Sacha Lodge Information

Getting There | Lodge Details | Excursions | Observation Tower | Butterfly House | Yasuni Parrot Lick

Summary

Since it's opening in 1991, Sacha has bought large expanses of pristine land around the Lodge and has so far accumulated a private reserve of 3200-acres of primary rainforest. In order to increase the buffer zone around this area, there are plans to purchase more land in the future. This area is being used exclusively for ecotourism and scientific investigation:

All guests are led by both a biologist guide and a native guide, and activities are designed to educate guests on rainforest flora, fauna, ecosystems, cultures and their fragile balance. Several ornithologists have used our installations as a research base, and studies are also being done on several species of Lepidoptera at the Lodge's butterfly farm.

Sacha Lodge's maximum capacity is 40 guests, and this number will not grow. During walks in the forest, groups are kept small (6-8 people) and follow several well-dispersed trails where very few guests pass each week. No motors are used on the Lodge's lakes or creeks, and the building materials necessary for maintenance are brought in from the town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana, located at a distance of 50 miles. Drinking water is treated with filters and heat (rather than chemicals), and plastic garbage and dead batteries are sent out the way visitors come in.

Top

Getting There

The journey to Sacha Lodge begins in Quito, Ecuador's capital city. From here, a 45-minute flight takes you over the Andes Mountains' majestic snow-covered peaks and down over 8500 feet (2600 meters) into the town of Puerto Francisco de Orellana. Here, a covered motorized canoe will be awaiting you for a 21/2-hour, 50-mile (80-kilometer) trip down the Napo, the largest river in Ecuadorian Amazonia. Along the way, you will feast your eyes upon the numerous shore birds, including herons, kingfishers, spoonbills and ospreys. Upon arrival to Sacha Lodge's 3200-acre (1300-hectare) private reserve, guests will take their first walk along a raised boardwalk through dense flooded palm forest to Pilchicocha lake, a blackwater paradise where dugout canoes (and even paddlers!) await to carry you to the Lodge.

Top

Lodge Details

Sacha Lodge takes pride in the international quality of its meals, and our chefs will be happy to prepare special dishes for vegetarians.

• 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.
• Guests may use free time to enjoy a raised lookout above our bar
  and lounge, which offers a scenic view of Pilchicocha Lake and excellent
  opportunities to birdwatch.
• Electricity is provided by a distant, nearly inaudible generator.
• Private, modern bathrooms provide hot showers.
• All cabins are screened against insects and contain two comfortable
  double beds.

Excursions

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. Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Your days at Sacha usually begin at sunrise or earlier so as to take advantage of the cool morning hours when the rainforest’s animals are most active. Each group may decide on is own waking and breakfast hours, as well as the level of difficulty and length of outings. In the afternoon, visits begin between 3:00 and 4:00 and often continue into the evening, when you will be serenaded by the nocturnal insects and frogs.
 

• 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.
• Swimming and piranha fishing are also activities not to be missed...
  but don't worry! Piranhas are scavengers and the guides will prove
  that swimming is perfectly safe!
• 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?

Top
Observation Tower
One of Sacha Lodge's highlights is our 130-foot (40-meter) observation tower, which allows guests to climb into and above the rainforest canopy for a magnificent view of the surrounding area. From the tower's ample platform it is possible to observe toucans, parrots, and dozens of other colorful bird species in the treetops. With some luck, noisy howler monkeys or the gentle three-toed sloth may also be seen, especially with the aid of a powerful telescope provided by your guides.


The tower may be reached on foot via a half-hour walk through terra firme forest, although no one can miss out on at least a one-way trip
to or from the tower along Orchid Creek, Pilchicocha Lake's natural black water runoff to the Napo River. In a dugout canoe guests may follow
this winding stream through untamed palm forest for about an hour, a trip that many choose to repeat. In recent years Sacha Lodge has become a favorite destination of both professional and amateur ornithologists. Over 500 species of birds have been registered in the area, and from the tower platform our bird specialist guides have on several occasions reported seeing over 80 species in a single morning!
Top
Butterfly House
Sacha Lodge is home of one of the largest butterfly farms in Ecuador. Designed as a live exhibition conservatory, the Butterfly House is now successfully breeding nearly 40 local butterfly species. Guests will be shown how these beautiful insects are bred and raised, and later be free to wander through "the flying room", where hundreds of colorful butterflies including spectacular blue morphs flutter from flower to flower.



Top

Yasuni Parrot Lick
At a short distance from Sacha Lodge is Ecuador's most accessible parrot lick, an exposed clay bank where brightly colored parrots of several different species gather in the early morning. In ideal conditions (sunny and dry), the parrots will often perch on and eat the exposed clay. On an ideal morning hundreds of parrots can be seen gathering around this bank between 7:00 and 8:00 for a spectacular show of sound and color. The lick is located on the edge of Yasuni National Park, which may be reached from Sacha by a one half-hour motorized canoe trip down the Napo River.