It was only a 30min flight east from Quito to Coca, a city located on the Napo River. This is a city dependant on oil, wells located within parts of the famed Amazon Jungle.
Guides from La Selva Lodge soon had us and bags loaded onto a long river boat, along with 12 other guests, all of us wearing lifejackets as we started our 2.5hr trip down the wide, brown and fast flowing Napo River.
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| From Quito to the lodge in the Amazon jungle |
Part of the reason for this lengthy trip is due to lots of large trees and other debris floating in the waters and many areas in the river being very shallow. Much of the time was spent zig-zagging across the river, the boat driver somehow knowing where the deeper channels were.
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| Type of boat we used to travel down the Napo River |
Eventually our boat pulled into the bank where we left our lifejackets in a hut and walked a few hundred metres along a track into the jungle, where we boarded smaller 6 person canoes and were rowed along a small channel deeper into the Amazon.
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| Waiting to board the smaller canoes |
After 30 minutes we emerged from the jungle onto a large lake and started crossing it until we could see the lodge, cradled gently within the jungle on the edge of the water. In the lake were caiman, piranha, other fish and turtles.
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| Smaller canoe crossing the lake |
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| The lodge in the Amazon |
Wow… what a comfortable location we had picked as we were briefed on the facilities, introduced to our guide Luis and shown to our room, also overlooking the lake.
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| Titi monkey spotted right near the lodge |
Even better, there was some access to the Internet depending on how many guests were trying to access it at the same time.
The Amazon jungle is very lush, hot and humid and we were told the weather was very changeable being cloudy, sunny or raining or all of it on any day.
During our briefing we were paired with 2 other guests, Robyn and Gordon from Sydney and advised we would be woken at 6am each morning, breakfast at 6:30am and then heading out for between 3-4 hrs around 7:00am.
A second activity each day would start from 4:00pm, also for around 3 hrs meaning we would have 4-5 hours in the middle of the day to enjoy lunch and chill out.
The wildlife is best viewed at either early or later in the day due to the heat sending them under cover.
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| Typical walk within the Amazon jungle |
Within an hour of arriving at the lodge we were out on a canoe with Luis, another indigenous guide, Robyn and Gordon following the lakes edge, searching for wildlife which didn’t take very long with a troop of spider monkeys jumping from branch to branch above our heads.
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| Spider monkey feeding on berries |
There were also plenty of birds around as the sun settled and darkness came quickly, but our searching continued as the nocturnal species slowly made their presence known.
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| Nocturnal bird waiting for food above the lake |
The following day was spent within the jungle, first in the morning with a long slow walk in rubber boots due to the abundant mud. There was a large variety of things to look at including spiders, interesting plants, birds and a beautiful rainbow boa lying next to the track.
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| Rainbow boa |
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| Species of mushroom |
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| Poisonous frog |
May not look like it via many of the photographs, but when you're walking around within the jungle its a lot darker than within the open under the sun, making it harder to see things.
Gordon and I also learned how quickly you could get lost on the tracks. We were having a chat about something as the guides and girls walked further on and within a minute we couldn’t see or hear anyone.
The track we were on split in a few directions when we walked a little further, so with a bit of loud calling, they came back to find us. Certainly wouldn’t want to be out in the jungle at night.
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| Rob on a track within the jungle |
That afternoon we walked to the observation tower and by the time we had climbed the 70 mtrs to its top we were perspiring and puffing simultaneously.
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| Fair climb to get to the top of the observation tower |
The actual observation platform is located within the canopy of a huge kapok tree providing a 360 degree view over the top of the jungle. Here we stayed for 2hrs observing a variety of birds close by or in the distance via a spotting scope.
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| Wasp nest near the observation platform |
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| 2 toothed hawk and juvenile |
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| Multi banded toucans |
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| Woodpecker |
Whilst the sun was still setting at the top of the tree, by the time we had climbed down to ground level it was already very dark in the jungle as we used torches to make our way back to the lodge.
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| Sunset over the Amazon jungle |
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| Lizard spotted at night whilst walking back to lodge |
We had asked Luis about going to a clay lick to see Macaws, so he arranged a special tour for us to in fact visit a parrot clay lick on the bank of the Napo River in the morning, an indigenous village late morning, then go to Macaw clay lick for a late lunch.
Clay licks are locations where specific birds, and other animals visit most days to eat clay-containing minerals that help them digest the food they eat.
So by about 8am, there we were with other guests in multiple larger boats, watching and waiting for the birds to arrive and finally land to feast on clay. In a tree waiting for them was a boa constrictor, hoping for an easy feed from a careless parrot.
Eventually, a few parrots arrived cautiously, then landed and as confidence grew, more birds flew in and soon there was a group of multiple species of parrots feeding. Almost as soon as they had started, something startled them and they were gone.
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| First a few parrots arrive and then the numbers grow |
Because it was Sunday, when we arrived at the indigenous village, it was almost deserted as most people were at a market trying to sell the produce they grow.
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| Part of the village |
Luis took us around the school located near the river before we descended into the jungle to see the plants the locals care for and sell in the markets, plants like Cocao that chocolate is made from.
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| Cocoa seeds chocolate are made |
There was quite a variety of crop plants they had growing within the jungle, but the number of them was only enough to ensure self sufficiency. This village was also in the process of building a small lodge out of beautiful jungle timber, for tourists to stay and generate an income.
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| Part of lodge the village is building |
Finally we met some villagers cooking food in a traditional kitchen. We eventually tried some and it was quite tasty but not before we had tried a still much used hunting weapon… the blowgun.
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| Traditional kitchen in the village |
After being shown how to place the 25cm long darts into the long tube, each dart wrapped with a small piece of cotton like material near its base, it was time to breath in and blow.
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| Blowgun dart |
Gordon and I managed to hit the guava fruit being used as a target about 10m away but the ladies… well they hit a few things behind the guava.
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| Rob having a go with a real blowgun |
After a short ride down the river we disembarked onto a muddy shore for a short walk, our boots trying to be sucked and left behind in the mud before reaching a long concrete footpath for a 20min walk back into the jungle.
It was raining when we reached the hide in front of the macaws clay lick and here we sat, trying to keep as quiet as possible for a few hours whilst the rain eventually stopped. It is tough in the jungle, mind you a hot lunch had been packed by the lodge and brought here separately for us to enjoy.
No macaws ever turned up but we did enjoy watching a new species of monkey, the Woolly monkey, high in the surrounding trees and a favourite food for Harpy Eagles, along with sloths and howler monkeys.
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| Woolly monkeys |
As we returned by boat to the lodge, we did stop to watch a large male howler monkey sunbaking on an exposed branch high in a tree next to the bank.
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| Howler monkey enjoying the sun |
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| Last sunset over the lake |
Early next morning, we donned rain ponchos, heavy rain falling for our departure and boarded the small canoes for the return journey across the lake and creek before boarding the larger long boats for the 3hr trip back to Coca, heavy rain falling most of the way.
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| Starting our trip back to Coca in the rain |
With the short flight over and yet again into Quito, we said farewell to Robyn and Gordon and travelled to a small village near the airport for a very rustic overnight stay before flying out next morning into the heat of our next and new country.
Till next post and new adventures… go well!
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