After visits to 3 lodges in the eastern foothills, we began the final episode of our nearly 3-week guided tour. Links to the previous 2 installments are below.
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- Mindo and the western slope of the Andes Range (Guaycapi and Sachatamia Lodges)
- The eastern slope of the Andes (Pampallacta, San Isidro, and WildSumaco Lodges)
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Edwin handed us off to the Sani Lodge staff at the dock in Coca. Its real name is Puerto Francisco de Orellana. The city is located in the Amazon Rainforest at the confluence of the Coca River and the Napo River. Our new guide, Carlos, was introduced and Edwin assured us that he was the best birder available. Edwin then departed, and Carlos took over. While we signed waivers and used the bathroom, our luggage was sealed in plastic bags and loaded aboard. We were shown comfortable seats, given flotation jackets, provided a packaged lunch, and then set off for a 2 ½ hour speedboat ride. The “motorized canoe” was powered by twin 125 HP Mercury outboard engines, and it scooted right along. Our captain, Juan, navigated the fast-flowing Napo river skillfully. Despite the muddiness of the water, he maneuvered us around shallow water using a combination of dead reckoning and an uncanny ability to read the fast-flowing current. After dropping off a few passengers at a Quechuan village, we continued down river to a practically invisible inlet. Suddenly the water color changed to a dark black—fresh from the interior and loaded with Caymans and Pirañas.
Everyone had been provided rubber boots and we were led along a muddy trail for the better part of ¼ mile. We passed through sugar can fields, alongside sand bars with a couple shore birds pecking away, and at one point paused to taste freshly harvested cacao beans at a farmer’s house. From there, we hopped onto a boardwalk 2′ above the forest floor, 4′ wide, and straight as a string. After walking a couple hundred yards, we met Miguel, our rower, and the 5 of us piled in and paddled away. Our route was a 15′ wide river meandering through the forest and bordered on both sides by dense foliage right down to the water’s edge—there was no shore visible. It was really exciting and, to be truthful, I LOVED Disneyland’s Jungle Ride as a kid. This was it—everything but the hippo’s wiggly ears and the skipper pulling out his pistol to shoot an alligator. But we all know that was fake. This was the real deal.
Both Miguel and Carlos were excellent paddlers, and they deftly kept our canoe in the middle of the river despite a stiff current. After about 15 minutes, we came to a confluence and paddled into a magical lagoon. It became wider, and a Ringed Kingfisher flew across our bow. In the distance was Sani Lodge and, as we approached, all was still. To our left, an outrageous bird was breathing heavily, the unmistakable sound of a Hoatzin (or stinky turkey). Our paddlers let up and allowed our canoe to drift silently up to the dock where we were met with helping hands, a moist towel, and a chilled glass of juice. Very, very nice. Even better, we would repeat the canoe experience each of our 3-day visit. I was in heaven!
Our bags had been transferred to our rooms, allowing us to freshen up before gathering in the dining room to discuss the following day’s activity: ascending the 125′ tower to a platform built into the crown of a massive, 500-year-old Kapok tree. It rained heavily that night and we awakened to our alarms set to 5 am. Breakfast at 5:30, and departure at 6. It was still dark as we returned the way we’d arrived, but somewhere we entered another tributary and just kept paddling. Carlos had a flashlight, and had a real knack for knowing just where the early-morning bird calls were originating. But mostly we remained quiet, and embraced the solitude engulfing us.
We arrived at dawn, and sloshed along a forest trail in low light for about 15 minutes, barely making out exposed roots and creepy things. While it was no longer raining, big droplets continued to fall from the canopy way above us. The tower’s staircase is well-built, and at 125′ the ascent required our attention. Once on top, we crossed a gangplank onto a steel floor that was approximately 25′ square. We were initially the only visitors, and Carlos really found his niche. He spotted birds near and far. Miguel had lugged up a spotting scope so we had that to expand our view. The branches that supported the platform were covered with flowering bromeliads, other epiphytes, and even a cactus that had rooted in soil accumulated in a notch of the tree.
After a while, other guests from the lodge joined us, and there was a lot of shuffling about as interesting sightings were called out. Looking down was into darkness, recalling a vidid memory from 45 years earlier when we climbed a rope ladder 100′ up to a platform built by biologists in Indonesia.
We spent our second full day on the Napo River where Juan (the motorized canoe captain) took us up-river to an interesting place called the Clay Lick. These are patches of earth that are abundant in minerals – particularly sodium – that help neutralize the toxins that develop as a result of a parrot’s diet. We spotted 4 different species of parrot all doing the same thing; grabbing a bite and flying off to adjacent shrubs to digest their intake before repeating the process. We followed that stop with a visit to Yasuní National Park where Scarlet Macaws frequent a similar patch of nutrients. Finally, for lunch, we returned to the Quechuan village and were introduced to Sani Warmi, a community organization developed by Quechuan women to bring attention to their culture through the arts and food.
Our flight back to Quito was scheduled for 10 am on day 3, so it was another early morning wake-up, breakfast, and departure. As before, the serenity of our final paddle ride was perfect closure to both our visit to the Amazon basin and to Ecuador as well. This time our luggage was stored aboard and we rode the swift current the entire 25-minute ride to the motorized canoe. It was a significantly longer journey, with many bends in the river, and completed in near total darkness. These Quechuan paddlers really know their water. The flight to Quito, the overnight at Puembo Birding Garden, the shuttle to the airport at 3am, and reconnecting with Galo (the contracted driver/guide) was perfectly orchestrated.
Here’s a link to a gallery of photos taken during this leg of the journey.