Yasuni Amazon Kayak Tour
During this spectacular Yasuni Amazon kayak tour you will navigate and camp in the Amazon reserve of Yasuni. This nature reserve consists for the most part of primary rainforest and lies within the claimed ancestral territory of the indigenous Huaorani people. The Yasuni Amazon is also home to a number of isolated indigenous tribes, including the Tagaeri and Taromenane, who still live isolated from the outside world. The P.N. (Parque Nacional) Yasuni is probably one of the most bio diverse places on Earth! The Yasuni Amazon Reserve is at the center of a small zone where amphibian, bird, mammal and vascular plant diversity all reach their maximum levels of diversity within the Western Hemisphere.
The Mandari Panga campsite is not located on the Napo but on the much smaller Tiputini river. To get there you have to drive south from Coca on Via Auca. Along the Via Auca you will also see oil company activity, but this stops before you reach the entrance to the Yasuni Reserve. From there it is 1.5 hours by motorized canoe to Mandari Panga. From the moment you step into the canoe you are surrounded by beautiful rainforest and you can spot the first wildlife. The Mandari Panga campsite is very isolated within the Yasuni Amazon Reserve. There are no other lodges on this stretch of river and this means that you will not encounter any other tour groups in this area during your Yasuni Amazon kayak tour.
Short itinerary Yasuni Amazon Kayak Tour:
Day 1: Arrival in the Yasuni Amazon Reserve and at the Mandari Panga campsite
Day 2: Hiking the “Pecary Trail” and spotting otters
Day 3: Exploring the Anaconda Lagoon
Day 4: Parrot Clay Lick and Casa de la Abuela
Day 5: Mandari Panga – Yasuni Amazon Reserve – Coca
Click here for more information about the Yasuni Reserve and other nature reserves in the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador.
Full itinerary of the Yasuni Amazon Kayak Tour:
Day 1: Arrival in the Yasuni Amazon Reserve and the Mandari Panga campsite
Upon arrival in Coca (airport or bus terminal), you’ll be met by your local guide. Depending on your arrival time, you’ll have a chance for breakfast (not included) at the “Maitos del Yasuní,” restaurant. This restaurant offers typical Ecuadorian food from the Amazon and is managed by the association Challuwa Mikuna to benefit indigenous women.From here we start our journey of about an hour and 45 minutes over land until we arrive at the Tiputini River. There, a motorized canoe and our kayaks will be waiting for us. The first will bring your belongings to the camp, while we embark on the kayaks for a 5-hour paddle. Along the way, we will stop for lunch. Upon arrival at the camp you will receive a welcomes drink. Then it is time to settle in your tent and to explore the facilities and the neighborhood of. Enjoy a welcome drink and snacks.
In the evening you will be served a delicious dinner by candlelight!
Day 2: Hiking the “Pecary Trail” and spotting otters
After an early breakfast (6:30 am), we will take a traditional canoe to cross to the other side of the Tiputini River. From here we start a walk of approximately 4 hours along a loop trail passing through spectacular virgin jungle. We’ll return to camp for lunch. After lunch you’ll have time to relax in your hammock or tent, walk around the campsite and/ or have a swim and cool down in a tranquil tributary of the Tiputini River.In the afternoon, we’ll enjoy a pleasant afternoon kayaking in the Pishña lagoon (giant otter oxbow lagoon) for about 2 hours. This black water lagoon is a fascinating ecosystem, a blackwater lake where unique species live. We’ll enjoy the sunset from the water in the Amazon rainforest and then return to the campsite for dinner.
Day 3: Exploring the Anaconda Lagoon
After an early breakfast, we’ll take our kayaks for a tour along the Tiputini River. Our kayak tour will be about 4 hours, passing through pristine jungle along the way. We paddle until we arrive at the entrance of Amarun Cocha, Translated from the indigenous Kichwa language this means “Lake of the Anaconda”. It is a small blackwater lagoon in the heart of the pristine rainforest of Yasuni and is home to one of the largest snakes on the planet, the anaconda. With luck, we might see this fantastic creature while enjoying the stunning scenery of this region of flooded forest! Other wildlife we might encounter the legendary piranhas, caymans, boas, and more. Our lunch will be a picnic on one of the river beaches. After a quick rest, we cross to the other side of the Tiputini River to hike in about two hours back to the Mandari Panga campsite. We will be right on time to enjoy sunset from our camp. And of course our chef will prepare a delicious dinner for us. After dinner we will go for a short evening walk to explore the nightlife around our camp. We may spot capybaras, pacas, colorful frogs, snakes, owls and more night creatures.Day 4: Parrot Clay Lick and Casa de la Abuela
After an early breakfast, we’ll embark on our motorized canoe. It will bring us to the shore of the Rumiyacu River. From here we will hike around 1 hour through the primary forest of Yasuni National Park along a trail that will take us to a parrot clack lick. It is also common to see and hear many bird species along the way. With luck, we might even encounter peccaries, large monkeys, or other wildlife along the way. Our guide will also teach us about the rich flora and fauna of the zone and some of the region’s medicinal plants. At the mineral rich clay lick, there are typically various colorful species of parrots eating the minerals. After taking many colorful pictures we walk back to our kayaks. Romantic camping in the Yasuni AmazonWe then make a little kayak tour from the Rumiyacu River to the Tiputini River until we reach la Casa de la Abuela (Grandmothers House). This is the home of the founder of the Mandari Panga community. Because of its location on a 50-meter high hill, with an incredible view over the surrounding, some call it the Harpy Eagle’s nest of the area. After enjoying the views we we’ll learn about the way of life in the jungle and the community’s history and traditions. We’ll learn how the traditional drink, chicha, is made, and we’ll also learn how to make chocolate from the harvest of cacao. They will also serve us a delicious typical lunch of the area. At the end of the day, we might enjoy an incredible sunset with spectacular radiant colors and mysterious shadows while kayaking down river to the Mandari Panga campsite.Day 5: Mandari Panga – Yasuni Amazon Reserve – Coca
Breakfast will be served early in the morning (depending on the departure time of the flight from Coca). Then it is time to say goodbye to Mandari Panga and step in the motorized canoe. The journey upstream takes an hour and a half. During this relaxing trip, you can ejoy one more time the beauty of the flora and fauna in the Yasuni Amazon rainforest. At the shores of the river our car or bus will be waiting for you bring you in another hour and a half back to Coca (arrival between 10:00 and 11:00 am). In Coca you’ll be dropped off at the airport, or the bus terminal for your return to Quito or to travel to your next destination.
Note: This day to day itinerary above is a good indication of this tour program. But the final tour itinerary might be slightly different, depending on local circumstances and unpredictable weather.
Included in this Yasuni Amazon kayak tour:
-Transport from Coca – Mandari Panga – Coca
– Bilingual guide
– Accommodation in tents complete with mattress and bedding
– The use of Kayaks and other gear
– Use of rubber boots for hikes, life jacket for canoe travel
– Three meals a day (starting with lunch on the first day through breakfast on the final day)
– Purified water
Not included in this Yasuni Amazon kayak tour:
– Transportation Quito – Coca – Quito by bus or plane
– Additional beverages and snacks; extra meals in Coca before and after the tour
– Rain ponchos (can be purchased in Coca before the tour if needed; highly recommended for adequate protection from heavy Amazon rains)
– Tips
– Personal Expenses
Recommended items to bring on this tour into the Amazon:
• Comfortable loose Clothing
• 4 T-shirt and 2 pair of shorts
• Long-Sleeve shirts and long pants for walking/ against mosquitos
• Warm jacket for the nights
• Good hiking shoes
• Bathing Suit and towel
• Sun Glasses and a hat
• Sandals
• Personal things
• Sun Block
• Insect Repellent
• Head light/ flashlight with extra batteries
• Good camera with extra batteries and memory
• Original Passport + copy
• Plastic bags to protect your things from the humidity
• Pocket money for tips and personal spending during the tour
• Binoculars
• Biodegradable soap
