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Available for academic groups:
This trip starts in Tena, about 4 hours from Quito. Transport can be arranged from Quito or Otavalo. The itinerary has been designed for travellers on a budget and with limited time who want an amazing Amazon experience without sacrficing the quality of food, safety, guiding, and ecological experience.
Day 1- Arrive in the Amazon frontier town of Tena where your tour begins. After checking into our hotel we will cross a bridge to an island at the juncture of the Pano and Tena rivers where we get our first taste of Amazon birdlife. Relax with a Cocorico and fresh fish dinner overlooking the meandering Tena River. We call it a night early as tomorrow is a full day of rafting!
Day 2- Raft the class 2/3 Jatunyacu River with experienced liscensed guides! This all day rafting adventure starts after breakfast as we put-in on the upper Jatunyacu amidst verdant primary forest. The river is perfect for beginners and experienced white wáter addicts, providing just the right combination of rapids, adrenalin, traquil jungle pools and delicous, fresh food. After our day of rafting we retire to a veranda overlooking the Tena River for a well deserved beverage and delicous dinner.
Day 3- After breakfast we travel one hour to San Pedro on the Rio Arajuno; travel in canoe to Arajuno Jungle Lodge. Arrive at the lodge for a brief orientation and time to unpack. Take a dip in the river and enjoy a delicous lunch. This afternoon we will get to know Arajuno Jungle Lodge and the many sustainable development and conservation initiatives that it foments, as well as make art from clay and observe traditional Amazonian pottery firing techniques.
As your day winds down, you can choose to sit around the dining hall, conversing over a class of wine while watching the river flow by, or take that class of wine to the top of the birding tower and enjoy the stars. Or sit out in one of the hamocks on the bluff overlooking the river and listen to the night sounds of the jungle. Dinner and optional night hike afterwords. Turn in for the night to your cabin for a good night's sleep in a clean, comfortable bed.
Day 4- After breakfast, you will hike into the primary forest with a native naturalist guideand take a dip in the river. Back at the lodge, you will enjoy a native-style lunch, called maito, made from locally grown fish wrapped in leaves, slowly smoked over an open fire- a true delicacy. When lunch is over, we will take a trip to AmaZOOnico, a wildlife refuge upriver from the Lodge.
Day 5- Breakfast and farewell. After breakfast, you can leisurely pack your bags for departure. and transport back to Tena.
PACKAGE INCLUDES: all food, transport, guides, activities, lodging, park fees.
PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE: transport to and from Tena.
