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| DESTINATIONS
> MAINLAND ECUADOR > THE AMAZON > THE NAPO WILDLIFE CENTER |
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| The Napo
Wildlife Center |
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The
Napo Wildlife Center, part of the Tropical
Nature conservation system is a community-based
ecotourism project that has turned the
surrounding 82 square miles into a private
reserve within Yasuní National
Park. More than 550 species of birds have
been identified in Napo, as well as 11
species of monkeys. Ecuador's two most
accessible parrot clay licks are located
on Napo Wildlife Center land, and Giant
Otters inhabit the lake in front of the
lodge.
Regular
Departure Days:
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To get to the Napo Wildlife
Center, fly by jet from Quito
to the town of Francisco de
Orellana (known locally as Coca)
on the Napo River. After a short
drive to the dock, we board
a large, motorized, covered
canoe for a two-hour trip downriver.
Upon arriving at the entrance
to the Napo Wildlife Center,
we switch to smaller, dugout
canoes to be paddled up the
blackwater creek to the lake
and lodge (no motorized transport
is allowed on the creek so wildlife
isn't disturbed).
The trip can take anywhere from
one to three hours, since guests
might see river otters, potoos,
kingfishers, hoatzins, jacamars,
hawks, or monkeys along the
way. We eat lunch en route and
arrive at the lodge by late
afternoon. |
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Napo Wildlife Center features 10 private cabins with very large rooms (over 450 sq. ft.) that are always clean and preserve that unique rainforest ambiance.
Each cabin offers one king-sized bed and one twin-sized bed (up to 3 people), private bathrooms with on-demand hot water showers, private porches with lake views, and 24-hour electricity with plenty of lighs and plenty of 120V outlets. Each cabin has ceiling fans for a fresh flow of clean air and secure screens for plenty of bug-free ventilation.
The lodge also features a large dining hall with a library and a well stocked bar. Next to the bar is a 50-foot watch tower from which you can have a full view of the lake and endless rain forest.
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The Yasuni Claylicks
Blinds have been constructed at two of the clay licks of the Napo Wildlife Center Reserve Area – the most accessible parrot and macaw clay licks in Ecuador. Visiting these clay licks helps to support an 82-square-mile private reserve and also supports Yasuní National Park, which is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. On a good day (dry and sunny), hundreds of parrots and macaws will gather at these clay licks for hours making for a spectacular show.
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Canopy Tower
The 120-ft. (36m) high galvanized metal canopy tower opened to guests on November 2004 and is a great way to experience the life above the forest floor. This is the second tower at the Napo Wildlife Center (the first is adjacent to the dining hall and allows great views of the lake). The canopy tower is located about 20 minutes from the lodge deep within the terra firme forest. As you ascend the 12-story tower, you pass through different levels of the forestand emerge on top of a huge Ceiba tree. Here you cross onto a wooden platform that is actually built into the crown of the tree and experience the view formerly reserved only for the birds and monkeys. From the top of the tower one can easily see tucans, parrots, macaws, king vultures and many other types of birds. On a lucky day, one might also spot a group of monkeys resting or feeding on the treetops.
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