Exploring the areas around Sacha LodgeI had a six am wake up call, since the animals don't sleep in. The bed and the room was very comfortable, the jungle sounds so loud it was like someone had the volume on high. Monkeys, birds and very noisy frogs. I was so tired I would have slept through an earthquake. At six there was a light tap on my door, I popped out of bed eager to get started on another adventure.
After breakfast I headed out with my guides in the canoe. We couldn't have been more then twenty yards from where we were swimming the night before, when the guide said oh look there is an anaconda. I guess I wasn't quick enough, it submerged before I saw it. not to worry there was another one in my future.
After seeing many beautiful birds including the stinky turkey or Hossin as it is also known. This bird has two stomachs, after eating food it ferments in one stomach then is transferred to the other where it makes the birds flesh stinky. No one wants to eat the bird then. Smart no?
After going ways we then got out of the canoe and hiked back another way, more birds, some monkeys and leaf cutters ants were spotted. We then headed back for a snack and a rest.
My favorite thing to do at this time was to lay in the hammock and listen to my Zune.
Again after a great hike, I relaxed for a while and then went to the butterfly house. It is so special to see so many butterflies all colors and sizes flying around. I will include picture of me with one on my head.
After this I went to the main lodge for another wonderful lunch. We then greeted the new group. Joining me was Wendy and David. They were from England a delightful couple. He was eighty and she was seventy-seven, me the baby of the group at sixty eight. I now had no excuse for not keeping up. Our first adventure we headed out into the lagoon to the tree house. We brought flashlights since we would be walking back at night.
Cruising along the guide said look an anaconda. It took us awhile to spot it, but I got plenty of pictures. We then got to the tree house, which is a very large kapok tree. We climbed thirteen stories to the top. I am not crazy about heights so for me it was a big deal and I made it. Yeah.
We were rewarded by sighting many birds and then looking up in the tree we saw a three toed sloth not one but two. They can stay up in the tree for up to nine days only coming down to go to the bathroom. We were up there for over an hour then hiked back to the jungle, straight to the bar. I not much of a drinker but they made the best popcorn.
That evening we discussed the next days plans. Two ladies in another group wanted to go to the parrot lick and so did I. We were the only three that wanted to go since it involved a lot of hiking.
Wendy and David elected to stay back with our guide Julio. Again a canoe ride down the Napo river but in the other direction.
I am glad I went. We saw so many parrots, a great horned owl, and on the way there the guide stopped the boat and there on a cliff was thousands of parakeets. What a sight.
After getting back to the lodge and eating, I once again headed for the butterfly house.
In the afternoon I once again joined Wendy, David and our guides for a canoe ride. We saw many birds, monkeys and lots of beautiful plants. They were so nice and a joy to be with.
Tomorrow we get up at five to go to the walkway. Yikes.
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
4 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
5 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.