Sacha Lodge

Imagine yourself drifting down a narrow, winding creek surrounded on all sides by a lush, endless sea of tropical greenery, and all that separates you from the deep black Amazon waters is a canoe hand-carved out of a single tree trunk. As you manoeuvre around a bend something unidentified crashes off into the underbrush, and you catch a glimpse of two magnificent, colourful macaws startled into flight. Suddenly, the forest erupts with a roar so loud that all you can imagine is some giant, fierce predator on the prowl. But as you turn to face your destiny, the menace is revealed as a family of furry red howler monkeys huddled together in a treetop. With a sigh of relief you continue onward, deeper into the unknown.

This is one of the many sensations you may experience at Sacha Lodge, located in the heart of Ecuador’s Amazon Basin. A heaven for nature lovers, birdwatchers, scientists and adventure seekers, Sacha Lodge provides comfortable accommodations, first-class meals and expert guides in order for you to fully enjoy the wonders of the tropical rain-
forest.

Accommodations
The lodging at Sacha was carefully designed to offer comfort to the traveler yet preserve the environment and rainforest ambience. Each of our 10 double cabins, with high thatched roofs and private shaded terraces, is constructed with traditional materials and nestles well concealed in the lush surroundings. In their rooms, visitors may overlook the jungle from hammocks and often report seeing wild fauna such as anacondas or capybara (the largest rodents in the world) while resting between activities!

A distant, nearly inaudible generator provides electricity, and the private bathrooms provide hot showers. All cabins are screened against insects, and contain ceiling fans above two comfortable double beds.
Guests may use free time to enjoy a raised lookout above our main bar and lounge, which offers a scenic view of Pilchicocha Lake and excellent opportunities to bird watch.

Our meals are prepared to please the international traveler, and vegetarians are more than welcome. During one meal we will even enjoy a barbecue at our outdoor bar and dining area right on the edge of our lake!
Swimming and piranha fishing are also activities not to be missed here… but don’t worry! Piranhas are scavengers and the guides will prove that swimming is perfectly safe.

Activities
Sacha Lodge’s guests will be divided into small groups, each of which will be led by a native guide with expert knowledge of the rainforest’s medicinal and other useful plants, and a bilingual naturalist guide educated in the biology and ecology of the area. A typical day at Sacha begins at sunrise or earlier, in order to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest’s animals are most active. Each group may decide on its own wake-up and breakfast time, as well as the difficulty and duration of their morning outings. In the afternoon, visits begin between 3:00 and 4:00 and often continue into the evening, when the nocturnal insect and frog chorus begins.

Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Several trails lead through pristine terra firme forest, where 150-foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support. Others follow strategically raised boardwalks in seasonally flooded forests, where walking on the ground would be nearly impossible during most of the year due to groundwater. One trail many choose to follow even leads across fallen tree trunks and a steel cable zip-line through rich swampland!

A favorite activity of our guests is to paddle dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, bromeliads and palm trees thrive. And wherever an outing may lead the possibilities of spotting animals, from the tiny pygmy marmoset to the feared ocelot or puma are endless.
For adventurous souls, the day does not necessarily end with dinner. Night walks and canoe trips, with the aid of flashlights, often reveal creatures seldom seen during daylight.

Caimans (of the alligator family) and giant insects rule the jungle after sunset… Do you dare search for them?