Napo Wildlife Centre
Napo River
Average rating 4.9 (32 ratings)
Napo Wildlife Centre is located within its own 82 square mile reserve area within the Yasuni National Park–a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with the highest documented tree diversity in the world. The Centre was created and built by the Añangu community in partnership with charitable foundations.
The fast boat from Coca drops you by a beautiful creek that meanders into the forest. Here you are met by the lodge staff in small dug-out boats who slowly paddle you along, introducing you to the plants and wildlife of the forest as you travel (the journey can last 1½—2½ hours) . You emerge into a very beautiful oxbow lake with the lodge buildings nestling together on the opposite shore.
The Napo Wildlife Centre lodge offers individual adobe style cabins, spacious and well-screened, with 24hr electricity, fans and gas-heated hot water in en suite bathrooms. There are comfortable bar and dining areas in an large and airy main lodge building, which also offers a roof level viewing platform. Facilities include a canopy platform set in a 120ft ceiba tree. There is a good network of trails and a selection of excellent river excursions. The lodge is well run by experienced managers who are training local people to assist in (and eventually take over) its operation.
The terrain around the lodge (terra firma and varzea forest) is similar to the others on the north side of the Napo but accompanied by small hills which provide a variation of habitat that adds to the range of species that can be seen. An excellent range of wildlife, birds, plants, trees is almost guaranteed and the lodge’s recorded lists of birds, mammals, etc are top rate.