Amazon Adventure

The day after we arrived in Quito, we headed to the Amazon. We stayed at a place called Sacha Lodge located off of the Napo River.  To access the lodge you fly from Quito to Coca where you board a long boat for a 2 hour ride down the Napo River. After 2 hours you reach the Sacha Lodge dock where you disembark and walk for about 20-30-min. on a raised walkway through the jungle. At the end of the walkway you board a canoe and row through a small canal that leads to the lagoon where the lodge is located.

The lodge has a common eating area and bar in the front and the bungalows are behind, dispersed throughout the jungle. They are accessed via a raised walkway. The lagoon is considered a black water lagoon because of the tannins and other substances from the local vegetation that color it dark brown. The water is highly acidic and therefore inhabitable for mosquitos.

Some of the inhabitants of the lagoon are caimans and piranha. There are also many types of frogs that sing their hearts out in a nightly croaking contest. Another sound heard during the day is the exotic watery sounding call of the Oropendula. Their hanging basket nests are located throughout the property. Another bird that is located in the bushes surrounding the lake is the strange looking Hoatzin Bird. They remind me of a punk-rock turkey. At one time scientists thought that these birds were a distant relative of Veloceraptors, because the young are equipped with claws attached to their wings that allow them to crawl out of the nest before they are able to fly if threatened by a predator. Some of the adults retain this feature and some don’t.

There are 3 different species of monkeys that inhabit the area, they include: Squirrel Monkeys, Black Mantled Tamarind, and Red Howler Monkeys. The Black Mantled Tamarind is the size of a small squirrel and has a cat-like face. The Red Howlers make an incredible sound like the sound of a howling wind signaling an ominous storm.

We had 2 full days of excursions during our stay. On the first day we were awakened at 5:30 A.M. for hike #1 through the jungle canopy walk way 42 meters high. We spent 2 hours in the canopy and saw a troop of Howlers, 3 kinds of Toucans, a black and white turkey bird, and many other types of birds. On our way back from the canopy we found a Hummingbird nest made from the cotton-like fiber of a Kapok Tree. We also spotted an Amazon Forest Dragon.

In the afternoon we took another hike to a 42 meter tower surrounding a Kapok Tree where we spotted many more birds and got our first glimpse of a poisonous Wolf Spider (mean lookin critter).

Day #2:  Up at 5:30 A.M. again. This time we headed to the parrot clay-lick on the Napo River hoping to see hundreds of parrots feeding on the clay. We saw and heard many parrots flying and landing in the trees above the lick, but alas they would not go to the lick, because in addition to the tourists watching from below, there were predators watching from above. One was a falcon that nabbed one of the smaller parakeets while we were there. The other predator was a boa constrictor lying on one of the branches of the trees above the lick. It had a parrot sized lump in the middle of its body.

Near the clay lick we visited an indigenous Kichwa Community where we were shown some traditional dances and hunting materials. Dave tested out the blow gun and hit the target on his first try (a natural). Afterward we went to meet the local Shaman and he performed a cleansing ceremony on one of our group. We also tried some of the local brew called Chicha made from fermented sweet potatoes. Yuck, it’s obviously an acquired taste!

After this tour I decided to brave the waters of the lagoon and swim with the caimans and piranhas. Despite my fears of what was lurking around me the black water was amazingly refreshing.

Later we took an afternoon/evening hike where we saw many more frogs, lizards, spiders and other insects. We also took a canoe ride in a nearby lagoon called Lagarto Coche that is inhabited by caimans and electric eels capable of delivering 500 volts of electricity. On the way back to the lodge our guide showed us a Cookui Beetle that displays a bright orange light while flying – if captured it displays 2 bright green lights that look like eyes. Last but not least, our guide showed us what was supposed to be a biting grasshopper with a razor-sharp, beak-like mouth, but when he attempted to coerce the little guy to open its mouth with a leaf, it refused, placing its feet over its mouth. I guess it was a pacifist.

Suffice it to say, we had a great time in the jungle. Our next stop is in the Avenue of the Volcanos where the altitude increases to 12,000 feet and the temperature drops – time to break out the fleece.