Yachana Lodge
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Yachana Lodge is an award-winning, Amazon ecotourism destination that inspires thousands of international and Ecuadorian visitors each year.
With a visit to the NEW Yachana Lodge, you'll be granted a window into the lives and environment of the people living in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador.
The NEW part refers to the completely rebuilt, upscale eco lodge's cabins with spectacular views of the Napo River located in Yachana's 2500 acre rainforest reserve.
Yachana's Non-Profit Mission
"Yachana" means "a place for learning" in the indigenous Kichwa language. Since 1995, the mission of the Yachana Foundation has been dedicated to finding sustainable solutions in the struggle between the ideals of rainforest preservation and the realities of life in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Yachana Lodge was created to be a source of financial support to projects of the Yachana Foundation and 100% of the proceeds from your visit will go to supporting the foundation's non-profit programs. Projects include education, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy and entrepreneurialism that benefit local indigenous and mestizo youth from the Amazon region.
2008 winner of the NatGeo Geotourism Challenge, is the best example of Geotourism with its unique focus on education and community development lode unparalleled in Ecuadorian Amazon.
Your visit to Yachana includes a wide range of services and amenities, including three delicious meals every day, satellite Internet and a gift shop. The lodge is the training facility for the young, Yachana Technical High School students in ecotourism who often assist lodge staff in providing you with the very best service, but also, a very human touch.
We also serve Yachana Jungle Chocolate in many forms at almost every meal that, needless to say, is a highlight for anybody who loves real chocolate! We can accommodate special dietary requirements if advised ahead of time.
FEATURES
Yachana Lodge offers first-rate accommodations and a wide range of amenities all in the midst of incredible natural beauty of the rainforest. The lodge's main building offers 18 comfortable rooms or cabins each with its own porch, which is perfect for appreciating the beauty of the Amazon as you relax in your hammock. Our Garden View rooms are nestled amid colorful flowering plants, and our River View rooms boast breathtaking vistas of the Napo River. Each room comes complete with a private bathroom, hot showers, and clean drinking water.
COMPLEMENTARY SERVICES
- Unlimited ozonized safe drinking water
- WiFi around lodge and in cabins
- Access to cell & conventional phone for emergency contact
- Laundry – wash and dry only
- Back-up generator assuring 24-hour electricity service
- Hot and cold running water in cabins
- Restaurant/Bar serving 3 meals a day
- Use of our rain ponchos and boots
- Transportation from Coca to the lodge
- Experiences unique and memorable to the area
ADDITIONAL SERVICES AT ADDED COST
- Specialized birding and naturalist guide
- Surface transportation via private car from/to main cities in Ecuador
- Support for groups, conventions, meetings
- Guide/translator French, German, Italian, other
- Coordination for voluntary activities
- Flights Quito to El Coca
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS ITINERARY
DAY 1
If you are flying to Yachana, you will be received at the Coca Airport and transferred by private car to our lodge. The drive will take about two hours, but be on the lookout for monkeys and a beautiful display of wildlife as you venture further into the Amazon landscape. When you arrive to Yachana, you will receive a warm welcome from our staff who will serve you a refreshing beverage and a snack while you are introduced to the lodge and the work of the foundation. That afternoon, you will explore our educational center and see the many working exhibits.
Dinner will be served at 7:00pm.
DAY 2
Your day starts early with bird watching in our open safari excursion truck. Breakfast will be served afterwards. You will then help make chocolate, starting with the cacao beans and prepare your lunch dessert using the chocolate. Lunch will be served at 12:30pm. After lunch, you take a motorized canoe to cross the Napo River to visit a local family and a traditional healer for a healing ceremony. You will learn and articipate in many of their customs from making and drinking chicha to practicing with a blowgun and spear.
Return to the lodge to relax and then dinner will be served at 7:00pm.
DAY 3
After a traditional breakfast, you will go to visit a local farm to see and harvest a variety of local produce and medicinal plants. You will then return to the Lodge and actually be involved in cooking your lunch. This is a continuation of our National Geographic Conservation Trust project to involve our visitors in the Lost Foods of the Amazon. In the afternoon you will have the opportunity to hike into our rainforest. The Foundation owns 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of which 80% is primary rainforest. After dinner, you will take a night walk to discover a different side of the rainforest life.
DAY 4
After breakfast you will take private transport for your departure to Coca where you can then take a flight to Quito.
*Please be aware that Lodge activities may vary in order due to weather conditions, but rest assured. Your guide will do everything possible to maintain the established itinerary whenever possible...
RATES 2021:
| 2021 YACHANA LODGE PRICES PER PERSON | |
| PROGRAM | DOUBLE |
| 3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS | US$ 270 |
| 4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS | US$ 390 |
| 5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS | US$ 490 |
INCLUDED:
- Accommodation double / triple basis
- Airport transfer in and out at Coca, by private car
- 3 daily meals; beverages with breakfast, lunch & dinner
- River transport for visits and activities, by motor canoe
- Guided excursions with bilingual guides
- Rubber boots, rain ponchos and lifejackets
- 10% donation to the Yachana Foundation to support its education and conservation programs in the Amazon
- Complimentary 24 hours Wi-Fi in room
- Unlimited ozonized water
NOT INCLUDED:
- Alcoholic / bottled beverages
- Tips
- Laundry
- Travel Insurance
