The mere mention of "jungle" can conjure up images of crocodiles and piranhas, jaguars and monkeys, big rivers and giant trees, headhunters and harrowing sagas, colorful birds and bizarre insects. "Rain forest" evokes images of a vast sea of green, hiding biological treasures that may hold answers to modern medical and scientific problems.
If you are drawn to the jungle, join Inca Floats in this adventure exploring two of Ecuador's natural wonders, the Amazon rain forest and the Galapagos Islands.
In the Amazon basin you find a complex ecosystem where the climate is warm and humid - not excessively hot or uncomfortably muggy - and where the layers of dense vegetation harbor a truly mind-boggling number of species. You see butterflies, exotic flowers, including bromeliads and orchids, and you learn about medicinal plants. You can spot parrots, toucans, the pre-historic hoatzin (with claws on its wings), anteaters, and monkeys. You can try to find the makers of all sorts of weird and wonderful squawks, hoots, quacks, squeaks, shrieks, howls, rumbles, and whistles coming out of the forest canopy. And as you canoe along the river you may see caimans dozing on shore as they have for thousands of years. And there are hardly any biting insects!
Accommodations are at Sacha Lodge, the newest jungle lodge in Ecuador that offers the comforts of a Bed-and-Breakfast from which you can experience the mystery and adventure of the jungle. Here you can visit the jungle at many "eye-levels" - from the miles of hiking trails (some of the most pristine in the Amazon), or from a platform built 130 feet above the forest floor in a giant kapok tree. You may witness the congregation of hundreds of brilliantly-colored parrots feeding at a natural salt deposit. The English-speaking resident naturalists will teach you about the birds, butterflies, plants, insects, animals, and jungle ecology. The lodge is modern, but built in traditional thatched style, and accommodates 30 in twin-bedded cabanas with private facilities and hot showers, a unique luxury in the jungle. Dinner is served by candlelight with the night sounds of the jungle symphony!
You will be amazed at the enormity of some trees and at the incredible variety of plants and animals in the jungle. Scientists estimate that over 400 unique kinds of animals are supported by each kind of tree, and there are thousands of known tree species! But such biodiversity is held in a delicate balance that is threatened daily. The discovery of oil in the late 1960s has forever changed the face and future of the jungle. Roads are cut, land is cleared, pipelines are laid, oil spills occur, and colonists move in. An important aspect of adventure travel and tourism in the Amazon basin is providing education and alternative economies which will encourage rain forest preservation.
DAY 1
Arrive in Quito, Ecuador where an Inca Floats' agent will transfer you to Hotel Colon.
DAYS 2-6
You depart early from Quito on a 30-minute flight into the upper Amazon basin. Then it's downriver by motorized canoe, heading ever deeper into the Ecuadorian jungle, where you spend 5 days experiencing firsthand this diverse and fragile wonder-of-the-world. Here, from dugout canoe or footpath, you can see birds (Ecuador has over 1450 species of birds), plants, insects, and animals that exist nowhere else. At bedtime you drift off to sleep while listening to the nocturnal songs of the jungle. The accompanying naturalist guides share their knowledge and experience with you, helping enrich your encounter with this immense tropical rain forest. When it's time to depart, you motor back upriver for a midday flight to Quito and overnight at Hotel Colon.
DAYS 7-8
Fly to Galapagos where a licensed naturalist will meet you. During these two days you explore Santa Cruz highland rain forest, see giant tortoises, and investigate ancient lava tubes. You learn about Galapagos research and enjoy an overnight at charming Hotel Galapagos before boarding the yacht.
DAYS 8-15
You live aboard the yacht and, with our naturalist, learn about the birds and animals, geology, marine life, and oceanic systems as you explore the islands on daily shore visits. During the night the yacht travels on to the next island. At the end of the week's cruising you board the midday return flight to Quito where you transfer to Hotel Colon for dinner and overnight.
DAY 16
Transfer to airport for your flight home.
ISLANDS YOU MAY VISIT
Baltra
Floreana
Hood
James
Mosquera
North Seymour
Rabida
Santa Cruz
Santa Fe
Tower