Napo, Ecuador
03/06/2023 – 04/06/2023
We got up very early (around 4am) the next morning to go and explore the Amazon rainforest. We got into two pickup trucks which took us from the hotel to the shuttle bus at the nearest tarmac street. From there, it was an hour-long drive to Río Arajuno.
Boating the Amazon
At the river, we would take a small boat to venture into the forest. The captain took us through both shallow water and rapids along the river..
A special ceremony
A while later we reached our first stop: the breakfast ceremony of a flock of parrots – quite literally. Every morning at a certain time, many tens of parrots fly to a hillside all at the same time to eat the minerals out of the cliff.
Upon disembarking the boat, we could already see them sit in the nearby treetops. Shortly after, they flew into the forest. We followed right behind them.
Not far from the river and only a minute later, we reached the opening from which the unique spectacle could be observed. From the branches next to it, tens of parrots flew over to the wall and picked it.
It only took a few minutes and they all left. It is truly amazing how these animals have such an accurate inner clock and follow a daily rhythm.
Time with the locals
The next step of our tour was to visit a small township where we would have breakfast and learn about the customs of the native population and moreover experience them making chocolate. The variety of breakfast dishes was served on leaves and eaten directly with the hands. The selection features a number of banana-based dishes as well as some fish from the river and insects from the area.
With our bellies full and having sterilised our stomachs by following it up with a shot of liquor we went over to the hut where cocoa beans were transformed to chocolate.
The process was quite quick and yielded a dark and bitter chocolate paste which was nice but not comparable to the balance of everyday retail chocolate.
Moreover, the ladies showed us how their local beer, ‘Chicha’, was made from yuca and spit. I am sure the final product is great but personally I did not try it.
Also, they made strings from a palm leaf, which was quite impressive to see.
They also did a dance and had some goods on sale, and after saying our goodbyes we moved on and took the boat farther to reach the start of a rainforest trail.
The jungle trail
Once there, we followed our local guide Yaku on an hour-long walk along narrow paths. It was truly special to explore the rainforest, stopping where we wanted to inspect the plants and watch the nearby animals.
From the ending point of the hike, again at a river bank, we were transported back to our bus and drove to a restaurant for lunch.
More birdwatching
Next up, and as our last order of the day, we came to a relaxed privately owned pond surrounding an island. There, the owner took us on a rowing boat tour to see the many animals of the enclosure.
As you will soon see, there were in fact countless species to observe.
Additionally to all the interesting birds, and as our last observation of the day, we were able to see one of the monkeys living on the island.
Rafting in the Amazon
04/06/2023
The next morning we had some hours left before parting for our next destination. While originally we had planned to visit a cave, some rain had led to a closure of it which meant we could go rafting instead. This was a fun activity that took us through varied sceneries of the rainforest again.
From the end of the rafting tour our bus took us back to the airport in Quito, from where we would part for Galápagos the next morning.
¡Hasta pronto!