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 Tour Description:
Explore and enjoy the Amazon Rainforest accompanied by
knowledgeable Naturalist guides while sailing onboard the
Manatee Amazon Explorer, the ideal vessel to travel the
rivers and lakes of the Amazon basin in Ecuador. The Manatee
Amazon Exploration trip is a great way to experience the
jungles and life in a remote area of the Amazon. Our
Naturalist guides will explain about the rivers and lakes,
the flora and fauna, the locals and natives living in the
area and their fascinating cultures all while traveling in
comfort on board a great exploration vessel.
A day on the Manatee Amazon Explorer begins with breakfast
followed by a morning excursion by motorized canoe or by
foot. At times the guides will invite you for a
pre-breakfast excursion to take advantage of characteristics
of a specific area. Most mornings there will be an excursion
into the forest or along the waters in search of birds and
animals or to explore the forest. Lunch will be served on
board (most days) followed by yet another excursion for more
exploration. In the evenings there will be briefings by the
guides who will follow up on the days' activities and give
conferences on the flora, fauna and cultures of the area.
All excursions during the
entire trip depend on the water levels of the rivers and
lakes, which fluctuate from season to season, climatic
conditions, wildlife behavior and accessibility to a
location. |
Day 1
- Monday
QUITO - FRANCISCO DE
ORELLANA (COCA) - AMAZON: Flight / Manatee Amazon Explorer / Napo
River / Yasuni National Park
AM - Depart from Quito in the morning (11:00 am)
on your flight to Francisco de Orellana (Coca), arriving at around
noon.
The guides of the
Manatee Amazon Explorer will be waiting for you at
the airport to assist you with luggage and provide the transfer to the
port on the Napo River. From here you will board a motorized canoe
for a one and a half hour ride downstream where we will meet with
our exploration vessel. All along this initial scenic trip the guides will
inform, us about the region and the program to follow over the next
days.
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Contact us for additional services and
programs in Ecuador or the Galapagos Islands and airfares in
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PM - Check into your cabin
on the Manatee Amazon Explorer
while we start navigating down the Napo River. The courteous crew
will attend to your needs and the guides will introduce you to the
surprising Amazon rainforest, its people, more than 600 species of
birds and hundreds of botanical wonders. During the trip we will
sail along different ecosystems and important natural reserves such
as: the Yasuní National Park and the Limoncocha Biological Reserve.
While the ship moves on we have time to relax, explore the onboard
amenities and meet our fellow passengers on this journey. Enjoy
the changing sceneries of the Amazon rainforest on both sides of the vessel.
EVE - Sunsets in the Amazon are beautiful. Some
of your best photos will be taken during this time of the day.
Observe the changes of the jungle when the nights falls in the
forest. Scan the shores of the river in search of nocturnal wildlife.
Briefing by the guides, dinner and overnight onboard.
(L, D.)
Day 2
- Tuesday
AMAZON: Yasuni National
Park visit / Terra Firme Forest / Lakes and Gorges
AM - The early morning hours and sunrise are
magical and unforgettable in the Amazon
rainforest. Be amazed by the sounds and sights of the forest while
the jungle comes alive. Nocturnal birds and wildlife make place for
the those active during the day.
After
breakfast we will disembark
for a stroll on Terra
Firme forest towards an internal
lagoon on the Yasuní National Park. Our Naturalist guide will show us the different ecosystems
of the region while we are always on the lookout to spot some of the
many species of birds that make the area their home. Before lunch we
have the opportunity
to refresh and swim in one of the beautiful lakes or streams while some of us
may want to try our luck at some fishing for the infamous piranha
"Amazon style".
PM -
We will take our
lunch in the jungle as they will be brought along on this excursion
in the form of a box lunch. Relax and appreciate the forest before
returning to the mighty Napo River on board a native canoe. We will row along a small black
water creek or gorge to arrive at the Manatee later in the afternoon.
EVE - In the evening hours the guides
will give a conference about the days' activities and prepare you
for the next day. Dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 3 - Wednesday
AMAZON: Parrots and Limoncocha
Biological Reserve
AM -
Prepare for an
early departure by motorized canoe to visit a very special corner of the jungle,
the clay banks of the river. Different species of parrots gather here daily to
eat the clay that helps them digest the seeds they feed on. Have your cameras
handy as it is quite a sight. It is
colorful and ... noisy! We will return to the Manatee to freshen up and digest
our own breakfast. The Manatee will sail upriver to reach one
of the tributaries of the Napo. Here we will observe the wide-ranging flora and fauna,
including the surprising
pygmy monkeys. Later we will take a trek to the facilities of what used to be South America's
Summer Institute of Linguistics in Limoncocha, currently the only Biological
Reserve of Ecuador.
PM - After
lunch onboard we will reach Limoncocha Lake. Here we will board a canoe and travel along the
banks of this marshy ecosystem. The area is a paradise for bird watching as more
than 470 species of birds have been recorded here.
There is a possibility to fish for piranha or take a short walk. When the night
falls we will go in search of the black caimans that inhabit the lagoon.
EVE - Late return to the Manatee for dinner and overnight.
(B, L, D.)
Day 4
- Thursday
AMAZON: Culture / The
Amazonian man / Giants of the Forest
AM & PM -
After breakfast
onboard we disembark for a visit to the Museum of Pompeya, a small archaeological
sample with Amazonian funeral urns that date back several centuries. Also shown
are utensils and ways of life of the ancient denizens of the rain forest, which
can still be seen today. In the area we have the opportunity to see the giant trees
of the Amazon, like the kapok, which rises over the forest canopy to more than
40 meters high, with huge, protruding roots. We can try rowing native canoes
on a tranquil tributary of the Napo River up to the house of a native family,
where we will share some time with them and learn their ways of life.
EVE - Farewell
dinner and overnight on board.
(B, L, D.)
Day 5
- Friday
AMAZON - FRANCISCO DE
ORELLANA (COCA) - QUITO: Napo River / Flight
AM - While the Manatee navigates upriver, the guides wrap up our knowledge of the
great Amazon region followed by a transfer to the airport for the flight to Quito.
(B.)
END OF SERVICES |
