at meals and on the activities. - NC (March 2011)

Napo Wildlife Centre:- thank goodness we got into that. Wouldn't have missed it for anything. A wonderful project and well worth the difficulties of getting there - the creeks were dry in places, so we had to trek the final hour and a half. That was fine but they had difficulty getting the luggage through at times, felt very sorry for them! - JW (February 2011)

Napo was for me the most memorable place in Ecuador. Our guides contributed greatly to insights into the world of the rainforest, from finding a tiny poison dart frog to keeping us patient at the parrot-lick hide. The long wait was rewarded by an amazing display of parrots in feeding frenzy. - DH (December 2009)

Exceedingly good. The Lodge, the activities and  the staff were first class. Our guide was excellent. - CL (February 2009)

The trip to Napo was great - even if we did have to abort our flight to Coca due to the weather and arrived at the lodge in the dark! It has a wonderful location and is very well run. - CH (March 2009)

We arrived in a dreadful downpour at Napo but we were delighted with our stay and our guides were quite excellent. - MM (February 2009)

The Amazon was magical. The Napo Wildlife Centre was very good, the food was excellent and we were only 3 guests for the 3 nights we were there which made it very personal. - MR (December 2008)

Napo was great....the lodge is far away from civilization and definitely worth the extra time it took to get there. We were lucky as we were one of the few people to see the giant otters (along with an anaconda, a boa, a sloth, six types of monkey plus a zillion birds). - AT (March 2008)

Napo was wonderful and we were really lucky to see giant otters, monkeys, parrots etc as well as all the birdlife. - JL (September 2007)

The staff here are very friendly and the food is fantastic. To stay here is a great experience and a good way of giving something back to the community. - RB (September 2006)

The rainforest was fantastic. What a place! We had 2 guides one Spanish/English speaking and very passionate and knowledgeable, and a local man from the community who spoke Spanish. Accommodation and food excellent and animal/bird variety excellent. What a beautiful spot. - AH (August 2006)

The Napo Valley Wildlife Centre was our favourite part of the holiday, its location, the activities, the staff & naturalists brought the area to life for us. - LH (February 2006)

Napo Wildlife Centre was great. We had the place virtually to ourselves and our two guides were excellent. The area is genuinely remote with beautiful primary rainforest and the birdlife was superb. The lodge itself was very comfortable, overlooking a lagoon with very attentive and friendly staff. Highly recommended, but 3 nights not nearly long enough! - EB (March 2005)