UPPER NAPO AREA – ITAMANDI LODGE

 
The Itamandi Lodge is located in the upper Napo area, at only a 5-hour drive by car and a short canoe ride away from Quito. The lodge is located along the Arajuno River into the secondary jungle, 45 minutes away from Tena, and is a great place to spend a short time in the jungle.

Itamandi Lodge offers 19 rooms and several public gathering spots, including a spacious dining room, an open-air bar and a pool. The 11 standard rooms are located in the main complex and have a private bathroom with hot shower. The 8 superior rooms are inspired by nature’s design: authentic, airy and comfortable, right next to the river. These rooms also have a balcony and a view over the river.

This tour can start on every day of the year with a minimum of 2 persons. Please note that you will be combined with other passengers for the activities and the itinerary is fixed. Several activities and excursions are available during your stay; for example a cultural visit to the Kichwa community, where you can enjoy folkloric dances by the local children, educational hikes through the forest, night walks, a visit to the parrot clay lick, floating down the Arajuno River on tubes, artisan production of chocolate and more!
 

ITINERARY

Day 1:

We start our Amazon tour at the Arajuno Bridge, where we will take a motorized canoe that goes upriver for 20 minutes through the tropical forest to Itamandi Lodge. On this boat trip, you can appreciate the magic and beauty of the Amazon rainforest traveling along a river that flows in a zigzag through the jungle like a giant snake. Once we get to the pier area of the Itamandi Lodge, the staff will welcome you. From there we will continue to relax in the lounge with a fresh tropical snack and a brief briefing that will contain the general information about the accommodation and activities, provided by one of our naturalist guides. In the evening we will do a night walk, which allows you to hear and see the nocturnal sounds of bats, owls, insects, tarantulas and frogs. If the sky is clear, we might have the opportunity to observe a lot of stars.

Accommodation: Itamandi Lodge
Meals included: -/Lunch/Dinner

Day 2:

After breakfast we will do a hike through the primary and secondary forest. This activity lasts about 2.5 - 3 hours. In the afternoon it is time to enjoy a cultural activity. An Amazonian Kichwa community will receive us and teach us about their way of life and the interaction they have with the forest. Part of our visit to the community is to share the famous "chicha", a fermented cassava beverage that has become part of their holiday and daily consumption. We will participate in the preparation of this drink and try some of the traditional dishes. We will finish the visit with a traditional dance made by the children of the community and also have time to buy some handicrafts made by the indigenous people of the area.

Accommodation: Itamandi Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Day 3:

We take the canoe for about 40 minutes to visit the "Anaconda Island", where we can observe the prehistoric bird "hoatzin", wooly monkeys and squirrel monkeys. We also will visit a family in one of the indigenous communities to learn about their cultivation habits, medicinal plants and the ancestral form of hunting with blowguns and handmade traps in the forest. After lunch we will visit Amazoonico, a rescue center for animals of the Amazon. You can observe a wide variety of monkeys, macaws, ocelots, capybara and toucans in their natural habitat at close range.

Accommodation: Itamandi Lodge
Meals included: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Day 4:

Early in the morning we take a canoe ride for 15 minutes upriver to visit the parrot clay lick, which is a unique place where parrots and parakeets meet in order to get the minerals that will help them digest the fruits or seeds they have consumed. Parrots and parakeets will approach the treetops and then descend to the clay wall to eat this mineral-rich soil. It is essential to have binoculars to enjoy this magnificent natural act. We will then return to the lodge to have breakfast. After breakfast we will take the motorized canoe ride for 20 minutes back to the Arajuno Bridge, where the tour ends.

Accommodation: -
Meals included: Breakfast/-/-



• 3 day / 2 night tour:

Standard rooms:
- USD 245 p.p. (based on double, triple, family accommodation)
- USD 318 p.p. (based on single accommodation)

Superior rooms:
- USD 285 p.p. (based on double, triple, family accommodation)
- USD 370 p.p. (based on single accommodation)

• 4 day / 3 night tour:

Standard rooms:
- USD 350 p.p. (based on double, triple, family accommodation)
- USD 455 p.p. (based on single accommodation)

Superior rooms:
- USD 410 p.p. (based on double, triple, family accommodation)
- USD 533 p.p. (based on single accommodation)

• Children under 12 years receive a 25% discount

• Accommodation with private bathroom
• Transportation Arajuno Bridge - Itamandi Lodge - Arajuno Bridge
• All meals (breakfast-lunch-dinner) from lunch on the first day to breakfast on the final day
• Activities and excursions (shared)
• English speaking native guide
• Life jackets and rubber boots (sizes 36 to 44)

Transportation from Quito to the Arajuno Bridge (near Tena) and back to Quito
Entrance fees (USD 10 p.p. - community - AmaZOOnico)
Meals before and after the tour
Beverages
• Tips
Personal expenses

• Prices for 2025 are subject to change.
• The tour can start on every day with a minimum of 2 persons.
• The itinerary is a fixed itinerary.
• Please note that you will be combined with other passengers for the activities.
• Private transfer Quito - Aragon Bridge  (one way): 1 – 4 passengers: USD 190 / 5 – 9 passengers: USD 295.
• The visit to the parrot clay lick depends on the weather conditions.
• Please note the first and last days are basically travel days. On the first day you will arrive around 1 PM to the lodge where you will have lunch and do an evening activity. On the last day you will leave after breakfast to start your trip back to Quito.
• Any mention to specific wildlife in the itinerary or trip details is not a guarantee that it will be seen during the trip.
• The operator reserves the right to change the itinerary without previous notice due to weather, National Park regulations or notifications and unforeseeable circumstances.
• For tours in the Upper Napo Area we mostly work with Itamandi Lodge, but we also can help you with tours staying at Hamadryade Lodge, Suchipakari Lodge, Hakuna Matata Lodge, La Casa del Suizo, etc. Please contact us for more information.



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