There is so much of the country that we really want to see during our short time living here. One of the trips that we really wanted to take with the kids was to the Amazon. We knew that this was one trip that we should do before the baby comes. The week before Christmas ended up being our best option for this. A few people had recommended a place called Sacha Lodge. It is very remote, and by remote, we will show you step by step how we got out there! First, we had to take a 25 minute flight from Quito to a city called Coca.
Here's Shay and I at the airport once we landed in Coca. When we left Quito, the weather was probably in the high 60s, very dry air at 9,400 ft elevation. When we landed in Coca, it was in the 90s with high humidity at 700 ft. elevation- a BIG difference!
...a 2 1/2 hour ride in this canoe! This is the Napo River, the largest waterway of the Ecuadorian Amazon and a direct tributary of the Amazon River. This was where the Spanish explorer, Francisco Orellana started his journey down the river to discover the Amazon- he went the wrong way, but he eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean. Sacha Reserve is located 50 miles down river.
It was a wet ride at first and we were glad to have the ponchos. But the rain cleared out about 15 minutes later and it was a nice ride after that!
After about 2 1/2 hours, we arrived at the edge of the reserve. we had about a 20 minute hike down this trail to the next canoe!
Once we got here, we boarded another canoe for our short trek across Pilchicocha lake. It's a blackwater lake, colored from the decomposed leaves and branches that fall in. It creates an acidic environment in the water, which thankfully does not allow the mosquitoes to reproduce in this area! Don't get me wrong, we encountered mosquitoes, but mainly on the hiking trails.
And we finally arrived at our destination!
We were very thankful for our rubber boots on many of the hikes! Lots of mud!!
The kids loved the hammocks on our porches.
The teardrop shapes hanging from this tree are nests made by a bird called Oropendula- I'm not sure of the spelling. They call them the "water-drop" birds because their call sounds like dripping water!
The first afternoon, we spent some time exploring the lodge. They had a Mariposarioum (Butterfly House) and the kids had a great time watching the colorful butterflies all over the place.
Yes, we climbed this! It's a tall wooden structure built around a Kapok tree that goes about 100 ft. up. A great spot for bird watching!
Bren took this picture through the spy-scope. We saw quite a few toucans!
This quickly became my favorite animal to see. This bird is called a Hoatzin- more commonly known as "The Stinky Turkey". This bird was so funny looking, extremely noisy, and so clumsy. You always knew where they were. They really have no predator out there, because of their smell!
Poison Dart Frog- yes this is extremely dangerous. Don't ask me how our guide, David, was able to hold him.
We saw a few Caiman around the lodge.
This was our cabin.
The lodge breaks everyone into groups during the stay. Thankfully we were our own group, which allowed us to go at a good pace for the kids. We had 2 guides. David was our English speaking guide and lives in Quito. This is Wilson, our local guide. He actually grew up in the jungle and is part of the Quichua tribe. He was such a sweetheart and so good with the kids. He took us fishing for piranha a couple of times. Contrary to popular belief, piranhas don't typically feed on living things. They are scavengers by nature. However, they earn their reputation in extreme circumstances- i.e. if they were to become trapped and isolated due to a flood and their food supply runs out.
After losing a lot of bait, we finally outsmarted them and caught one!
We spent a lot of time in canoes going to and from the hiking trails. The kids were always asking if they could paddle and finally started finding long sticks on the trails to "help" paddle along when we were back in the canoes. Wilson is a very talented woodworker and made these mini-paddles one afternoon for the kids to use. He surprised them on one of our outings and they were SO excited. At the end of the week, he gave them to the kids as a little souvenir from their trip.
Just a fun fact...50% of all the insects in the world live in the Amazon rainforest! We saw quite a few on our excursions. Here's a picture of leaf cutter ants.
We saw 6 different types of monkeys during our trip...Squirrel Monkeys, Tamarins, Capuccian Monkeys, & Red Howler Monkeys. (I am unable to remember the names of the other 2.)
The Red Howler Monkeys make a sound like wind howling through the trees.
One of the days during a canoe ride, a whole group of squirrel monkeys came bounding through the trees right about us! They really put on quite a show.
On Wednesday, we took a ride in the motorized canoe up the river to Yasuni National Park. There is a clay wall that faces the Napo river where hundreds of parrots gather each morning around 9am. The guides were telling us how strange this daily occurrence is because there are 4 different species of parrots that meet there for the same purpose and for the most part, get along and respect each others' space. They come there to lick the clay wall. The minerals in this clay act to detoxify the the seeds that the parrots feed on as part of their normal diet.
It's hard to see because the parrots blend in with the greenery, but they were all over the place!
Baby Screech Owl
Shay gets the credit for spotting this guy. He thought it was a Caiman at first until we saw the head. We ran and asked a guide who told us this was a Caiman Lizard, and are very rarely seen. Great find, Shay!
A nocturnal type of monkey that our guide found for us.
Anyone who knows Malia, knows that she LOVES any moving creature...animals, bugs, you name it. She is not afraid and is always wanting to hold them. We had to be extra careful with this girl in the jungle because much of what we saw was in some way harmful. She was always very excited when the guides told her she could hold something.
Yes we climbed this, too! This is Sacha Lodge's famous Canopy Bridge. The top is about 150 ft. high and extends well above the top of the jungle canopy. It is definitely not for the faint of heart, but a great place to see birds and other animals.
This is the base of a huge Kapok tree. These things were amazing and if you made a tunnel, you drive a car or truck through the base of one.
We loved having Wilson along on our hikes. Growing up here, he had so much knowledge about various uses for the local flora and fauna. Here he is showing us how they weave these palm fronds to make the thatched roofs for their houses.
Tamarins
Shay really wanted to fish for piranha again so this time they took us out in the canoe. We got lucky a few times!
By the last night, the kids were pretty exhausted from the week's activities. Our guides had planned a night hike to see some of the nocturnal animals and insects. The kids and I hung back in the cabin for some downtime while Bren went with David and Wilson. Here are a few things he saw...
Friday morning came very quickly, and before we knew it, we had to board our canoe for the last time say goodbye to the jungle. We had such an awesome time on this trip. We learned a ton and more than anything else, it gave us an incredible appreciation for all of God's creation. Everything, great and small, ugly and beautiful, has a purpose and works together to fulfill His perfect plan. What an amazing artist He is!
