Itamandi EcoLodge
About
Itamandi EcoLodge offers sustainable travel and ecotourism to one of the most interesting places in the world: the Rainforest.
Just a 4-hour car and a short canoe ride away from Quito is our eco-friendly destination, which gives you the opportunity to plan an interesting jungle trip with luxury accommodation, always trying to foster to a sustainable development. Situated along the banks of the Arajuno River and car 45 min from Tena, there are lots of possible activities and excursions during your stay.
Our itineraries include a meeting with the Kichwa community, where you can attend the presentation of a folkloric dance with the children of the community, also you can try the local cuisine and share the “chicha”, an ancestral drink based on yucca to welcome a visitor; educational treks through primary forests, night walks, a visit to the parrot clay lick, bird watching, floating down the Arajuno River on tubes, production of artisan chocolate and more. Or you can enjoy a laid-back stay in our hotel area with an open-air pool, full service bar and relaxing zone.
Across the river sits the famed scientific research station Jatun Sacha
HIGHLIGHTS
Itamandi EcoLodge consists of 19 private rooms of varying sleeping configurations and several public gathering spots, including the spacious dining room, an open-air combined bar, a majestic pool, and an observation tower.
The lodging at Itamandi EcoLodge was carefully planned to offer comfort to the traveler, yet preserve the environment and ambience. The outline of the structure was designed with the intermingling trees of the rainforest in mind, and its outreaching, multiple branches. In addition, the lodge feels authentic, airy and comfortable.
Our Restaurant offers a wide variety of dishes with a national and international touch. All meals are made with fresh, local ingredients,buffet service for breakfast and lunch, and table service for dinner.
Itamandi EcoLodge can gather to special diet needs as to vegetarian meals upon request.
Our bartender will prepare you some of the best drinks or cocktails we offer at our open-air bar. Enjoy a drink at night overlooking the river and the pool!
A raised and roofed boardwalk connects all of the guests lodging to the several large communal areas at Itamandi
* Commitment to Nature
* Water TreatmentVVV
* Renewable energy sources
* Environmentally friendly inputs
* Responsible management of the environment with the native communities
Napo Jungle Trips
DAY 1
12:00 Start of the trip to Itamandi Ecolodge
Reception in the city of Tena; from where we will take the private transport to Puente del Rio Arajuno (45 minutes approx.) At this point, our naturalist guide will give you information about the place, important recommendations and other tips to start our great experience in the tropical forest in a Motorized canoe that goes upstream for 20 minutes to Itamandi EcoLodge start. On this boat trip, you can appreciate the magic and beauty of the Amazon rainforest traveling along a river that flows in a zigzag through the jungle like a giant snake, considered the main system of the Pacha Mama (Mother Earth). Once we arrive at the dock area of Itamandi EcoLodge, our staff will welcome you and give you brief and general information about your accommodation and the activities to be carried out.
13:30 Lunch
3:00 pm Tubing
After having tasted a delicious meal and having become comfortable; we will prepare for our first activity in the Amazon jungle.
18:30 Night Hike (optional)
A flashlight and camera are the most important tools in this nocturnal excursion, which allows guests to hear and catch the nocturnal sounds of fishing bats, owls, some insects, tarantulas, toads, frogs and possibly snakes. If the sky is clear, we may have the opportunity to observe a large number of stars.
DAY 2
5:45 – 6:00 Parrot Clay Lick (If weather permits)
Early in the morning we take a canoe ride for 15 minutes upstream to visit a parrot clay lick (Saladero) to appreciate a unique site where parrots and parakeets gather in order to obtain the minerals that will help them to digest the fruits or seeds they have consumed. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets will approach the treetops and later will come down to the clay bank to eat this soil rich in minerals. It is essential to have binoculars to enjoy it.
7:00 – 8:30 Breakfast
9:00/9:30 Long hike
After a scrumptious breakfast we head out for a hike through the primary and secondary Rainforest. Our expert naturalists teach you about the ecology and flora and fauna of the Rainforest along the trail. You will observe a great variety of insects, a diversity of birds flying around us and with some luck reptiles or monkeys. This activity takes about 2 ½ -3hours.
13:00 Lunch
14:30 Visit to Native Community
In the afternoon it is time to enjoy a cultural activity. An Amazonian Kichwa community will receive us and we learn about their way of life and the interaction they have with the forest. This encounter is going to show you that part of the Amazonia that you do not find on the maps: the Amazon people.
Part of our visit to the community involves the demonstration of the famous “Chicha”, a fermented yucca drink that has become part of their festivals and daily use. We will take part in the preparation of this beverage and also try some of the local cuisine.
We finish the visit with a traditional dance performed by the kids in this community and you also have some time to buy some handicrafts, made by the indigenous. This little business is to support the indigenous people in their daily life.
19:30 Dinner
DAY 3
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Visit to AmaZOOnico and Isla Anaconda
After our delicious breakfast buffet, we take a 40 min canoe ride downriver to visit the “Isla Anaconda”. We can observe the prehistoric bird “Hoatzin”, woolly monkeys, squirrel monkeys, just to mention a few. We also visit a family in one of the indigenous communities to learn about their farming habits, medicinal plants, as well as the ancestral way of hunting with blowguns (cerbatana) and handmade traps in the forest.
On this trip a delicious box lunch will be provided.
After lunch we will go to AmaZOOnico, which is sheltering a number of different animals, some in danger of extinction. AmaZOOnico is not a zoo but a rescue center for animals of the Amazon in Ecuador. We can observe a wide variety of monkeys, macaws, ocelots, capybara, toucans, parrots and much more animals in their natural habitat at close range.
Return to Itamandi EcoLodge to enjoy the facilities of the hotel.
19:30 Dinner
DAY 4
8:00 Breakfast
9:00 Check-out and motorized canoe ride for 20 Minutes to the Arajuno Bridge
3 days 2 nights | 4 days 3 nights | ||
| CABAÑA | CABAÑA | ||
| Double, matrimonial, triple or quadruple | 260 | Double, matrimonial, triple or quadruple | 385 |
| Single | 338 | Single | 500,5 |
| STANDARD ROOM | STANDARD ROOM | ||
| Double, matrimonial, triple or quadruple | 222 | Double, matrimonial, triple or quadruple | 329 |
| Single | 288,6 | Single | 427,7 |
- Transfer-In Tena – Port – Hotel
- Transfer-Out Hotel – Port – Tena
- Accommodation in Selected room
- Full meals (Tour starts lunch and ends with breakfast)
- Excursions and activities according to the pre-established itinerary, related to the number of Nights.
- Native Guide (English-Spanish language)
- Life jackets and rubber boots (sizes 36 to 44)
- Tickets $10 per person
- All kinds of drinks out of breakfast
- Personal expenses and tips
From Tena:
– Take the road to Puerto Napo
– Cross the bridge over the Napo River
– Directly after the bridge, turn left.
– Follow the paved road until you reach an intersection, called “Zancudo” for about 25km
– Continue straight, DO NOT turn left, for 5 km until you reach the bridge over the Arajuno River.
– You arrived at our pier!
From Quito:
Itamandi Ecolodge by public bus (approx. 5 hours)
Several public transportation companies operate the stretch from Quito or Baños to Tena. The journey will take approximately 5 hours, travelling over partially paved and unpaved roads. In Tena you either take another public bus (“Jumandy” or Centinela”) to the Arajuno Bridge, where we meet you. Or we can arrange a private transfer from Tena to our meeting point at an additional cost.
