Tag Archives: Ecuador

Lodge Review: Napo Wildlife Center, Ecuador

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When you are visiting the Ecuadorian Amazon area including Yasuni National Park via Coca you will be in a very remote area so choosing the right eco-lodge is very important.  After I researched all the options, I decided on Napo Wildlife Center because of the birding opportunities and the fact that they own the land the parrot clay licks are located on.  I also like that the lodge is run by the local Anangu tribe so all the profits go back into the community.

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After the long journey down the river, it’s very exciting to get your first glimpse of the lodge, it’s spectacular!DSCN1673

We were greeted with a cool towel & glass of juice by the friendly bartender.DSCN2083 DSCN1674

Then we walked upstairs to the main lodge and were given an orientation to the property.

Pro Tip:  Buy the booklet “Birds & Common Mammals of Napo Wildlife Center” right away.  I would even ask the guide on the boat to set one aside for you.  They tend to sell out.  I didn’t realize this so I didn’t put up a fight when one man from our boat grabbed the booklet shown as an example and I almost didn’t get one but luckily a new supply came a few days later.  It’s an excellent little book for $20 with pics of all the birds to help you identify all the photos you will take.DSCN1675 DSCN1676

Delicious welcome drinks and snacks!DSCN1677 DSCN1678

Our cabin was fairly close to the main lodge.DSCN1680

It’s a gorgeous little cabin with beautiful furnishings!DSCN1679 DSCN1681 DSCN1682 DSCN1683 DSCN1686 DSCN1687 DSCN1691

We had a nice deck overlooking the garden down to the river.DSCN1689 DSCN1690 DSCN1705

As dusk approaches, they light up the buildings.DSCN1692

They have a small gift shop at the lodge and more handicrafts are available at the village which you visit on clay lick day.DSCN1693 DSCN1694 DSCN1695

Library with bird guide books.DSCN1700

The first day we saw a film about NWC and the local community.DSCN1699

Stairs leading to the observation tower.DSCN1696

All meals are served buffet style with a couple main choices, veggies, rice and a dessert.DSCN1701 DSCN1702 DSCN1703 DSCN1704

Blue lights at night.DSCN1697 DSCN1698

Map of the whole property.DSCN1896 DSCN1897

The views from the top of the lodge’s canopy tower.  They even have an elevator so you don’t have to walk up the stairs!DSCN1898 DSCN1899 DSCN1900

We booked a 4 day/3 night package minus the flights as I used Avianca Lifemiles to get to Coca and the bus when we left.  This ends up being only 2 full days in the lodge as both the first day and last day are taken up by traveling down the river.  It’s still not cheap and came to just over $600 a night for the 2 of us but it did include everything except drinks, tips, internet, laundry & shopping.  Credit cards are accepted for everything except the tips.

Since we were traveling independently but unable to afford a private guide, we were put with several others and assigned a naturalist guide-Lena, local guide-Vladimir and a canoe paddler.  We were the only dedicated birders in our group so this did result in a few compromises as the guides attempted to keep birders and non-birders happy.  For example on the clay lick day it was raining lightly which usually keeps the parakeets away but I wanted to try anyways since we wouldn’t get another chance whereas the others wanted to spend more time on cultural activities so Lena took the others and had Vladimir take me and my husband to the 2nd clay lick.  The guides are all superb and highly skilled at spotting and identifying birds and other wildlife.

We aren’t big drinkers, so we didn’t use the bar at all.  Drinking water is provided in a few places and they give you refillable bottles to carry with you on the excursions.

They supply boots and rain ponchos if weather requires them.  We both have huge feet so struggled to find boots that fit.  I finally gave up and used my own boots.  I didn’t care if they got muddy and/or ruined as I planned to chuck them out anyways after the trip.

Be prepared for very early wake up calls.  This is nothing new for birders but came as a bit of a shock to a few non-birders!  Breakfast is served before you head out, around 5am so I was setting my alarm for 4am just so my stomach would have woken up enough to tolerate food!

The food was pretty good and they did accommodate my request for non-spicy food in at least one of the choices.  The fruit juices were really good!

Since we are on a tight budget, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience but was well worth it for the many birds we got to see!

Trip Advisor Reviews

Napo Wildlife Center – Getting There Is Half The Fun

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Visiting the eco-lodges in the Ecuadorian Amazon & Yasuni National Park involves a journey of several hours down the Napo River.  You begin at Coca and the first part is on a wide section of the river so you don’t see any wildlife but it’s still an interesting trip.  The guides give a safety briefing and point out the sights along the way.  Our bilingual naturalist guide was Lena and she did a fantastic job of spotting wildlife.

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We encountered a storm about an hour into the trip and plastic covers were lowered to protect us from the rain.DSCN1620

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Everyone gets a small pouch with a few snacks inside.DSCN1617 DSCN1618 DSCN1624 DSCN1625 DSCN1626 IMG_3843

This is the transit area where you change from the motorized boats to the smaller paddleboats.  There are restrooms and you can stretch you legs.  From here, it’s about 90 minutes-ish to Napo Wildlife Center depending on how many stops along the way to see wildlife.DSCN1627 DSCN1628 DSCN1629 DSCN1631 DSCN1632

PaddleboatsDSCN1633 DSCN1634 DSCN1635

We saw lots of spider monkeys along the way.DSCN1639 DSCN1645 IMG_3850a IMG_3863

Lots of birds too!  My bird checklist on eBird.IMG_3887a IMG_3895a IMG_3899a IMG_3902

Here you can see the “black water” of the Anangu Creek.DSCN1651

Caiman lying in wait!DSCN1648

I was really excited to see Hoatzins!  These cool-looking birds are called “stinky chickens” by the locals which doesn’t do justice to these awesome birds.DSCN1655 DSCN1654 DSCN1656 DSCN1666 IMG_3891a

Double-toothed KiteDSCN1669 IMG_3901

A lizard, well-spotted by our guide.DSCN1662

Even though the journey was interesting, we were happy to see Napo Wildlife Center come into view, the seats in the paddleboats aren’t the most comfortable.DSCN1667 DSCN1668

Planning A Birding Trip To Yasuni National Park, Ecuador

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For any birder, the Yasuni National Park is a MUST when you visit Ecuador for it’s amazing biodiversity and stunning parrot clay licks.  The good news – you will see lots of birds!  The bad news – it won’t be cheap!  The main birding lodges are only accessible by river and each lodge has its own boat so you need a package that includes your accommodation, transfers and full board as there is no where else to eat out there.  You can’t get to any of the lodges my road or by public transport.  You may see cheaper “backpacker” packages advertised but they won’t be to the Yasuni National Park and you won’t see as many birds nor visit the clay licks.  Those packages are more for people who just want a “jungle experience”.  First you need to get to Coca, the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon.

There is a nice map and overview on Birds in Ecuador website.  I have highlighted the lodge we stayed at – Napo Wildlife Center and the approximate location of the clay licks.

Yasuni

There is one way to save a bit of money.  You can use Avianca Lifemiles to pay for the flight from Quito to Coca which is a bargain at only 3000 miles.  Most lodges and tour operators will quote a package including this flight so be sure to ask for the price without the flights.  I also recommend going back to Quito by bus and stopping at some other lodges like WildSumaco, Cabanas San Isidro and Guango Lodge so in that case just redeem your one way flight.  I’ll be reviewing those lodges in turn as this report progresses.

CHOOSING A LODGE

You really can’t go wrong with the ones that are near the parrot clay licks.  There isn’t a huge difference in price between them and bear in mind that only Napo Wildlife Center includes both parrot clay licks in the price of their package although other lodges can go there with an entry fee of $15 per person (2016).  You can use travel agents to compare costs and see if there are any special deals going on but note that the clay licks are far less active in the rainy season.  Here is an example of a travel agency I found by Googling.  They have packages to all the lodges and you can see the different prices.  The ones that are cheaper aren’t in the Yasuni National Park where you can visit the clay licks.

This is probably going to be the most expensive part of your trip to Ecuador unless you also do a Galapagos cruise so I suggest taking a lot of time and doing your homework.  Look at each lodge’s website and email them to see if they have any specials going on.  Check travel agencies too.  Also make sure they quote without the Quito-Coca flights if you are using miles.  Make sure you can pay with a credit card, it’s a lot of points as a travel related charge on a Citi Thank You Premier or a Chase Sapphire Preferred!

Napo Wildlife Center

Yasuni Kichwa Ecolodge Tour – this is a sister lodge to NWC and is located in the Anangu village.  We visited the village for lunch on the parrot clay lick day and I found out that they have accommodation that is cheaper than NWC and you are actually closer to the clay licks.  I recommend trying to get a package that gives you a couple days in each location as NWC is closer to the canopy tower so you can have the best of both worlds!

Sacha Lodge

La Selva

Sani Lodge

The main things you want to know besides the price is to make sure they will give you a naturalist guide who knows the birds very well and it’s a good idea to make sure the guide will have a scope.  Our guide had one and it made a huge difference to seeing some species in the distance while on top of the canopy tower.

If you are a single or couple, you will be grouped with the other people who arrive with you that same day and assigned a guide.  This worked out well for us as we had excellent guides who found lots of birds and mammals.  It could have gone wrong if there had been small kids in the group who would make noise and scare the birds.  I did see a family with 2 small kids on the dock as we were boarding and I was hugely relieved when they got onto another boat!

If your finances allow, the lodges can also arrange a private guide that will concentrate on what you want to see.  This could come in handy if the other people get bored with birds and want to move on before you have finished watching the birds.  You would be able to spend as much time with the birds you want to watch.

Whatever you do, just GO to the Ecuadorian Amazon, it will be a highlight of your trip!

Coca – Gateway To The Ecuadorian Amazon

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A trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon will be one of the highlights of any birder’s trip to Ecuador!  Since Ecuador is a relatively small country, it is especially easy to get to.  Most package tourists will have flights from Quito to Coca built in to their Amazon package but you can save a couple hundred dollars if you use miles for this route.  Avianca Lifemiles only charges 3000 Lifemiles each way which is a fantastic deal!  You can also reach Coca by bus, its about a 6 hour journey straight through but there are interesting stops along the way.  In the map below, Coca is in the middle, the purple line on the right indicates where the eco-lodges are in Yasuni National Park like Napo Wildlife Center.  You can also see my recommended stops for the journey back – Wawa Sumaco for Wildsumaco, Cosanga for Cabanas San Isidro and that purple dot indicating Guango Lodge which is on the highway but not near a town.

Ecuadorian Amazon

The Aerogal plane which is what you will be on if you use Lifemiles is a small one but it’s only a 35-40 minute flight.

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We didn’t have checked bags but if you do, they are brought to this window.DSCN1602

If you are being picked up by your tour operator, they will have a sign with your name on it.  Otherwise, just get a $3 taxi to the La Mision Hotel.DSCN1603

Driving through the town of Coca.  Not really much here to look at so we didn’t jump out anywhere.DSCN1604 DSCN2105 DSCN2104 DSCN2103 DSCN1605 DSCN1606

Some nice bird art on a building.DSCN1607 DSCN2102

This is the car park of La Mision Hotel and where you get the river boats that take you to your lodge.DSCN1609 DSCN1610 DSCN1611

If you are on the early flight, I suggest getting breakfast here and asking for the wifi password to kill time.  Some lodges do have wifi but it isn’t cheap so be prepared to be unplugged for your adventure!  Let the hotel staff know which lodge you are booked with, everyone knows everyone and they will tell your guide that you are waiting in the restaurant when he/she arrives.  They start arriving around 9:30ish.DSCN1612

Typical river boat that the lodges use.DSCN1613 DSCN1614

View of the La Mision Hotel as our boat pulled away from the pier.DSCN1615 DSCN1616

When you are ready to leave Coca, get a taxi to the bus station on the outskirts of town.  If you are going to Wildsumaco, you can use a bus that is headed to either Quito or Tena.

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For Wildsumaco Lodge, have the driver let you out at the road to Pacto Sumaco and call them so they know when to pick you up.  It’s a long walk up hill so you do need a ride.  Details will be in my report on Wildsumaco Lodge.  We didn’t have a phone but a kindly fellow passenger made the call for us to let them know which bus we were on.DSCN2111

Visit The Equator Between Mindo & Quito

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If you are traveling between the Mindo area and Quito, the road goes right past Mitad del Mundo, the monument of the equator so why not jump out and have a look?  Sure it’s uber-touristy but we all need our touristy moments, even in Ecuador!

We were still having bad weather when we arrived.

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Tickets are $3 just to enter the park or around $8 to go into the planetarium and to the top of the monument.  We just went for the entry as we had our backpacks on and just wanted to see the line.DSCN1547

The park is laid out well with several posters giving information.DSCN1548

As we walked through the park, we saw lots of really nice hummingbird statues.DSCN1549 DSCN1550 DSCN1551 DSCN1552 DSCN1553 DSCN1554 DSCN1558

So here is one variation of the silly tourist photo.  One person usually stands straddling the line or two people can be on opposite hemispheres as we did here.DSCN1563 DSCN1565 DSCN1568

We had a quick look at the shops but didn’t buy anything.DSCN1566 DSCN1567 DSCN1569 DSCN1570

Across the street was a small shopping centre with a bank that didn’t like my ATM card and a Subway sandwich shop that took credit cards so we bought a couple sandwiches.DSCN1571

Back to the taxi rank in front of the monument we bargained with a driver to take us to our hotel near the airport for $25.  I had heard it was $20 to the city and the airport was a bit further.DSCN1572

Maroon-tailed Parakeet (Pyrrhura melanura) & Choco Parakeet (Pyrrhura pacifica)

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Depending on which birding field guide you have you may see these birds lumped together with Pyrrhura melanura as the nominate with these subspecies or as two separate species as per the title of this post.

  • P. m. berlepschi
  • P. m. chapmani
  • P. m. melanura
  • P. m. pacifica
  • P. m. souancei

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I did see them in 3 separate locations in Ecuador so I know I have at least two varieties!  The photos above were taken at Wildsumaco Lodge and were the only Maroon-tailed Parakeets I saw perched.  I also saw them flying through trees at the Waterfall Trail in Mindo & from the canopy tower at Napo Wildlife center.  The ones at Mindo and Rio Silanche are definitely the Choco Parakeet being the only species seen in the western side of the Andes (red).  The ones above could possibly be P.m. souancei (dark green) or the nominate (lighter green).  The ones at Napo were most likely Pyrrhura melanura.  Splits are so confusing!

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LEARN MORE ABOUT MAROON-TAILED & CHOCO PARAKEETS

Wikipedia

World Parrot Trust

Birdlife – Maroon-tailed

Birdlife – Choco

Neotropical Birds

Information about the split

VIDEOS

This is pretty much all I get with smaller birds like Pyrrhura Parakeets – just a fleeting glimpse!

Here’s some bird porn to make up for it – filmed at Wildsumaco.

 

An Afternoon At Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary

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We left the Mirador Restaurant around 2pm-ish and decided to keep heading down the same road to Rio Silanche Bird Sanctuary as we were still targeting Rose-faced Parrots and Blue-fronted Parrotlets.  Some Maroon-tailed Parakeets would be nice too!

As we left the main road to the access road for the reserve we saw some Bronze-winged Parrots in a tree.

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Continuing on, the road is pretty well marked if you are self-driving.  Of course Alex, our guide has been here many times and knows it well.DSCN1425 DSCN1426 DSCN1427

We were there pretty late and the staff had closed up.  We were still able to get inside but there was no one there to charge the fees.DSCN1442 DSCN1428 DSCN1441 DSCN1440

We walked down a short trail to the canopy tower.DSCN1439 DSCN1438

There are beautiful views over the rainforest but not too many birds around. Maybe the weather was still causing trouble.DSCN1431

A pair of Choco Toucans showed up.DSCN1430 DSCN1435

I’m having trouble with some of these as they may be female tanagers which look completely different from the males!DSCN1436 DSCN1437

Grey-and-gold Tanager DSCN1432 DSCN1433 DSCN1433a DSCN1434

It was looking like rain again so we left after less than an hour at the canopy tower.  DSCN1443

Female Black-cheeked Woodpecker

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Guayaquil WoodpeckerDSCN1446

Complete Bird List

We later found out that another guide had been here in the morning and seen a huge flock of Maroon-tailed Parakeets!

If you would like to visit this reserve along with other reserves around Mindo, I can highly recommend Alex Luna who can be reached by email.  ayalu_82@hotmail.com

Flame-faced Tanager (Tangara parzudakii)

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The Flame-faced Tanager (Tangara parzudakii) is an especially beautiful member of the family Thraupidae.

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They are found in Colombia, Ecuador & Peru with the Mindo area being one of the easier places to see them.  They like banana feeders put out by various lodges such as the ones at Angel Paz’s place and the Mirador Restaurant near Milpe Bird Sanctuary.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT FLAME-FACED TANAGERS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEOS

A rare clip of a Flame-faced Tanager NOT on a banana feeder!

And some close-ups.

 

Milpe Bird Sanctuary

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Milpe Bird Sanctuary is about 15 km from Mindo and can easily be added to any birding itinerary.  The entrance is well marked and there is a public road for about 5-6 km that is very birdy.

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On the map below, I highlighted in red where we saw the Bronze-winged Parrots.  We were also hoping for Blue-fronted Parrotlet but dipped.  I have the worst luck with Parrotlets in general!

Milpe

The red line is a public road and you can drive or walk there for free.  If you want to enter the sanctuary (you can see the trails on the map) there is a charge of $7.  We started by driving down the road.  It’s pretty bumpy so you need an SUV or 4×4.

My bird list which includes both roadside and hummingbird feeders.

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End of the line, turn back!DSCN1302

I didn’t get that many photos but here’s a few random birds.IMG_3299a IMG_3303 IMG_3322

For me, the highlight was this beautiful Bronze-winged Parrot who was fairly close.IMG_3327a IMG_3332a DSCN1304 IMG_3377a

We headed back to the actual sanctuary where I got caught up in souvenir shopping.  One thing you should definitely buy here is the birding guide book for $5 which has a complete checklist and nice pictures of the birds in Milpe & Rio Silanche.  There are some nice handicrafts here too.

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A beautiful Collared TrogonIMG_3405 DSCN1328

Then it started raining pretty hard so we took shelter at the cafe area and watched the hummingbirds.  I decided to practice photographing hummingbirds in flight.DSCN1339

Green-crowned BrilliantDSCN1338

Green-crowned Woodnymph DSCN1333

Velvet Purple Coronet DSCN1342 DSCN1346 DSCN1349 DSCN1355 DSCN1360

White-necked Jacobin DSCN1364

Rufous-tailed Hummingbird DSCN1374 DSCN1377 IMG_3392a IMG_3426

Green-crowned Woodnymph IMG_3428

When the rain let up the feeding table got more active.IMG_3448 IMG_3387

 

Pale-mandibled Aracari – the one on the right is a juvenile being fed by the parent. DSCN1383 DSCN1381 DSCN1340

It was around noon so we went to the Mirador Restaurant (marked on the map above).  They don’t take credit cards so we didn’t eat too much but the view and the birds were awesome!

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The Chestnut-tipped Toucanets ruled the roost.  When they were eating the smaller birds stayed away.DSCN1398 DSCN1401a IMG_3472

When the Tocanets left, smaller birds like these Blue-grey Tanagers moved in.DSCN1406

Flame-faced Tanager IMG_3462a

Orange-bellied Euphonia IMG_3465a IMG_3467a

We visited Milpe Bird Sanctuary with Alex Luna, one of Mindo’s top birding guides.  You can contact him by email ayalu_82@hotmail.com  if you would like to organize a trip with him.  He speaks English very well, knows all the birds and if you have target birds, he will do all he can to make sure you see them (though he can’t do anything about the weather)!

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Chestnut-tipped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus derbianus)

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The Chestnut-tipped Toucanet (Aulacorhynchus derbianus) is a South American species of bird in the Ramphastidae family. It occurs in humid highland forests along the east Andean slope from southernmost Colombia to Bolivia.

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They can be found in the very southern part of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru & Bolivia.  They are fairly common in the Mindo area and I saw this one at the Mirador Restaurant near Milpe Sanctuary.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT CHESTNUT-TIPPED TOUCANETS

Wikipedia

Birdlife

Neotropical Birds

VIDEO

There wasn’t much on video of this bird but I did find one of the general area that includes the Toucanet at 11:08.  The mist gives you an idea of the weather I was dealing with during our trip.