Journey into the Ecuadorian Amazon

We went looking for anacondas today. Mercifully we failed. I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. Just wondering if there is a tarantula hiding in the rafters of my cabin will likely keep me up all night as it is.

What a place. It feels surreal to be here, in the Ecuadorian Amazon. And to think that yesterday morning I was on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos watching the sunrise in the company of sea lions, marine iguanas and blue-footed boobies. 

After a long day of travel to Quito yesterday, followed by an overnight stay, this morning it was back to the airport for a 40 minute plane ride to the City of Coca. Known as the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon, Coca has little else to offer. Unless you’re in the oil business. Unfortunately there is a great deal of oil beneath the jungle floor. As much as conservationists are fighting it, there is drilling and extraction going on in the area, though not yet in the biosphere itself. That’s the good news.

You see, while Ecuador’s portion of the Amazon amounts to only 2.5% of the rainforest, with Brazil, Peru and Colombia holding the largest percentages, many consider this particular section, specifically the Yasuni Biosphere Reserve to be one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. 

In the Ecuadorian Amazon you will find:

-800 species of fish, including three species of piranhas (not really sure I needed to know that).

-350 species of reptiles including anacondas and caimans. 

-300 plus species of mammals including monkeys, jaguars and pink dolphins

-thousands of species of plants and trees, and

-thousands of species of insects. Fun fact: One acre of rainforest may be home to 70,000 species on insect!!!  (Just stay out of my room!)

Travel to the Amazon Basin

Getting here is a project onto itself. After the flight to Coca, where we were met by a representative from the lodge, we were driven to a house they keep near the dock. Here we were given an opportunity to freshen up, a quick briefing and a snack. Then it was a two hour speedboat ride 50km (30 miles) downstream along the Napo River until reaching the the edge of Sacha. But while we may already be on reserve property we are nowhere near the lodge itself. Not yet. That still requires a 20 minute walk through the jungle, followed by a 30-minute canoe ride. Our luggage, comes on a separate boat.

By the way, when I saw we, I don’t mean that I’m doing this as a group thing like Galapagos. It is just that Sacha arranges flights so that everyone arriving on any given day is on the same one. This isn’t a spot you can just Uber to from the airport after all.

You do end up being placed in groups once you arrive though. That group can’t number more than 8 and they are the folks you will spend all meals and activities with. Yes, it is a little bit like camp. Or an African safari. You can’t just go wandering around on your own, so all activities are scheduled, including mealtimes, and they start early to follow the wildlife’s daily patterns. 

In our case there are only five of us, all from the U.S. I think we were purposely placed together. But it’s cool. As usual on this kind of trip you meet folks with pretty interesting backgrounds. Our little jungle family includes a retired plastic surgeon, family doctor and dental assistant. As well as an economist for the International Monetary Fund. 

Sacha Lodge

In the native language here, Sacha means jungle. I’m not sure what I was expecting when I booked a five-day stay at Sacha Lodge. I did, for sure, pick the best place in the area. But let’s face it. At the end of the day you’re not expecting much from a lodge in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. I’m here to tell you. If the Hilton mated with an Eco-resort this is what they would come up with. Some things sound basic. Like air conditioning, good water pressure and legitimate wifi (Galapagos I’m looking at you). But when you are isolated to the extent that we are, these are massive luxuries. It goes beyond that however.

There is a lot of thought put into the food, which is very good. How in the world do they get prosciutto and Camembert out here? The service is extremely attentive. The cabins have lots of cool little touches including a glass wall overlooking the jungle. There are 26 cabins. And while technically 120 is their max capacity, 50 people is considered a full house. Being the shoulder season right now, I’d estimate there are no more than 30 people here. There are also certain things built in here like observation towers and bridges above the canopy that allow for viewing the rainforest from a unique perspective that jungle walks and canoe rides simply cannot offer. 

Because today was our first day and we arrived at lunch time there was only an afternoon activity planned, which was that two hour canoe ride where our guide Christian was searching for anacondas. Three species of monkeys later, including a momma howler monkey carrying her baby as she lept from branch to branch, no anacondas. Phew. 

Tomorrow we try again. And breakfast is at 5:30am. So I’m off to bed…