Gliding down Ecuador's Napo River in the heart of the Amazon aboard a motorized canoe was truly like a dream. I'd seen this region in films and on television, but being there in person was a bit surreal. It was over a three hour journey from Coca Airport — a two and a half hour ride on the Napo River followed by a 10 minute trek on a wooden boardwalk lined with monkey-filled trees, and another 30 minute paddle on a more traditional canoe to Sani Lodge.
There were only five in our little group — a couple from Australia, two guys from the UK and myself — who would spend four days and three nights together enjoying practically non-stop activities. We all had our own private cabins, which were rather nice considering the incredibly remote corner of the world we were in.
It all began with a welcome passion fruit and rum drink and an introduction to Lucy, the resident caiman who lives under the lodge dock. Our first activity was a night hike. We followed our trusty guide Victor on a trail through the jungle in the dark, with flashlights lighting our way and illuminating some of the creatures who were out and about, including a couple of tarantulas, a huge frog, lots of fascinating stick bugs, bats and more.
It all began with a welcome passion fruit and rum drink and an introduction to Lucy, the resident caiman who lives under the lodge dock.
Our days started early with breakfast at 5:30 a.m., in order to catch the wildlife when it was at its most active. From the moment we sailed off in our canoe across the calm water that perfectly reflected the sky above, we knew it was worth it. We saw a heron catching its morning meal, a pair of macaws soaring overhead and countless "stinky turkeys" (beautifully colorful large birds that seemed to be in nearly every tree).
Our destination was the observation tower, a 100-foot-high tower in the trees. From there, we saw hundreds of parrots fly by, and a number of toucans landed in the branches just feet away from the platform, practically posing for our pictures. In the distance, the sounds of howler monkeys were often heard. Their loud calls make them sound like a bunch of very angry apes, or a jet engine, something I'd never heard before.
We saw hundreds of parrots fly by, and a number of toucans landed in the branches just feet away from the platform, practically posing for our pictures.
We went piranha fishing later that afternoon, though it turned out to be more like piranha feeding, as our guide Victor joked. Although we all got a few bites using a small piece of wood, fishing line, a hook and little chunks of meat, we had no luck at actually catching something. Victor, on the other hand, cast out his line and in a matter of seconds pulled up a rat fish that the lodge chefs cooked up that night to complement our dinner.
We saw hundreds of parrots fly by, and a number of toucans landed in the branches just feet away from the platform, practically posing for our pictures.
Our days were mostly spent on the rivers and streams, and hiking on the land. Another highlight was an excursion to the parrot salt licks, clay banks where hundreds of the birds come to gorge on the clay, which provides them with essential minerals that are lacking in their diet.
Visiting the tribal community center was another highlight, where one of our guides popped a live grub into his mouth head first and offered the "delicacy" to us. We all declined. We did enjoy dining on a tasty traditional meal the Sani ladies had prepared for us and sampled a bit of the region's famous fermented Andean beverage, chicha. Face painting and blowgun practice was on the agenda too, bringing more than a few laughs.
When it was time to say goodbye, our only regret was that we weren't there long enough. We all hoped that someday we'd return again.
We saw hundreds of parrots fly by, and a number of toucans landed in the branches just feet away from the platform, practically posing for our pictures.
