Whether you intend to spend your time relaxing in the comfort of the lodge buildings or to fill every day with the maximum of adventure, the staff and guides at either of our lodges can offer expert advice and tailor an itinerary to your needs.

With Amarongachi Tours
You will have the unique opportunity to:

  • live a truly unforgettable jungle experience.
  • trek through primary forest in the company of knowledgeable indigenous guides.
  • go 'canyoning' up a chain of several spectacular jungle waterfalls.
  • learn about the fascinating uses of many of the Amazon's medicinal plants.
  • observe an incredible diversity of flora and fauna in its natural environment.
  • learn at first hand jungle handicrafts and survival skills.
  • pan for gold using techniques that have been practised for centuries.
  • swim in a crystal-clear, warm-water lagoon
  • go river rafting on Class 3+ rapids with qualified professional staff
  • …or just kick-back and enjoy a prolonged session of 'extreme hammocking' on the upper storey terrace of the lodge building.

Our daytrips are priced at US$45 per person, per day. All equipment (rubber boots, life jackets for river activities, ropes and safety gear for climbing the waterfalls etc) plus guides, food and purified water are included in this price. Please contact us with details of your intended stay if you would like us to suggest a range of activities that would best suit your personal interests.

For a real life-enhancing experience, you can even live as a guest with an indigenous family and learn about their customs, traditions and daily lives. Learn to construct the traps that are used to catch rainforest animals and about the production of chicha de yuca, the traditional Quichua drink.

Ashuar, Cofanes, Secollas, Shuar, Huaoranis, Tetes, Záparos, Quichua …nearly four hundred different ethnic groups inhabit the Amazon region today. A few have managed to maintain their ancient lifestyles and shamanic practises but many are struggling against an over-powering wave of new 'conquistadores,' in the form of oil and logging companies and gold prospectors. Sensitive eco-tourism is increasingly being recognised as the most effective ways of saving these ancient cultures.

We believe that the appreciation and understanding of other cultures is essential to the development of an integrated, global community.

Cabañas Shangrila
Four-day sample program:

Day 1
After lunch at Tena's very popular "Cositas Ricas" restaurant you will take a relaxing afternoon walk in the company of an expert guide who will familiarise you with the rainforest. ( You have also the possibility to spend one night in Tena and start the tour the next morning at 8am.) On a clear day the views to the distant mountains and volcanoes - Altares, Sangay, Antisana and the famous Tungurahua - are truly spectacular. Along the way your guide will point out many aspects of the mysterious and beautiful jungle life.
In the afternoon we descend back to the river for a cooling swim and a peaceful hour on the beach.
At the lodge you will be greeted with a welcoming drink of canelazo (made with sugarcane) and a comfortable hammock! After dinner you will enjoy an evening of local music (though this performance is restricted to groups of 10 or more).
Day 2
After breakfast you will depart on a 3½ hour walk, during which you will learn about the plants that are of particular traditional and medicinal importance to the Quichua people. Sample the unusual taste of lemon ants and learn about jungle survival and the making of traps. Your walk leads you onwards to a chain of spectacular jungle canyons where you are sure to see butterflies, hummingbirds and large bats.
After lunch you will raft down the Rio Anzu (in inflatable tubes) to the Rio Napo, where you will rendezvous with a support vehicle that will take you back to Cabañas Shangrila in time for dinner.
Day 3
We suggest 3 possible options for the third day of your jungle adventure:
a) Transfer to the village of Cando (2hrs) for a 4-hour canyoning expedition up a chain of 5 cascades, followed by a swim in a crystal lagoon. (This rather strenuous option is recommended for people with a reasonable level of fitness and strength).
b) Transfer to the village of Ahuano (1½hrs) for a 'safari' in a motorised canoe down the Rio Arajuno to The Amazon Park to see the greatest concentration of animals in the Ecuadorian Amazon. (Minimum 6pax, with an additional cost of US$10 per person*).
c) Full day rafting the Class 3+ rapids of Rio Jatunyacu with guide and capable professional team. (Minimum 4pax, with an additional cost of US$15 per person*).
*[Except where stated - among the options on day 3 - these daytrips are priced at US$45 per person, per day. *If your group does not reach the minimum size for any activities that particularly interest you please feel free to contact us as we can often combine separate groups.]
Day 4
After breakfast you will take a 2-hour stroll into the jungle to learn more about rainforest life and, in particular, to read the tracking signs and listen to the mysterious calls of the various jungle denizens.
At a remote Quichua community the villagers will explain some of their customs and traditions and invite you to taste the traditional drink, chicha de yuca.

This program is flexible and we pride ourselves in our ability to make your rainforest experience a truly unforgettable one. Please contact us with details of your intended stay if you would like us to suggest a range of activities that would best suit your personal interests…or just come along and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of one of Ecuador's most attractive jungle lodges.

Our fondest wish is not only that you enjoy your stay, but that when you leave you carry in your heart some of the good things that are a part of this emerald paradise and its fascinating and hospitable people.

 

Getting to Tena

For travellers who would prefer to take a taxi from Quito to Tena, the cost is $140 each way for groups of up to 4 people. For those planning on continuing their trip to Baños after their stay in Tena, the cost of a taxi is $100. Multilingual travel guides are also available in Quito for $20 per day.