Overview
Enjoy an unforgettable adventure at Napo Wildlife Center for the best experience of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Explore by dugout canoe on blackwater lakes, hike trails through the emerald forest, visit the nearby clay lick where hundreds of parrots and macaws gather, get a bird’s-eye view from the canopy tower (207 steps!), with its unobstructed 360-degree view of undisturbed forest. NWC is owned by the native Yasuní people, who have lived in this area for centuries. They have a profound respect for maintaining the natural integrity of the ecosystem and are knowledgeable and passionate guides who enhance your experience. Guest cabins are very comfortable and the buffet-style meals in the dining room provide tasty, fresh, and plentiful meals with a good variety to choose from. Our extension has three nights at Napo Wildlife Center and two in Quito, but you have the option to add additional nights.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Quito
Arrive in Quito and transfer to your choice of Quito hotel. Meals on your own.
View Lodging
Quito, Ecuador
Day 1 (1 night), Day 5 (1 night)
Situated in Quito’s World Heritage-listed historic quarter, the Mama Cuchara is a restored colonial mansion with a mix of historic and modern architecture. The rooftop terrace is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail and panoramic views over the historic quarter, and the restaurant, set in the original colonial courtyard, has a menu that changes daily to reflect Ecuador’s diverse regional cuisines. All the delights of colonial Quito are within walking distance.
Quito, Ecuador
Day 1 (1 night), Day 5 (1 night)
The Wyndham Quito Airport is a nice hotel with a great location right next to the airport. Rooms are spacious, with plush bedding and great views of the nearby hills, and the lounge area is perfect for relaxing upon arrival. The hotel also has a spa with a sauna.
Quito, Ecuador
Day 1 (1 night), Day 5 (1 night)
Set on Quito's Plaza de la Independencia, this boutique hotel has an elegant ambiance and was among the first to be built in Ecuador's capital. Its central location right in the heart of the Old Town gives great access to many shops, restaurants, and historical sites.
Days 2-4
Coca / Napo Wildlife Center
Transfer to the airport for a 30-minute flight to Coca, where you are met and transported by boat to the Napo Wildlife Center. Enjoy nature walks and exploration at the Napo Wildlife Center, a community-based ecotourism project in a vast private reserve inside Yasuní National Park, where more than 550 species of birds have been identified along with 11 species of monkey. One of the lodge’s features is a clay lick (the most accessible parrot and macaw clay lick in Ecuador) where on a sunny day, hundreds of parrots and macaws gather. Napo also has a canopy tower, a great way to experience the life above the forest floor. As you ascend the 12-story tower, you pass through different levels of the forest (there is also a smaller canopy tower near the dining hall with great views of the lake)...BLD each day
View Lodging
Amazon, Ecuador
Days 2 to 4 (3 nights)
Nestled in an 82-square-mile private reserve within Yasuni National Park, Napo offers 10 cabanas with private bathrooms, ceiling fans, screened windows, and private shaded porches with lake views. Napo’s 120-foot canopy tower is a great way to view rainforest life.
Day 5
Coca / Quito
A morning transfer by boat brings you back to Coca for your flight to Quito. (This is Day 1 of your Galapagos Islands itinerary.) Overnight at hotel...B
View Lodging
Quito, Ecuador
Day 5 (1 night)
Situated in Quito’s World Heritage-listed historic quarter, the Mama Cuchara is a restored colonial mansion with a mix of historic and modern architecture. The rooftop terrace is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail and panoramic views over the historic quarter, and the restaurant, set in the original colonial courtyard, has a menu that changes daily to reflect Ecuador’s diverse regional cuisines. All the delights of colonial Quito are within walking distance.
Quito, Ecuador
Day 5 (1 night)
The Wyndham Quito Airport is a nice hotel with a great location right next to the airport. Rooms are spacious, with plush bedding and great views of the nearby hills, and the lounge area is perfect for relaxing upon arrival. The hotel also has a spa with a sauna.
Quito, Ecuador
Day 5 (1 night)
Set on Quito's Plaza de la Independencia, this boutique hotel has an elegant ambiance and was among the first to be built in Ecuador's capital. Its central location right in the heart of the Old Town gives great access to many shops, restaurants, and historical sites.
Day 6
Depart
Transfer to the Quito airport for your flight to the Galapagos Islands (Day 2 of your Galapagos Islands itinerary)...B
Details
Length:
6 days
Arrive:
Quito, Ecuador
Depart:
Quito, Ecuador
Lodging:
3 nights lodge, 2 nights Quito hotel
Meals:
Meals as indicated
Activity:
Wildlife and Natural History, Walking, Cultural Adventures
Trip Level:
Wildlife watching, canoeing, nature walks
With more than 200 different adventures to choose from, we want to help you find the trip that’s right for you. Our Trip Level system ranks each trip in two ways: a number rating from 1 to 6 according to the activity, and general travel rigors. 1 is the easiest and 6+ the most difficult—see descriptions below for explanations of each number. A plus (+) sign means the trip is a bit more strenuous than other trips of that level. The detailed explanation of each trip—below the bar with the number rating—is perhaps more important, specifying activities, altitudes, hiking, and travel conditions. The Detailed Itinerary, available by download or mail, gives further information. Our Area Managers can also answer questions and guide you to the trip that best suits your interests.
Easiest
Non-camping journeys, optional walks, little elevation gain or loss.
Examples:
Easy to Moderate
Hotel nights and/or safari-style camping, hikes of two to four hours on some days. Other physical activities are sometimes included, such as optional sea kayaking.
Examples:
Moderate
Half- to full-day hikes (3-6 hours) over rolling countryside on most days, occasional steep trails. Many of our hotel-based walking tours are in this category, as are our snorkeling adventures.
Examples:
Moderate to Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-6 hours), mountainous terrain, significant elevation gains and losses (hiking up or down as much as 3,000 feet) on many days. Altitudes no greater than about 10,000 feet.
Examples:
Strenuous
Full-day hikes (4-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Trips with hiking at average altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet are in this category.
Examples:
Very Strenuous
Full-day hikes (5-8 hours), mountainous, steep terrain (hiking up or down as much as 3,500 feet) on many days. Most hikes take place at altitudes above 10,000 feet, with some days ascending as high as 18,000 feet.
Examples:
Visa Requirements
A visa is not required for U.S. citizens visting Ecuador. A tourist card will be issued to you on the flight to Quito.