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The Best Amazon Resort to Visit Yasuni National Park
Visit the rainforest from an Amazon resort that integrates nature, ecotourism, hospitality, and comfort in Yasuni National Park, Ecuador.
The Amazon Rainforest is the largest tropical rainforest in the world and covers a large portion of the South American continent. In fact, the forest can be found in 9 countries within the continent (Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana). The Amazon is an incredibly complex ecosystem that is home to an unimaginably diverse amount of wildlife and plant life. Visiting this ecosystem must be done with great care and awareness; it is important balance between getting to see some amazing nature, meeting indigenous groups who have lived within this nature for thousands of years, and trying to minimize your impact on the Amazon rainforest. Finding the right Amazon resort that balances each of these aspects can be challenging but it is vital to the sustainability and beauty of this part of the world.
Located in Yasuni National Park in Ecuador, Napo Wildlife Center is the premier Amazon eco-lodge for your trip to the Amazon Rainforest.
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The Unique Aspects of the Amazon Rainforest
As a forest, it is considered one of the lungs of the Earth with the quantity of oxygen in produces and it has been a home to hundreds of ethnic indigenous groups for thousands of years.
- Nature within the Amazon Rainforest: the rainforest is home to tens of thousands of species of animals, plants, reptiles, amphibians, making it an incredibly rich place to explore. With over 1,300 species of birds, this is a birdwatcher paradise and an amazing challenge for photographers of any level. You have the opportunity to see unique wildlife everywhere you look and no two moments will be alike. And navigating the rainforest via the rivers and creeks and walks through the dense forest will give you views into the beautiful nature of this region.
- The Amazon Rainforest Culture: people have been living within the Amazon rainforest for thousands of years. In fact, there continue to be uncontacted groups of people who maintain their way of life and culture. There are also groups of indigenous people that are trying to balance their own culture and history and that of the country that they are part of. Sadly some of these groups get exploited for the natural resources of their land. However, there are others that are using their land and their wilderness skills to benefit the tourism industry to show visitors the beauty of the forest and the history of their ancestors without exploiting the land.
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Napo Wildlife Center
Napo Wildlife Center is an all-inclusive ecolodge that is owned and operated by the Kichwa Añangu community on their land in Yasuni National Park. The lodge stands out for a few reasons: (1) they are actually located within Yasuni National Park while many of the other lodges are located on the other side of the river where the land is not protected by the national government. And (2), the lodge is completely owned and operated by the indigenous community of Kichwa Añangu.
A Little History About Napo Wildlife Center
The Amazon lodge was constructed by the community using their own building techniques and with the natural resources within the rainforest. In fact, you have to take a two hour motorized canoe to a 2 hour paddled canoe to get to the lodge. Because of its remote location, it is easier to spot some incredible animals within the Amazon Rainforest.
This community lodge has been operating for 25 years. With the dedication to an ecolodge, the community has completely stopped hunting within their land and they have seen an incredible regrowth and rehabilitation of the ecosystem within their land. For example, today there are otters swimming in their waters, something that had disappeared before their environmental efforts.
Former hunters within the community became guides and spotters for visitors, using their finely tuned skills to spot elusive animals in the jungle and other community members work on the daily operations of the lodge. With the profits that they acquired from the Napo Wildlife Center, the Kichwa Añangu community built their second lodge within their own community. The Napo Cultural Center is an ecolodge that focuses on the rainforest nature while connected with the Añangu indigenous community.
Each of these lodges employ their community, bringing in a sustainable income and creating jobs for a community that did not want to sacrifice their natural resources. In addition, they have been able to invest in the education of their children with an elementary and high school, which teach the students English and other tourism skills to prepare them for their future careers within the lodge. They even have community members who are official tour guides at the different lodges, a job that requires a university degree in Ecuador. And with the profits from both of these lodges, the community is planning a third lodge to continue to grow the employment opportunities for their community.
The Napo Wildlife Center Experience Today
At Napo Wildlife Center, tours are between 4 and 8 days long and include all excursions, guides, navigators, meals, and more. Typically, you will have the opportunity to do two excursions a day, either by paddled kayak or by hiking through the rainforest. You will also visit the Kichwa community to learn about their historical culture and way of life today. The Amazon resort itself is located deep into the jungle and through the whole experience, you will stay in comfortable accommodations with beautiful views of the rainforest.
What You May Experience With Napo Wildlife Center
Canoe RIde Safaris
Ride around the rivers around the lodge in canoes looking for different birds, monkeys, otters and other wildlife that could be lurking in the forests.
the Local Community Hospitality
Visit the local Kichwa community, try their cuisine, and dance their traditional dances to learn more about the Amazon way of life.
Amazon Clay Licks
See large groups of parrots and parakeets land on spots full of clay to feed and drink in a unique and colorful spectacle.
Observation Tower
Climb a tall observation tower in an isolated spot in the jungle where you will get to observe the rainforest from above to spot birds and wildlife from a unique vantage point.