The Upper Amazon Basin - Adventure Guide to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - page 346

of ecotourism in Ecuador. Traditional yet cozy accommodations, deli-
cious meals, and professional integrity combine with outstanding op-
portunities for wildlife viewing and community involvement to create
an incomparable experience. Here you canwitness the upper Amazon
Basin at its finest.

Activities at Sacha are varied and numerous. One major attraction is
a 135-foot observation tower. To get there, you have two choices - a
wonderful hike through thick forest, or an adventurous paddle down
Orchid Creek, a black-water stream that meanders through flooded
palm forest, seranaded by a chorus of tropical music. At the tower you
climb through, and ultimately above, the rainforest canopy to experi-
ence magnificent views. Birding guides have reported seeing more
than 80 species fromthe platform in onemorning alone! In addition to
a rainbow of birds, other common sightings from the tower include
the three-toed sloth and howler and squirrel monkeys.

Other activities at Sacha include nature walks, canoe rides, swim-
ming, and fishing for piranha.Wildlife viewing and bird-watching are
popular, as is hiking with a guide, who identifies medicinal plants.
The more adventurous can explore the forest at night in search of the
elusive puma, the tinymarmoset, the floating caiman, andmillions of
insects. You can also visit the Butterfly House, one of Ecuador's larg-
est butterfly farms, with more than 40 local species. Or head for the
border of Yasuní National Park to check out a parrot lick, where thou-
sands of parrots gather on sunny days to frolic on a clay salt bank. The
clay, a sort of antacid for the parrots, draws out toxins from the fruit
they consume. The show of squawking colors is spectacular. $$$$

Julio Zaldumbide 375 and Toledo, Quito, 2-2566-090, 2-2509-504,

or 2-2509-115, /fax [phone], [e-mail].

Piranha Encounter!

Traveler's account: “On one of my first trips to the Amazon
region of Ecuador, while spending the morning swimming
in a quiet little lagoon off the Río Aguarico, I was excited to
learn from our guide that we would be fishing for piranha
that afternoon. Imagine my surprise as I hopped into the
motorized canoe ready to head off to piranha-infested wa-
ters, only to be told we would be fishing right where we had
just been swimming!”
Don't be put off by this account - the truth is that Ecuador-
ian piranhas simply don't like the taste of gringo flesh.