Innumerable bird, mammal and plant species, isolated tribes and ancient head-shrinking rituals are just some of the things that can be found in the mythical Ecuadorian Amazonia. As the most bio-diverse place on earth, signs of life can be found with every step. Boat rides and treks allow guests to learn the local legends, traditions and secrets of a land that was never conquered and has been worshipped for centuries now.

After landing and completing airport procedures, a hired bus picks you up from the airport and drops you five minutes later to Puerto Francisco de Orellana. Here, begin your two-hour trip down the Napo River aboard a comfortable covered motor canoe to your destination, Napo Wildlife Center. 

Enjoy lunch along the way and see birds such as herons, kingfishers and many others. Take a short break at Napo Wildlife Center’s outer dock before embarking on a majestic and peaceful dugout canoe ride to the lodge itself. You’ll be surrounded by trees overhead as your canoe paddles along a narrow creek that connects to the lake where the lodge is located. Civilization is soon forgotten here and the only sounds you’ll hear are the dip of the paddles and the myriad calls of the surrounding rainforest. Keep an eye out for monkey sightings as well as large birds such as toucans, parrots and macaws. You’ll soon enter Añangu Lake and spot the lodge situated on its shores. Before long, you’ll have a welcome drink in hand as you settle into your luxurious cabaña. 

After a delicious dinner, head back to the water for caiman spotting and listen to the natural nocturnal sounds of the rainforest.

In 1541, the first Europeans set out from Quito to explore the dense jungles east of this ancient Inca capital in search of gold and cinnamon. Neither the jungle nor the natives ever revealed where the precious metal of El Dorado was to be found, but the explorers traveled 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) down the Napo to come upon what they thought was the Atlantic. But it wasn’t the Atlantic … yet. It was the Great Amazon River, fed by over 1,000 tributaries, emptying one third of the planet’s fresh water into the sea.

Almost 500 years have gone by since the discovery of this magnificent river system that flows through the world’s largest primeval forest, containing 10 percent of all existing trees, 70 percent of all pharmaceutical compounds and native Indians that live symbiotically with their unique ecosystem. This is the habitat of wildlife that is watching you – or vice versa, if you’re lucky: 500 species of birds, half a dozen species of monkeys, caimans, tapirs, 2,500 species of butterflies and more.

4 nights