Sacha Jungle Lodge

Sacha Jungle Lodge is located in one of the largest private ecological reserves in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Each of its 26 cabins are constructed with native materials, with high thatched roofs and private shaded terraces, and offer private bathrooms, fans, and insect screens. The cabins are nestled into the jungle, and guests often see wildlife right from their terraces. The lodge also offers common spaces, including a bar and lounge with raised lookout area offering scenic views of Pilchicocha Lake. Activities in the area include hiking, bird-watching, canoeing, fishing, swimming, and night walks.

Access
The journey to Sacha Jungle Lodge is scenic and adventurous. From Quito you take a brief 30-minute flight over the snowcapped Andes Mountains to the jungle port city of Coca. Here, you will be met by one of the lodge's bilingual guides, who will transfer you to a private dock to board a motorized canoe for your 2-hour journey down the Napo River, the largest river in the Ecuadorian Amazon. During the ride along the river you will likely see a variety of shorebirds among the scattered native huts, including herons, kingfishers, and osprey. Upon arrival to Sacha Lodge's private dock, the lodge staff will take your luggage and lead you on a walk along a raised boardwalk through dense flooded palm forest, where several species of monkeys are often sighted. The path leads to Pilchicocha Lake, a blackwater rainforest lake where dugout paddle canoes are waiting to carry you on the last part of the journey to the lodge on the opposite shore.

Why we recommend it
Sacha Jungle Lodge sits within a 5,000-acre private ecological reserve in Ecuador’s Amazon Basin, offering a pristine rainforest sanctuary for a tremendous variety of native plant and animal life. The lodge focuses heavily on social and ecological responsibility: the majority of the employees come from local communities, and the cabins are constructed of traditional local materials and designed to blend into the jungle surroundings. The lodge has its own 135-foot observation tower, as well as a canopy walkway 94 feet above the ground, letting you explore the top of the jungle. The lodge is also close to the Napo Clay Lick, where flocks of parrots and parakeets descend in a colorful spectacle each day to eat the mineral-rich clay.