Amazon Add-on Tour – Napo Wildlife Center

Activity Level

Easy

Activity

Wildlife Holidays

Overview

Experience the Amazon from a lakeside lodge, with wildlife encounters and Kichwa-led insight

Venture into the Ecuadorian Amazon, staying at a community-owned lodge on Lake Añangu. Travelling by river and forest trail, we encounter remarkable wildlife – from parrots gathering at clay licks to monkeys moving through the canopy – while expert guides help decode the ecosystem. Time with the Kichwa Añangu community adds depth, offering insight into traditions, crafts and daily life. With access to canopy towers, quiet waterways and remote forest, this is a focused and immersive introduction to one of the world’s richest natural environments.

Key Information

Trip Code: XTNNAPOW
Countries: Ecuador

What's Included

Accommodation: 3 nights at Napo Wildlife Center
All breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners
Travel by minibus and boat, plus internal flights from/to Quito
All activities at Napo Wildlife Center

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations. Speak to your sales representative for Dates & Prices and please be aware that a compulsory sole traveller supplement applies to this itinerary.

Highlights

Amazon Add-on Tour – Napo Wildlife Center

Watch parrots, parakeets and macaws gather at clay licks deep within Yasuní National Park

Explore rainforest trails, canopy towers and waterways with expert local guides

Gain insight into Kichwa life at a community-run interpretation centre

Itinerary

First Destination: Quito
Next Destination: Quito

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Meals included:None

First Destination: Quito
Next Destination: Quito

Bid farewell to Quito, flying east over the Andes to Coca, where the landscape shifts from high peaks to dense rainforest. From here, continue by motorised boat (two hours) along the Napo River, watching the riverbanks for monkeys and birdlife as our guide begins to interpret the ecosystem. A quieter paddle canoe journey takes you through a narrow creek into Lake Añangu, where the lodge sits on the water’s edge.

On arrival, you’re welcomed by the Kichwa Añangu community and introduced to life in this remote corner of the Amazon before settling into our rooms overlooking the jungle.

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Lunch, Dinner

Set out early to reach a parrot clay lick, timing our arrival for peak activity. Here, parrots, parakeets and macaws gather to feed on mineral-rich clay, a behaviour our guide explains as we watch from a discreet distance.

A forest trail then leads to the Kuri Muyu interpretation centre, run by women from the Añangu community. Through demonstrations and conversation, we gain insight into daily life, craft traditions and the role of the forest in Kichwa culture.

Continuing through terra firme forest, you arrive at a second clay lick to observe more bird and mammal species. Finally, return to the lodge via the main stream, ending the day with dinner.

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Begin early with a 30-minute sunrise hike to an observation tower. Rising 36m (118ft) high, this tower offers an elevated vantage point from the canopy of a giant ceibo tree, allowing you to observe various animal species, such as tanagers, macaws, toucans, and monkeys.

Later, we explore terra firme forest on foot, where the diversity of plants and smaller wildlife becomes more apparent.

In the afternoon, take to the water by canoe, gliding across the lake and into surrounding streams, prime territory for spotting giant otters.

After dinner, we head out again with torches for a night walk, when the forest shifts character and nocturnal species begin to emerge.

Accommodation:Napo Wildlife Center
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You’ve watched parrots gather at a clay lick, explored the Amazon by canoe and on foot, and gained insight into Kichwa traditions, but now it’s time to begin your return journey.

Retrace your route by paddle canoe and motorboat to Coca, followed by the short flight back to Quito.

Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our range of extension options.

Dates & Prices

Accommodation

Napo Wildlife Center

Set on the shores of Lake Añangu, deep within Yasuní National Park, the Napo Wildlife Center combines comfort with direct access to one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. The lodge is owned and operated by the Añangu Kichwa community, with your stay supporting local conservation and livelihoods.

Spacious cabins are raised above the ground, each with a private balcony overlooking the lake or surrounding forest. Between excursions, there’s time to watch wildlife from the lodge or take in the changing light across the water.

Essential Information

This trip is graded Activity Level 1 (Easy). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Deposit: A deposit of US$200 is required to book this add-on tour.

Itinerary: This add-on tour runs on a shared basis with non-Exodus guests.

Ecuador

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Ecuador. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/ecuador
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/ecuador
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ecuador/entry-requirements
USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Ecuador.html

Meals at the lodge draw on local ingredients and Kichwa traditions, with dishes such as maito (fish wrapped in leaves and cooked over fire) alongside more familiar options. Fresh produce from the region features heavily, with seasonal fruits often served between activities.

It will be hot with high humidity in the Amazon Rainforest. There is a possibility of rain at any time, but not to the extent of spoiling your enjoyment. The driest time in the jungle (in terms of rainfall levels, not number of rainy days) is October to January.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.