Located on 40,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of untouched rainforest lies Sani Lodge, a unique Ecuador Eco lodge. Explores will experience a pristine rainforest gallery that is home of 1,500 species of trees, hundreds of climbing vines, and exotic flowers, as well as more than 550 species of tropical birds, 13 species of monkeys and 1,000 species of beautiful butterflies. It is the only place on the planet where 85% of the birdwatchers are able to see the Harpy Eagle. Sani Lodge is attended by its owners at all times; all profit are invest in the community in order to help improve healthcare, education & sustainable projects and guarantees that all visitors will have a Real Cultural Experience with the community.
Sani Lodge accommodates a maximum of 38 guests (at the cabins), emphasizing quality rather than quantity, and thereby offering more intimate experience with the amazon rainforest. The lodge itself consists of ten, private, thatch-roofed cabanas and 4 family size cabins, each with a private bathroom. The cabins are spaciously designed for double or triple occupancy, and have screened in windows to guard against insects while you sleep. Electric lights at the lodge run from ecologically friendly solar energy.
Sani Amazon
Sani Lodge Facilities
Accommodation:
Clustered on the shore of a remote black water lagoon are our newly constructed private, thatch-roofed cabañas. Each is equipped with single or double beds, electric lights, and modern bathrooms with showers. And since the facility is powered entirely by solar panels, there is no noisy generator to drown out the magical night sounds of the jungle.
Cabins:
Sani Lodge accommodates a maximum of 40 guests (at the cabins), emphasizing quality rather than quantity, and thereby offering you a more intimate experience with the rainforest. The lodge itself consists of ten, private, thatch-roofed cabanas, each with a modern bathroom. The cabanas are spaciously designed for double or triple occupancy, and have screened in windows to guard against insects while you sleep. Electric lights at the lodge run from ecologically friendly solar energy instead of a noisy generator, so the night sounds will be pure. Natural-oil lamps are als0 provided for those who appreciate that rustic feel.
Dining Room:
Our open-air dining room offers exquisite views of colourful sunsets over a beautiful lake. Every day, three exquisite meals are served for the delight of our guests. The call of a bamboo horn indicates that the food is ready.
Breakfast 6:00 am
Lunch 1:00 pm
Dinner 7:00 pm
Bar:
One of the most amazing spots for bird watching is just there, at our open-air bar. Relaxing at this rustic atmosphere is a trully unique experience. The bar opens from 7.00 am until 11.00 pm. Drinks, snacks, binoculars, games, books and an acoustic guitar are available, to make everything more pleasant for
ITINERARY 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS
Arrival at the lodge, welcome snacks and drinks / Introductory canoe ride or forest hike
Birdwatching Tree Tower
A short, ten minute walk through the forest will bring you to our 30m (100ft) tree tower, built around a giant, emergent Kapok tree. Looking out across the rainforest canopy at this level, gives you a unique perspective, opening up a whole new world of Amazon biodiversity that is often difficult, if not impossible to see. White-throated Toucan, and Bare-necked Fruitcrow, to name just a few, and if you have a little luck, you might even see Red Howler Monkeys asleep in the treetops.
Parrot clay lick (Yasuni National Park)
See parrots and parakeets from special viewing blinds within camera range! They come here mostly all mornings to eat the clay that aids in digestion of some of the unripe seeds and fruits they eat. The nearest blind is just at 50-meter from the river. Here you will see Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged and Blue-headed Parrots, as well as Dusky-headed and, occasionally, Cobalt-winged Parakeets. A second blind, reached by a 20-minute trail-hike through the forest, is typically visited by Cobalt-winged Parakeets, with Orange-cheeked Parrots.
A short, ten minute walk through the forest will bring you to our 30m (100ft) tree tower, built around a giant, emergent Kapok tree. Looking out across the rainforest canopy at this level, gives you a unique perspective, opening up a whole new world of Amazon biodiversity that is often difficult, if not impossible to see. White-throated Toucan, and Bare-necked Fruitcrow, to name just a few, and if you have a little luck, you might even see Red Howler Monkeys asleep in the treetops.
Parrot clay lick (Yasuni National Park)
See parrots and parakeets from special viewing blinds within camera range! They come here mostly all mornings to eat the clay that aids in digestion of some of the unripe seeds and fruits they eat. The nearest blind is just at 50-meter from the river. Here you will see Mealy Amazon, Yellow-crowned, Orange-winged and Blue-headed Parrots, as well as Dusky-headed and, occasionally, Cobalt-winged Parakeets. A second blind, reached by a 20-minute trail-hike through the forest, is typically visited by Cobalt-winged Parakeets, with Orange-cheeked Parrots.
Departure to the Chorongo Trail / 2-hour hike on the Swamp Trail
Chorongo Trail (and others...)
After a relaxing canoe ride to the end of the lake you will arrive at Chorongo Trail, whose Kichwa name means “Woolly Monkey”. This is our longest hike, leading you across muddy swamps on log bridges, through the dense-jungle of natural tree-fall gaps, and the under story shade of pristine, primary rainfores. Along the way you will learn about medicinal plants, taste native, edible fruits and insects and discover how to weave traditional palm-fiber bags. As for wildlife, if you walk quietly and are alert, it may be possible to see Giant Anteaters (with great luck), Black-Mantled Tamarin Monkeys, poison-dart frogs, and countless other surprises that the forest may hold in store for you. More trails are available ranging from easy to
After a relaxing canoe ride to the end of the lake you will arrive at Chorongo Trail, whose Kichwa name means “Woolly Monkey”. This is our longest hike, leading you across muddy swamps on log bridges, through the dense-jungle of natural tree-fall gaps, and the under story shade of pristine, primary rainfores. Along the way you will learn about medicinal plants, taste native, edible fruits and insects and discover how to weave traditional palm-fiber bags. As for wildlife, if you walk quietly and are alert, it may be possible to see Giant Anteaters (with great luck), Black-Mantled Tamarin Monkeys, poison-dart frogs, and countless other surprises that the forest may hold in store for you. More trails are available ranging from easy to
Birdwatch tower / Aguila Trail / Piranha Fishing
Fishing
If this activity is your hobby there are various places where you can practice it while you are at Sani lodge. These are: Pañacocha lagoon, Challuacocha lagoon, Napo river islands, and the small streams that take you to our diverse trails.
If this activity is your hobby there are various places where you can practice it while you are at Sani lodge. These are: Pañacocha lagoon, Challuacocha lagoon, Napo river islands, and the small streams that take you to our diverse trails.
Coto trail / Birdwatch tower / Caiman watching
Canoe the Challuayacu
Yacu is kichwa for stream, and from the Challua you will experience the rainforest in a whole new way. Sneak up on birds, amphibians, and other Amazon wildlife from a steady canoe paddled by an expert native guide and notice the difference in rainforest vegetation which grows along and overtop of the river. Caiman Watching - Whether from the bar with a pair of binoculars, or up close and personal in a canoe, you will be able to view the active and healthy Black Caiman population (a rare and endangered Amazon species) which resides in our lagoon.
Night Caiman Watching
Our black-water oxbow lake is one of the increasingly rare havens for the endangered Black Caiman, supporting a healthy population of these large, up to 5-meter long, crocodilians. After the sun sets, these non-aggressive and shy reptiles become active along the water’s edge, hunting fish, mammals, birds, even anacondas, and sometimes can be seen swimming lazily across the lake. Take a dugout canoe out onto the water at night, with the moon casting an eerie glow into the humid fog, the frogs and nightjars singing, and you will see the glowing red eyes of baby, juvenile, and adult caimans.
Night Hiking
Many animals stay hidden away for most of the day, depending on their cryptic colouration and camouflage to avoid detection, sleeping motionless in the canopy, or under rocks, logs and leaf-litter on the forest floor. But at night the forest comes alive with a myriad of insects beyond your wildest imagination, tree frogs ranging from the size of your fingernail to the size of your whole hand, and mammals such as Night Monkeys, various bat species, and Kinkajous. A hike through the Rainforest at night is an opportunity to discover the mysteries of what happens in the dark, hidden behind the shadows, in the deep recesses of the forest, where few dare to venture.
Bar Observation
Because the Challuacocha is such a superb place to observe birds and aquatic wildlife, it is possible to see Magpie Tanagers, Cocoi Herons, Amazon Umbrella birds, freshwater turtles, and maybe even an Anaconda or Black Caiman while enjoying a cocktail and relaxing in our lakeside bar.
Yacu is kichwa for stream, and from the Challua you will experience the rainforest in a whole new way. Sneak up on birds, amphibians, and other Amazon wildlife from a steady canoe paddled by an expert native guide and notice the difference in rainforest vegetation which grows along and overtop of the river. Caiman Watching - Whether from the bar with a pair of binoculars, or up close and personal in a canoe, you will be able to view the active and healthy Black Caiman population (a rare and endangered Amazon species) which resides in our lagoon.
Night Caiman Watching
Our black-water oxbow lake is one of the increasingly rare havens for the endangered Black Caiman, supporting a healthy population of these large, up to 5-meter long, crocodilians. After the sun sets, these non-aggressive and shy reptiles become active along the water’s edge, hunting fish, mammals, birds, even anacondas, and sometimes can be seen swimming lazily across the lake. Take a dugout canoe out onto the water at night, with the moon casting an eerie glow into the humid fog, the frogs and nightjars singing, and you will see the glowing red eyes of baby, juvenile, and adult caimans.
Night Hiking
Many animals stay hidden away for most of the day, depending on their cryptic colouration and camouflage to avoid detection, sleeping motionless in the canopy, or under rocks, logs and leaf-litter on the forest floor. But at night the forest comes alive with a myriad of insects beyond your wildest imagination, tree frogs ranging from the size of your fingernail to the size of your whole hand, and mammals such as Night Monkeys, various bat species, and Kinkajous. A hike through the Rainforest at night is an opportunity to discover the mysteries of what happens in the dark, hidden behind the shadows, in the deep recesses of the forest, where few dare to venture.
Bar Observation
Because the Challuacocha is such a superb place to observe birds and aquatic wildlife, it is possible to see Magpie Tanagers, Cocoi Herons, Amazon Umbrella birds, freshwater turtles, and maybe even an Anaconda or Black Caiman while enjoying a cocktail and relaxing in our lakeside bar.
Transfer to Coca and return to Quito
Native home
Visiting a native house is one of the most rewarding experiences, there you see how a typical kichwa family lives. Their food, drinks, customs, clothing and more will let you amaze of the culture of this community. The family of your native guide will welcome you into their world. One of the most important part of this visit is see how the family is self-sustainable.
Visiting a native house is one of the most rewarding experiences, there you see how a typical kichwa family lives. Their food, drinks, customs, clothing and more will let you amaze of the culture of this community. The family of your native guide will welcome you into their world. One of the most important part of this visit is see how the family is self-sustainable.