A beautiful place created for those who love nature and want to Experience something unique in the Amazon Jungle.
Through these pages we want to share with you the wonders offered by the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest and invite you to enjoy an unforgettable journey.
We invite you to learn about The Jungle, its animal, plant and human inhabitants.
This unique place will surely take you away from the routine, as you explore the amazing forests of the “Lungs of the Earth”.
As a joint ecotourism initiative of the Kichwa indigenous Community of the Chontayacu River this project emerged from humble beginnings.
In 1995, the first cabins were built where the actual cabins stand now, providing employrnent opportunities through nature-based tourism. A much-needed economic alternative to logging or oil exploitation.
Facilities:
The tourist development of Yacuma comprises two areas:
The first one consists of a group of 10 “cabañas” (bungalows) built in the tradi- tional Amazon-style, made from rainforest materials harvested in a sustainable manner and combined with modern materials which can be easily replaced and maintained if necessary.
Other facilities:
* Gift Shop: T-shirts, caps, handcraft items from the local community.
*
Bar with wine, beer and soft drinks available.
* 10 kilometers of trails within Yacuma Reserve traverse the different forest habi- tats that surround the Ecolodge.
* 4 kayaks are available for the guests, and two motorized dug-out canoes with capacity for 12 passengers.
ACTIVITIES:
Guided nature hikes
Local guides give expert interpretation as eco-tourists traverse the varied forest habitats of the Yacuma Forest Reserve.
There are over 80 Km of trails to choose from, where visitors will learn about medi-cinal fruits and exotic plants. Hikes can be done during the day.
Bird Watching
Over 160 bird species live in the vicinity of Yacuma Reserve.
Expert local guides easily identify their songs and calls.
Wildlife viewing
Eco-tourists with some luck may have a glimpse at some of the wildlife that inhabits the area such as monkeys, capybaras, wild pigs, to name a few. It is very important to know that it is quite diffi- cult to observe larger animals as an everyday struggle to survive keeps them shy and distant from people, especially when there is a lot of noise.
Canoe trips, Kayaking, and fishing
Eco-tourists can enjoy canoe trips, kayaking and fishing opportuni- ties in the natural Yacuma lagoon. Do not miss the opportunity to catch a piranha!
Swimming and relaxing
After a day of hiking we can have the opportunity to enjoy a refreshing swim in the Chontayacu or Napo River, or simply relax in a hammock while listening to the sounds of the forest.
SERVICES
Staff
Our friendly staff form the backbone of the Yacuma ecolodge experience, and are always available to cater to any special needs you may have.
Bar
Beer and wine
Enjoy a cold beer
or glass of wine along with your meals.
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-fi is enjoy wi-fi capabilities
throughout the entire lodge
Coffe and Bar
Sustainably
sourced coffee and locally sourced fruits for smoothies
and juices are expertly prepared to order by our baristas
Boots & Ponchos
Clean and disinfected bubber boots and rain ponchos are available for all of our guests at the Lodge, free of charge.
Water
Purified, safe drinking water is available at multiple points around the Lodge – there’s no need to bring your own bottled water.
Restaurant
All the food in the Lodge is local, contributing to the economy of the area and reducing the impact of importing products. We offer vegetarian or vegan diets, and we take all precautions with restrictions of any kind.
Rooms
The Bungalow cabins are non-smoking rooms - Suites - Rooms for families, built in the traditional Amazonian style, made with materials from the rainforest, combined with modern materials.
YAKU
The spirit of Water
3 DAYS / 2 NIGHTS
BOOK NOW
Our Guide will be waiting for you in the city of Tena, the Capital of the Province. From here, we will drive for approximately one hour and a half more until we reach the community of Santa Rosa, a small jungle town located in the banks of the Napo River, one of the main effluents of the great Amazon River.
We will get a chance to buy the last required things at the local shop (batteries, candy, snacks, etc.) before hopping in the motorized canoe to head deep into the Yacuma Natural Reserve. A 20–30-minute boat ride on the Napo River will take you to the mouth of the small Chontayacu River, where Yacuma EcoLodge is located. Depending on the time of the year and the amount of water running through the rivers, the boat ride can turn into a fun activity, as collectively, we all
push the canoe through sand banks and upriver to get to the lodge or we also will need to walk on the riverbanks.
The Yacuma Forest Reserve totals 300 hectares (275 are Primary Rainforest), bordering the Chontayacu River next to the cabins and going deep into the jungle surrounding the cabins. This natural heaven will be your home for the next few days, as you explore and connect with nature and the communities of the jungle.
At the lodge, you will be welcomed with a glass of the traditional beverage called “Guayusa”. This tasty beverage has a lot of caffeine and vitamins in much larger concentration than coffee, making it an ideal drink for the morning to have a very productive day in the jungle. After a short welcome talk, you will be taken into your comfortable traditional style bungalows. Solar panels provide hot water in the showers, as well as ambient lighting for the night.
After a short rest, we will have a short navigation to the “hidden Lagoon”, where we will do a canoe ride for bird watching in their natural surroundings and where we will observe several species of birds such as: King Fishers (martin pescador), Great Egrets (garzas de río), Great Blue Herons (garzas reales), and perhaps one of
the strangest and interesting birds of the amazon, the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoatzin), that have a blue face and a punk-hairdo. The smell is quite pungent, giving it by the local indigenous the nickname of the stinky bird.
We will go back to the lodge, for dinner, and if everyone feels in good condition a night walk for about 30 to 40 minutes can also be arranged after dinner.
Included meals: Dinner.
Yacuma EcoLodge and the Forest Reserve:
After breakfast, we begin a hike deep in the primary jungle of the Yacuma forest reserve. For this activity we have various alternatives. The first is a short, 1 to 2 hours walk in which the native guide will show us various species of birds, medicinal plants, and their usage in shamanic healing rituals, and if we are lucky perhaps, we will see wild animals such as monkeys, tapirs, or capybaras.
A second alternative of 3 to 4 hours across streams and different types of terrain, will take us through various species of trees and many species of plants used for healing as well as food and shelter within the deep primary rainforest.
Lots of birdlife can be observed io this walk, and with some luck, we will also be able to observe some very interesting mammals from the deep jungle such as monkeys, rodents, etc.
Exploring the primary rainforest is a very gratifying and fulfilling experience for all travelers.
We return to the lodge for lunch, and after a short rest we will visit the home of one of the members of the Kichwa Chontayacu community, where we can appreciate their simple and calm lifestyle. During the walk travelers can learn interact and observe the various crops that grow within the jungle of secondary forests of The Napo Basin. Crops such as Coffee, Bananas, cacao, cassava, papaya, pineapple and oranges are some of the locally produced agricultural products that provide sustenance for the inhabitants of the jungle.
Visitors can also observe and buy the locally produced handicraft such as vases, small pots, necklaces, bracelets and many more beautiful crafts. The traditional Chicha drink will also be explained and passed around for everyone to try.
If time permits, we will do some fun water-based activities such as kayaking or tubing in the river. Conversely, we can head back to camp and have a nice bonfire with music and enjoyment after dinner.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Note: the lodge has 4 kayaks available for this activity; each has space for 2 people.
For those interested in bird watching, an early start is offered to catch the different species of birdlife rising for the day. At 6:00 am we will start a 20 minutes’ walk to a viewpoint from where we can observe dozens of parrots arriving to the “Collpa” (Parrots Clay Lick), an impressive view of the amazo jungle wildlife event.
Return to the lodge for breakfast and then we say goodbye to our friends and board our canoe to go back to Santa Rosa village from wherem you will travel back to Tena and head along with your Ecuador adventure.
Included meals: Breakfast
BROMELIA
Blooming under the canopy
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
BOOK NOW
Our Guide will be waiting for you in the city of Tena, the Capital of the Province. From here, we will drive for approximately one hour and a half more until we reach the community of Santa Rosa, a small jungle town located in the banks of the Napo River, one of the main effluents of the great Amazon River.
We will get a chance to buy the last required things at the local shop (batteries, candy, snacks, etc.) before hopping in the motorized canoe to head deep into the Yacuma Natural Reserve. A 20–30-minute boat ride on the Napo River will take you to the mouth of the small Chontayacu River, where Yacuma Ecolodge is located. Depending on the time of the year and the amount of water running through the rivers, the boat ride can turn into a fun activity, as collectively, we all push the canoe through sand banks and upriver to get to the lodge or we also will need to walk on the riverbanks.
The Yacuma Forest Reserve totals 300 hectares (275 are Primary Rainforest), bordering the Chontayacu River next to the cabins, and going deep into the jungle surrounding the cabins. This natural heaven will be your home for the next few days, as you explore and connect with nature and the communities of the jungle.
At the lodge, you will be welcomed with a glass of the traditional beverage called “Guayusa”. This tasty beverage has a lot of caffeine and vitamins in much larger concentration than coffee, making it an ideal drink for the morning to have a very productive day in the jungle. After a short welcome talk, you will be taken into your comfortable traditional style bungalows. Solar panels provide hot water in the showers, as well as ambient lighting for the night.
After a short rest, we will have a short navigation to the “hidden Lagoon”, where we will do a short hike ideal for bird watching in their natural surroundings and where we will observe several species of birds such as: King Fishers (martin pescador), Great Egrets (garzas de río), Great Blue Herons (garzas reales), and perhaps one of the strangest and interesting birds of the amazon, the Hoatzin
(Opisthocomus hoatzin), that have a blue face and a punk-hairdo. The smell is quite pungent, giving it by the local indigenous the nickname of the stinky bird.
We will go back to the lodge, for dinner, and if everyone feels in good condition a night walk for about 30 to 40 minutes can also be arranged after dinner.
Included meals: Dinner
After a nice hearty breakfast, we will begin a hike deep in the primary jungle of the Yacuma forest reserve. For this activity we have various alternatives. The first alternative is a short 1 to 2 hours walk in which the native guide will show us various species of birds, medicinal plants, and their usage in shamanic healing rituals, and if we are lucky perhaps, we will see wild animals such as monkeys, tapirs, or capybaras.
A second alternative of 3 to 4 hours across streams and different types of terrain will take us through various species of trees and many species of plants used for healing as well as food and shelter within the deep primary rainforest.
Lots of birdlife can be observed io this walk, and with some luck, we will also be able to observe some very interesting mammals from the deep jungle such as monkeys, rodents, etc. Exploring the primary rainforest is a very gratifying and fulfilling experience for all travelers.
We will return to the lodge for a delicious lunch, and after resting for a short period, we will visit the home of one of the members of the Kichwa Chontayacu community, where we can appreciate their simple and calm lifestyle. During the walk travelers can learn interact and observe the various crops that grow within the jungle of secondary forests of The Napo Basin. Crops such as Coffee, Bananas, cacao, cassava, papaya, pineapple and oranges are some of the locally produced agricultural products that provide sustenance for the inhabitants of the jungle.
Visitors can also observe and buy the locally produced handicraft such as vases, small pots, necklaces, bracelets and many more beautiful crafts. The traditional Chicha drink will also be explained and passed around for everyone to try.
If time permits, we will do some fun water-based activities such as kayaking or tubing in the river. Conversely, we can head back to camp and have a nice bonfire with music and enjoyment after dinner.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Note: the lodge has 4 kayaks available for this activity; each has space for 2 people.
Chontayacu, the small river that flows next to the cabins, gives the name to the local Kichwa community that work in the Lodge. This river has a beautiful waterfall upstream that we will visit this day. This 3-hour jungle hike will take us across beautiful amazon landscapes and into the waterfall, as we ascend through difficult and complex jungle terrain. We will be able to hear the amazing calls of the “Oropendola” bird, as it tends to its nets hanging from the trees like drops of water.
We will go through secondary and primary forest, viewing species of tree life that is very useful for the communities. After we get to the waterfall we return to the lodge for lunch and a well-deserved rest, after which we will go down to the river to learn the traditional ways of gold panning in the river.
This fun activity will be followed by a lesson in the usage of the blow gun, as well as the creation of Chocolate with locally grown beans. We will get to produce a very fresh and high-quality cup of hot chocolate. We will enjoy a nice farewell
dinner and a night bonfire to relax.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For those interested in bird watching, an early start is offered to catch the different species of birdlife rising for the day. At 6:00 am we will start a 20 minutes’ walk to a viewpoint close to the lodge to observe dozens of parrots arriving to the “Collpa” (Parrots Clay Lick), an impressive view of the amazon jungle wildlife event. We will return to the lodge for breakfast and after that we will say goodbye to our friends and board our canoe to go back to Santa Rosa village from where you will travel back to Tena and head along with your Ecuador adventure.
Included meal: Breakfast.
KILLA
Moon Goddess of the Night
5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS
BOOK NOW
Our Guide will be waiting for you in the city of Tena, the Capital of the Province. From here, we will drive for approximately one hour and a half more until we reach the community of Santa Rosa, a small jungle town located in the banks of the Napo River, one of the main effluents of the great Amazon River.
We will get a chance to buy the last required things at the local shop (batteries, candy, snacks, etc.) before hopping in the motorized canoe to head deep into the Yacuma Natural Reserve. A 20–30-minute boat ride on the Napo River will take you to the mouth of the small Chontayacu River, where Yacuma Ecolodge is located. Depending on the time of the year and the amount of water running through the rivers, the boat ride can turn into a fun activity, as collectively, we all
push the canoe through sand banks and upriver to get to the lodge or we also will need to walk on the riverbanks.
The Yacuma Forest Reserve totals 300 hectares (275 are Primary Rainforest), bordering the Chontayacu River next to the cabins, and going deep into the jungle surrounding the cabins. This natural heaven will be your home for the next few days, as you explore and connect with nature and the communities of the jungle.
At the lodge, you will be welcomed with a glass of the traditional beverage called “Guayusa”. This tasty beverage has a lot of caffeine and vitamins in much larger concentration than coffee, making it an ideal drink for the morning to have a very productive day in the jungle. After a short welcome talk, you will be taken into your comfortable traditional style bungalows.
Solar panels provide hot water in the showers, as well as ambient lighting for the night.
After a short rest, we will have a short navigation to the “hidden Lagoon”, where we will do a short hike ideal for bird watching in their natural surroundings and where we will observe several species of birds such as: King Fishers (martin Pescador), Great Egrets (garzas de río), Great Blue Herons (garzas reales), and perhaps one of the strangest and interesting birds of the amazon, the Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoatzin), that have a blue face and a punk-hairdo. The smell is quite pungent, giving it by the local indigenous the nickname of the stinky bird.
We will go back to the lodge, for dinner, and if everyone feels in good condition a night walk for about 30 to 40 minutes can also be arranged after dinner.
Included meals: Dinner
After a nice hearty breakfast, we will begin a hike deep in the primary jungle of the Yacuma forest reserve. For this activity we have various alternatives.
The first alternative is a short 1 to 2 hours walk in which the native guide will show us various species of birds, medicinal plants, and their usage in shamanic healing rituals, and if we are lucky perhaps, we will see wild animals such as monkeys, tapirs, or capybaras.
A second alternative of 3 to 4 hours across streams and different types of terrain will take us through various species of trees and many species of plants used for healing as well as food and shelter within the deep primary rainforest. Lots of birdlife can be observed io this walk, and with some luck, we will also be able to observe some very interesting mammals from the deep jungle such as monkeys, rodents, etc. Exploring the primary rainforest is a very gratifying and fulfilling experience for all travelers.
We will return to the lodge for a delicious lunch, and after resting for a short period, we will visit the home of one of the members of the Kichwa Chontayacu community, where we can appreciate their simple and calm lifestyle. During the walk travelers can learn interact and observe the various crops that grow within the jungle of secondary forests of The Napo Basin. Crops such as Coffee, Bananas, cacao, cassava, papaya, pineapple, and oranges are some of the locally produced agricultural products that provide sustenance for the inhabitants of the jungle.
Visitors can also observe and buy the locally produced handicraft such as vases, small pots, necklaces, bracelets, and many more beautiful crafts. The traditional Chicha drink will also be explained and passed around for everyone to try.
If time permits, we will do some fun water-based activities such as kayaking or tubing in the river.
Conversely, we can head back to camp and have a nice bonfire with music and enjoyment after dinner.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Note: the lodge has 4 kayaks available for this activity; each has space for 2 people.
After a nice hearty breakfast, we will begin a hike deep in the Jungle near the “Rio Bueno where we are going to spending all the day learning about the different animals, plant and in special watching the birds and some species unique in this area of the Jungle, to recover our energies of this fascinating hike in the jungle we are are going to eat a traditional box lunch or also called “Cucayo” for the kichwas communities.Then we will continue to other fascinating activity at the jungle and we will have the opportunity to catch a piranha. After all these activities we are going to return at Yacuma Ecolodge to rest and an enjoy a nice dinner.
Included meals: Breakfast, box lunch, and dinner.
Chontayacu, the small river that flows next to the cabins, gives the name to the local Kichwa community that work in the Lodge. This river has a beautiful waterfall upstream that we will visit this day. This 3-hour jungle hike will take us across beautiful amazon landscapes and into the waterfall, as we ascend through difficult and complex jungle terrain. We will be able to hear the amazing calls of the “Oropendola” bird, as it tends to its nets hanging from the trees like drops of water.
We will go through secondary and primary forest, viewing species of tree life that is very useful for the communities. After we get to the waterfall we return to the lodge for lunch and a well-deserved rest, after which we will go down to the river to learn the traditional ways of gold panning in the river. This fun activity will be followed by a lesson in the usage of the blow gun, as well as the creation of Chocolate with locally grown beans. We will get to produce a very fresh and high-quality cup of hot chocolate. We will enjoy a nice dinner and a night bonfire to relax.
Included meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
For those interested in bird watching, an early start is offered to catch the different species of birdlife rising for the day. At 6:00 am we will start a 20 minutes’ walk to a viewpoint close to the lodge to observe dozens of parrots arriving to the “Collpa” (Parrots Clay Lick), an impressive view of the amazon jungle wildlife event. We will return to the lodge for breakfast and after that we will say goodbye to our friends and board our canoe to go back to Santa Rosa village from where you will travel back to Tena and head along with your Ecuador adventure.
Included meals: Breakfast.
CABINS BUNGALOWS
The first consists of a group of 10 “cabins” (bungalows) built in the traditional Amazonian style, made with sustainably harvested rainforest materials.
way and combined with modern materials that can be easily replacedand maintained if necessary.
- Electricity
- Mosquito nets
- Private bathroom.
- Showers and toilets.
- The water is supplied by a nearby spring, ensuring purity and closeness.
- Hot water provided by solar photovoltaic
ALL RATES ARE PER PERSON
