South America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 261

Jungle lodges

The Amazon Rainforest is the stuff of dreams: there are iridescent butterflies the size of
your hand, deafening waterfalls that cascade into emerald pools, indigenous tribes who
hunt with blowpipes, and as many different kinds of exotic plants and birds as you'll find
anywhere on earth. The remoteness of most jungle lodges means they have to be self-
reliant for electricity, food and water, and many now organize guided treks that promote
conservation of the jungle's biodiversity. They also bring much-needed income to remote
communities and provide visitors with an insight into their struggle with logging and oil
companies. Below are our ten favourites.

345 Sani Lodge, Ecuador
Ten lakeside, thatch-roofed cabañas owned
and operated by the Sani Isla community in a
wildlife-rich corridor of rainforest between the
Cuyabeno Reserve and the Yasuni National
Park. Fredy is the general manager, Manuel
the chef, and Domingo and Guillermo will take
you to see some of the region's 1500 species of
trees, five hundred species of tropical birds and
thousand species of butterflies.
W www.sanilodge.com; T [phone].

347 Napo Wildlife Center, Ecuador
Owned by the Añangua Quichua community,
this luxury lodge on the banks of the Napo
River supports the conservation of 200 square
kilometres of Yasuní National Park - a UNESCO
Biosphere Reserve and the largest tract of
tropical rainforest in Ecuador. There are several
clay licks near the lodge where you can see
parrots and macaws, and a short trek away is a
36m-high canopy tower that will get you closer
to toucans as well as spider and howler monkeys.
W www.napowildlifecenter.com; T [phone]
5771.

Rope bridge at Inkaterra
Reserva Amazonica Lodge,
Peru

346 Yachana Lodge,
Ecuador
This one is for
chocoholics. Yachana
(“Place of Learning”),
surrounded by 17 square
kilometres of protected
forest, is where Yachana
Gourmet cacao ( W www.
yachanagourmet.com)
is grown. Here you can
learn how chocolate
is made from freshly
picked cacao beans,
go river swimming, or
join jungle treks with
indigenous guides to
nearby waterfalls and
Yachana villages.
W www.yachana.com;
T [phone].

348 Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
lodge, Peru
Come to this luxury lodge in the Tambopata
National Reserve if you like your creature
comforts: hot showers, “terracotta exfoliates”,
robes and rubber slippers are the order of the
day here. Various excursions are available,
including guided treks with professionally
trained guides to a canopy walkway, Lake
Sandoval and a nearby indigenous farm
belonging to the Ese Eja community. W www.
inkaterra.com/en/reserva-amazonica; T +44 (0)
800 458 7506.

349 La Selva Ecolodge, Ecuador
Owned by an American (he rents the land from
the indigenous community of Pilche), La Selva
is one of the longest-running lodges in Ecuador,
so expect a well-polished service; the food and