Protecting the Yasuní National Park and supporting the local Kichwa Community

www.sanilodge.com

editorial The Amazon rainforest is one of the world’s greatest natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been described as the “Lungs of our Planet”. About 20% of earth’s oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest.

The canopy of Amazonia is less studied than the ocean floor. Scientists believe the canopy may contain half of the world’s species. Over 500 mammals, 175 lizards (and over 300 other reptile species), and one third of the world’s birds live in Amazonia. It is estimated that about 30 million insect types can be found here. Competition for survival is fierce.

Native peoples of the Amazon rainforest have used different plants for centuries as cures and potions for their health and survival. Many modern medicines, such as anti-malarial drugs, muscle relaxants, steroids, and cancer drugs have been derived from rainforest plants. Scientists are continuing to develop rainforest plants into new drugs to treat AIDS, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Today 121 prescription drugs sold around the world come from plant-derived sources. Although 25% of all drugs are derived from rainforest ingredients, scientists have tested only 1% of tropical plants. The development of beneficial drugs from rainforest plants is an ongoing process.

The journey stars with a welcome speech from one of our staff members who will explain and answer your questions about transportation.

Getting to Coca from Quito:Choose either to fly (30 min) or travel by bus (7 hours) from Quito to the city of Francisco de Orellana, commonly called Coca.

From there we will transport you in our motorized canoe for two and a half hours down the Napo River. During this time your guide will explain some history and facts about the area.

At around 1 p.m. you will taste a delicious snack while enjoying the scenery of the Napo until we reach the Challuayacu River. After we take a 20 minute walk to a final launch site, we will transport you by dug-out canoe to the dock of the lodge.

Porters will make sure your luggage is brought safety to the lodge.

how to get there

10 Private cabins for double or triple occupation with private bathroom.

4 Family cabins for 5 person occupation with private bathroom.

Camp site located at a 5 minute canoe ride from the lodge.

5 Thatched roof platforms with a total capacity of 5 tents. All are fully equipped (mattress, pillows, sheets) with shared bathrooms.

accomodations

Full service bar and lounge area.

Restaurant featuring 3 excellent full course meals each day.

Electric power provided by eco-friendly solar panels.

Laundry.

Safe box.

Boots.

Rain ponchos.

Internet.

Binoculars for rent.

services

GUIDED HIKESGuided hikes will start after a relaxing canoe ride across the Challuacocha lagoon. Sani offers various trails depending on your desired level of difficulty. Guided hikes will lead you across muddy swamps on log bridges, through the dense jungle of natural treefall gaps, and beneath the understory shade of pristine, primary rainforest. Along the way you will learn about medicinal plants, taste edible fruits and insects and discover how to weave traditional palm-fiber bags.

NIGHT CAIMAN WATCHINGOur black-water Oxbow Lake is one of the increasingly rare havens for the endangered black caiman, supporting a healthy population of these large, up to 4-meter long crocodilians. After the sun sets, these non-aggressive and shy reptiles become active along the water’s edge. At night, they can be seen swimming lazily across the lake.

FISHINGIf this activity is your hobby, there are various places where you can practice it while you are at Sani lodge, including Pañacocha Lagoon, Challuacocha Lagoon, and the small streams that take you to our diverse trails. Our guide will give you pointers on how to catch the fish of the Amazon.

COMMUNITY AND NATIVE HOME VISITTo visit a native house is a most rewarding experience, allowing you to see how a typical Kichwa family lives. The food, drinks, customs, and culture of this community will amaze you. One of the most special parts your visit will be witnessing how the lifestyle of the locals is environmentally sustainable.

activities

PARROT CLAY LICKSee parrots and parakeets from special viewing blinds within camera range! These birtds come here most mornings to eat clay that aids their digestion of unripe seeds and fruits. The nearest blind is just 50-meters from the river. Here you will see mealy Amazon, yellow-crowned, orange-winged and blue-headed parrots among others.

NIGHT HIKEMany animals stay hidden away for most of the day, but at night the forest comes alive with myriad insects and other animals, beyond your wildest imagination, including tree frogs ranging in size from that of your fingernail to the size of your whole hand. A hike through the rainforest at night is an opportunity to discover the mysteries of what happens in the dark, hidden recesses of the forest where few dare to venture.

BLOWGUN PRACTICELearn how to use this legendary weapon. The blowgun is used by the Kichwa people as a method of hunting monkeys, birds, tapirs and

other animals. A liquid that comes from the mixing of plants and animal venom, what the locals call “curare”, works as a paralyzing agent on the animals they want to hunt.

BIRDWATCHING TOWER OBSERVATIONLooking across the rainforest canopy at tower level gives you a unique perspective, opening up a whole new world of Amazonian biodiversity. You will see animals that are often difficult if not impossible to see, such as the white-throated toucan and bare-necked fruit crow to name just a few. If you have a little luck, you might even see red howler monkeys asleep in the treetops.

11 types of primates, featuring a healthy population of the rare and endangered woolly monkey.

550 species of birds, counting the rare rufous potoo.

100 species of frogs.

1,000 different butterflies, including the blue morpho.

1,500 species of trees and lianas.

Various large cats, including the puma, ocelot and jaguar.

Black caiman, largest relative of the alligator, sometimes up to 4 meters in length.

Millions of insects, some recorded, some still to be discovered.

Piranhas, tapir, collared peccaries, wild boars and much more.

wildlife

Agami Heron (Agamia agami)

King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa)

Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis)

Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus)

Capped Heron (Pilherodius pileatus)

Slate-colored Hawk (Leucopternis schistacea)

Slender-billed Kite (Rostrhamus hamatus)

Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja)

Red-throated Caracara (Ibycter americanus)

Ornate Hawk-Eagle (Spizaetus ornatus)

Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis)

Scarlet Macaw (Ara Macao)

Crested Owl (Lophostrix cristata)

bird listBlack-headed Parrot (Pionites melanocephala)

Green-and-Rufous Kingfisher (Chloroceryle inda)

Ivory-billed Aracari (Pteroglossus azara)

Collared Puffbird (Bucco capensis)

Long-billed Woodcreeper (Nasica longirostris)

Vermillion Flycatcher (Pyrocephala rubinus)

Amazonian Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus ornatus)

Masked Tanager (Tangara nigrocincta)

Musician Wren (Cyphorhinus aradus)

Plum-throated Cotinga (Cotinga maynana)

Wire-tailed Manakin (Pripa filicauda)

Rufous-capped Antthrush (Formicarius colma)

Cocha Antshrike (Thamnophilus praecox)

a message from the sani isla communityThe Sani Isla community places a high priority on respecting families who call this place home, and respecting the natural environment, which is home to many species of wildlife. We are proud of our reputation as a conservation group, which cares for the environment and leads the way in preserving the Yasuní National Park. We acknowledge our social responsibility for the welfare of our 90,000 acres of primary lowland rainforest.

Conservation is not always about charitable donations to sights unseen. In our case, it is about enjoying four or five days with us at Sani Lodge to breathe pure air, watch blue and yellow macaws fly by, fish for a piranha or two, and swim in the lake after a long, refreshing walk through the forest.

Do join us in our effort to protect the Yasuní National Park and provide a home for our 420 Kichwa people.

alli shamushca caichi sacha pacha causaimawelcome to our world

alli shamushca caichi sacha pacha causaimawelcome to our world

San Ignacio 134 & Av. 6 de DiciembreSan Ignacio building, 3rd floor, office 8

Phone: (593) 2 - 2543 492Skype: sanilodge

Quito - Ecuador

58 Point HillGreenwich SE10 8QWPhone:00 44 (0)20 7193 0400Skype: sanilodgeukLondon - England

info@sanilodge.com - www.sanilodge.com

San Ignacio 134 & Av. 6 de Diciembre San Ignacio building, 3rd floor, office 8

Phone: (593) 2 - 2543 492Skype: sanilodge

Quito - Ecuador

58 Point HillGreenwich SE10 8QWPhone:00 44 (0)20 7193 0400Skype: sanilodgeukLondon - England

info@sanilodge.com - www.sanilodge.com