Zielo Adventures

Ecuador · 4 days · Easy to moderate

4-Day Sani Lodge

Sani sits on Challuacocha, a blackwater oxbow lake reached by motorboat, a walk through flooded forest and a paddle across the lake. It is owned entirely by the Sani Isla community, and its bird list — over 565 species recorded — is one of the longest of any lodge in the country.

Duration
4 days / 3 nights
Starts
Coca (30-min flight from Quito)
Ends
Coca
Group
Small groups
From
US$979 pp

Highlights

  • A 36-metre observation tower reached by canoe and a short walk: macaws, toucans, honeycreepers, tanagers
  • Black caimans on the oxbow lake after dark, an increasingly rare sight
  • A day inside Yasuní National Park on the south bank — golden-mantled tamarins, spider monkeys, blue-and-yellow macaws
  • A community-owned lodge, not a concession: the Sani Isla people run it themselves
Route

Where this 4-day trip goes

Quito Coca Napo lodge Coca

  1. 1 Quito
  2. 2 Coca Flight
  3. 3 Napo lodge Boat
  4. 4 Coca Boat

Real coordinates, drawn to scale. Pick a day and the map zooms in on that leg.

Day by day

  1. Day 1

    Coca to Challuacocha

    Pick-up in Coca, a safety briefing on the riverbank, then two and a half hours down the Napo with a packed lunch. A fifteen-minute walk through flooded forest and a twenty-minute paddle across the lake bring you in. Short trail or canoe ride in the afternoon; after dinner, out on the black water looking for caiman eyes.

    Overnight: Sani Lodge

  2. Day 2

    The tower, and what lives above you

    Thirty minutes of paddling and a ten-minute walk to the 36-metre tower — the canopy is a different forest from the one you walk through, and this is the only way to see it. Afternoon on the Chorongo or Coto terra firme trails, three hours. A night walk after dinner for the frogs, spiders and insects.

    Overnight: Sani Lodge

  3. Day 3

    Yasuní and the Sani community

    Across the Napo to the butterfly garden and into Yasuní itself, which biologists rate among the most biodiverse places measured anywhere. Species live on this bank that do not live on the other. Back to the Sani community centre in the afternoon to spend time in a family home.

    Overnight: Sani Lodge

  4. Day 4

    Parrot wall and out

    A final stop at the parrot wall inside Yasuní, where hundreds of birds work the clay, then back to Coca in time for the late-morning flight.

What is included

  • Three nights at the lodge in superior standard rooms
  • All meals listed in the itinerary
  • Every excursion in the programme
  • Certified naturalist guide (English and Spanish)
  • All river and ground transfers, and airport assistance in Coca
  • Purified drinking water, ponchos and rubber boots

What is not included

  • Quito–Coca–Quito flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Alcoholic drinks and meals not listed
  • The optional early-morning parrot clay lick (US$35 per person)
  • Tips
The fees no operator can include

Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements. Full breakdown →

When to do this trip

Year-round; April to August has the highest water and the best canoe access.

Questions about this itinerary

How long is the 4-Day Sani Lodge?

4 days and 3 nights, starting in Coca (30-min flight from Quito) and ending in Coca.

How difficult is it?

Easy to moderate. Group size: Small groups.

When is the best time to do this trip?

Year-round; April to August has the highest water and the best canoe access.

What extra costs should I budget for?

Per person in double occupancy. Final price depends on your dates, party size and hotel category — high season and single occupancy carry supplements.

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