General Information

The Napo Wildlife Center is located in northeast Ecuador's Yasuni National Park, UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve. Privately owned, the center consists of eighty-two square miles of pristine lowland rainforest along the Amazon's largest tributary, the Napo. In a small clearing on the shores of Lake Anangucocha within the reserve lies Ecuador's premier Amazon on Ecuador tours. As tropical wildlife reserve and eco-lodging, the Napo Wildlife Center has been educating and pampering guests since 2003 when the indigenous people from tha añangu quichua community decided to go on this eco-tourism project. Today, the lodge itself is 100% owned and operated by the Anangu community and proceeds from the lodge pay to conserve the rainforest that surrounds it. Birdwatchers, naturalists and eco-travelers from throughout the world are attracted to this special place for the wildlife spectacle of some 562 bird species and other tropical wildlife including eleven species of monkeys.

Yasuni Parrot Clay Licks

The reserve contains two natural clay licks that are reached by dugout canoe. Observation blinds have been constructed to offer a comfortable shielded viewing area with minimal disturbance to the many birds that gather there. Species that frequent the licks include parrots of the blue-headed, mealy, orange-cheeked, orange-winged and yellow-crowned varieties; and three species of parakeets: the cobalt-winged, dusky-headed and white-eyed. The rare scarlet-shoulder parrotlet and scarlet macaw are sometimes seen on the clay licks. In favorable weather, one can expect to see as many as 800 birds, and when weather is inclement, at least a few dozen. Trips are made to the licks twice daily, in the early morning and the afternoon either as a full-day excursion including picnic lunch or as a half-day trip with lunch at the lodge.

Dining Room Observation Tower

There is no more memorable dining experience on Ecuador adventure travel in the Amazon than the Napo Wildlife Center's open-air dining hall with its fifty-foot observation tower. Located at the summit of a forty-two foot hill, this facility provides great views of the wildlife, lodge and lake. There you may see rare monkey species, the golden-mantled tamarins and macaws at close range.

Canopy Tower

Thirty-five minutes from the lodge is an ideally-situated canopy tower. Engineered to industrial specifications, this sturdy steel structure is over 125 feet tall and erected next to a magnificent Kapok tree with ample space for fifteen guests and photographic gear. From here, one may see troops of capuchin, howler and spider monkeys. Nearby, flocks of over eighty bird species feed including toucans, macaws and colorful tanagers. Three-toed sloths are sometimes spotted moving between branches. Dawn and sunset provide the most prolific wildlife sightings, and on a clear day, several Andean volcanoes are visible in the distance. Guides carry optic gear to enhance viewing so you'll get the most out of these sights on your tour.
Lakes and Creeks
Lake Anangucocha is fed by two creeks where additional monkey species may be seen including saddle-backed, squirrel and white-fronted capuchins plus species that only appear on the south side of the Napo River.

Forest trails and hikes

The reserve contains many trails of different lengths that pass by unfamiliar plant species and colorful or well-camouflaged insects. From the trails, a fascinating array of tropical wildlife species may be seen including army ants, frogs, lizards, monkeys, tortoises and such birds as hummingbirds, macaws, manakins, parrots and toucans. Large elusive creatures such as the giant anteater, giant armadillo, jaguar, puma and tapir are sometimes encountered on these Ecuador tours. Exotic night-hikes offer more wildlife viewing opportunities.
Birdwatching
Over a third of Ecuador’s birds have been identified in the reserve, making it a mecca for amateur and professional birdwatchers alike.

The community of Añangu decided years ago that it was not going to succumb to local pressures to destroy the forest. and the income from the lodge will allow the community to continue to resist these pressures into the distant future. Often the most important part of a conservation project is the people.
The community land is located inside Yasuní National Park, and one might think that park status would confer substantive protection to the forest and its animals - after all, Yasuní was declared a National Park in 1979 and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1989. Unfortunately, the National Parks System in Ecuador is as under-funded as any other and does not have the resources to adequately patrol and protect Yasuní. Our project has worked closely with the Ecuadorian Parks System and the relationship has allowed the Parks System to rely on the Añangu community and the Napo Wildlife Center as their primary source of on-the-ground protection for this region of Yasuní.
And what could be more effective than local residents protecting what belongs to them? 
, Cuyabeno is home to some different communities each one with its own

The Napo Wildlife Center, Amazon Lodge, is the greatest and ultimate alternative luxury ecohotel in Amazonian Ecuador. This ecotourism project includes the conservation of approximately over 82 square miles (53,500 acres - over 21,400 hectares ) of the most pristine Amazon Rain Forest within the Yasunì National Park, an important UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and the largest tract of tropical rain forest in Ecuador. The Napo Wildlife Center, Lodge is located by the Anangucocha lake, into the unique ancestral territory of the Anangu Quichua Community. Thanks to their own initiative we have built the most carefully designed first class Amazon lodge in Ecuador.

We want to invite you for a visit to this special destination.

Yasuni National Park

The Yasuni Biosphere Reserve and National Park is situated in the Amazonian region, in Napo Province in the north of the country. The terrain is very sinuous, despite of being in the Amazonian plains. With the exception of Rio Napo, which originates in the foothills of the Andean Cordillera, rivers crossing the national park originate at altitudes from 300 meters to 600 meters above sea level. The topography is represented by low plains alternating with the foothills of the Andean chain, with a softly inclined platform supported by the Guyano-Brasilian shield that extends from the south of Colombia to Peru. Three main types of vegetation occur: 'Terra firme', found on the high reliefs areas and not subject to flooding; 'Varzea', a forest type subject to periodic flooding, and 'Irapo' in the permanent or near permanent flooded forest. Cononaco is traditionally a settlement area for indigenous communities such as the Huaorani, Aucas and Quichuas. There are more than 9,800 people engaged in agriculture (coffee, bananas, yuca, paw paw, citrus fruit, maize and achiote), fishing, forest dwelling, hunting and gathering forest products. About 150 people visit the reserve each year; the potential for tourism is considerable and therefore encouraged. The objectives of the biosphere reserve are to conserve natural ecosystems, to provide protective legislation, in situ conservation, encourage regional planning and rural development, encourage local participation in land use and environmental education
Moist tropical forest including Macrolobium acaciifolium, Coussapoa trinervia, Licania sp., Eugenia sp. etc.; "terra firme" forest on high reliefs; "varzea" forest subject to periodic flooding; "igapo" forest in permanent or near permanent flooded areas; yucca (Manihot esculenta).