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ECUADORIAN RAINFOREST Napo Wildlife Center About Napo Wildlife Center Activities Sample 3-night program

ABOUT THE NAPO WILDLIFE CENTER TRAILS & ACTIVITIES - in their own words:

(Note: rain ponchos and boots are provided when needed for excursions, in standard sizes)

The Napo Trail cuts from the Napo River to Anangu Lake, just across from the Lodge, and can be used as an alternative to Añangu stream as an entrance to pathway, yet the experience is very different. The trail, which takes you to the canopy tower, is rather flat terra firme forest, which makes it easy to walk on.

The Community Trail runs along or parallel to the Napo River, where the Añangu Kichwa community is located. It is not deep jungle, more riverine second growth (as opposed to primary forest) giving you the opportunity to see a different side of the diversity of habitats and wildlife in the Amazon Basin.

The Tiputini Trail is probably the wildest of them all. If you walk long enough on it, you will see the most variety in terms of habitats, with seemingly limitless terra firme and swampy

Canopy Tower
Only 35 minutes away from the lodge is the best and most professional canopy tower ever built in the Ecuadorian Amazon. You can climb the 130-foot high canopy tower  standing right next to a giant 155 Kapok tree with an ample platform provides space for 15 guests, providing for fabulous views over the canopy.  It is possible to spot troupes of howler, capuchins, monk sakis or spider monkeys in the nearest forest. Active feeding bird flocks reach this area - 80 species were sighted in one single morning. Bring your binoculars, camera and telephoto lenses, set up a telescope: this is a spectacular scenic opportunity. Not to be missed.

Birdwatching
Over 562 species of birds have been recorded at Napo Wildlife Center, more than 1/3 of all of Ecuador's species.Agami and ZigZag herons are found near the lake and creeks, including all five kingfishers. THe large raptors like Harpy and Crested Eagles find healthy mammal food around the area. The active calls of forest floor mixed species flocks with the largest number of the surprising antbirds can be found. Canopy flocks are normal to run into, helped with the expertise of the top native birdguide along the entire Napo: Jiovanny Rivadeneira.

The Anangu Community
Anangu is not only home to the NWC lodge. It has been the ancestral territory of a Quichua indigenous community that has the same name. Anangu pople are active participants of the conservation and management of a large territory within the park as well as the lodge's partners in tourism.  You can join some families on their daily activities when harvesting bananas, coco and manioc, or maybe help prepare chicha, a traditional drink based on cooked and fermenting manioc.

River Islands
A phenomenon of fast-flowing rivers, unique to the Amazon, Napo River Islands are created by silt and fallen trees washed downstream during rainstorms in the Andes. If enough material builds up an island is formed (sometime even over night). Depending on the age of a given island, different colonizing plant species dominate, from grasses and shrubs to the point where the islands can support a forest. These islands support some animal species that can be found nowhere else. They are a fascinating addition to Amazonia’s peculiarities and can be visited if you so wish to do so.

Parrots and macaws have evolved with these trees, and have developed their own response to the toxins in the nuts. The answer lies in the clay. Certain minerals in the clay are able to neutralize the toxins in these nuts, and so parrots and macaws seek out deposits of this very special clay. Once a deposit is identified, parrots and macaws will come many miles to eat the clay. This allows them to eat more nuts, and in turn allows them to survive periods when the non-toxic nuts are not available.

We are fortunate to have this very special clay here within the Napo Wildlife Center Reserve Area (GPS waypoint file), and have discovered almost a dozen exposed areas of this clay within the Reserve. Blinds have been built at two of these clay licks to welcome visitors.

Saladero de Loros:
The blind nearest the Napo (Saladero de Loros) is typically visited by hundreds of individuals of Mealy Parrot, Yellow-crowned Parrot, Orange-winged Parrot, Blue-headed Parrot, Dusky-headed Parakeet, and an occasional White-eyed Parrot or Cobalt-winged Parakeet. The blind at this site is huge, with plenty of space for upwards of 30 guests at a time, and even includes a basic bathroom. Access is a simple 50m walk on a stable and slip-proof boardwalk.

Saladero de Pericos:
The blind in the forest (Saladero de Pericos) is typically visited by a thousand or more Cobalt-winged Parakeets. The noise is incredible! From late October through early April, hundreds of Orange-cheeked Parrots are also found in the mix, as are rarities such as the Scarlet-shouldered Parrotlet and occasional Scarlet and Red-and-Green macaws. It is almost certain that other small parakeets visit this clay lick, and new species for the region and Ecuador are just waiting to be discovered. [This is the site incorrectly listed as "La Selva" and "interior salado at La Selva" in The Birds of Ecuador (Ridgely and Greenfield, 2001)]. Access to this clay lick involves a 700m hike on an improved path with stairs and boardwalks where necessary. The blind itself will hold upwards of 20 guests and affords fantastic views. Birdwatchers will note that this is where one can find the famous "Manakin Trail" with 6 species of manakins.