Our day started early with a transfer to the Quito Airport. A representative from Sacha Lodge was waiting for us when we arrived. He had some forms for us to fill out, attached luggage tags to our bags and gave us our boarding passes.
The journey to Sacha Lodge - Step 1: 30 minute flight to Coca, Ecuador (Erin Correia)
The flight from Quito to Coca took just under 30 minutes. When we arrived in Coca, we met the guides from Sacha Lodge who led us all to buses. The buses made their way through town and brought us to a meeting room where we were given snacks and life jackets, and were given an introduction to the history of the area.
The journey to Sacha Lodge - step 2: Van to the river (Erin Correia)The journey to Sacha Lodge - Step 3: Loading into the canoes (Erin Correia)The journey to Sacha Lodge - enjoying the canoe ride (Erin Correia)
Next, we walked a couple of blocks to the river, where our motorized canoes were waiting for us. From here, we had a 2 hour journey down the river. This was our chance to sit back, relax and let the wind and river spray cool us!
The journey to Sacha Lodge - Step 4: Quick bathroom break while dropping off lifejackets (Erin Correia)The journey to Sacha Lodge - Step 5: A half hour hike through the jungle (Erin Correia)
We disembarked at the Sacha Lodge welcome hut, where we dropped off our lifejackets and used the restroom. From here, we had a 20-30 minute walk through the jungle. Most of it was on concrete or metal boardwalk, but the scenery around us was all jungle!
The journey to Sacha Lodge - Step 6: A 30 minute paddle canoe journey (Erin Correia)The journey to Sacha Lodge - enjoying the sounds of the jungle (Erin Correia)
The trail ended at a dock, where paddle canoes were waiting. We loaded in, and our guide, Fausto, paddled the canoe for us. The next leg of the journey was a canoe ride of about 30 minutes through a narrow channel, spotting lots of turtles along the way.
The journey to Sacha Lodge - First views of the lodge across the lagoon! (Erin Correia)
Finally, the channel opened up into a huge lagoon, and there, on the other side was Sacha Lodge!
Our room at Sacha Lodge (Erin Correia)The view from bed in our room at Sacha Lodge (Erin Correia)
We were welcomed to the lodge with delicious drinks and an introduction to the staff. After lunch, we got to settle into our giant family suite, and then we headed out on our first excursion.
Sacha Lodge - First canopy tower excursion (Erin Correia)Sacha Lodge - First canopy tower excursion (Erin Correia)
This was an excursion to our first canopy tower. To get there, we needed to take a canoe through the narrow river channels. Along the way, we spotted lots of interesting birds and MONKEYS!!!! Fausto paddled, so we just got to sit back and enjoy! After the canoe ride, we had a short hike through the jungle, and then we were at the canopy tower. At the top, Fausto set up a scope and was fantastic at lining it up for us to get clear views of the wildlife, and even capture some amazing pictures of them! Tonight’s big find was toucans! Sacha Lodge - First canopy tower excursion - toucan sighting! (Erin Correia)
We made it back to the canoe just as it got dark, and got to paddle back through the channel with bats flying all around us! Then, it was time for dinner and bed!
