Day 1: Quito, Ecuador
Welcome to Ecuador! After clearing immigration and customs, continue to the arrivals hall where you are met by your Big Five Ecuador representative for transfer to your hotel. Hotel Illa offers a unique cultural experience for guests in Quito’s warmest and most welcoming traditional neighborhood. Something beyond bricks and mortar, beds and breakfasts. For generations, San Marcos has been home to artists, writers, and musicians. Its present-day charm owes much to the tight-knit community of residents. Illa Experience Hotel

Day 2: Quito
Early this morning, join your guide for a ride on the Teleferico, a gondola lift, running from the edge of the city center up the east side of the Pichincha Volcano. It is one of the highest cable cars in the world that will whisk you from 3117 meters/10, 226 ft to 3,945 meters/12,943 ft in just 20 minutes. At the summit you will have spectacular views of the city and its surrounding including the snow-capped peaks known as the Avenue of the Volcanoes. From here commence a trek to the summit of  Ruco Pichincha at 4696m (15,406 ft.). This is a five-to-six hour trek with the last hour a steep incline of rocky terrain. Illa Experience (B,L)

Day 3: Quito
This morning, you are transferred to either the  Toachi or Blanco River. Flowing off the coastal side of the Andes, these rivers have some of the longest navigable sections of whitewater in the country. If you combine this with the sights and sounds of the surrounding forest environment, and you are guaranteed a day to remember. You will travel 2.5 hours west through beautiful cloud forest to the shores of the river. After a safety debrief, you are fitted with life jackets and helmets, and given instruction on paddling techniques needed to navigate your way down the river. Once on the river, you can expect both the action of thrilling whitewater and the tranquility of drifting silently through tropical rainforests as you paddle through the rapids, enjoy the sounds of the forest and keep watch for the wildlife from the mobile “viewing platform”. Rafting time approximately 3½ hrs. (From March to May the trip operates from the upper Blanco River – 43 km/, approx. 4½ hrs.). During the trip  stop by the side of the river for a delicious picnic lunch including fresh tropical fruits and served with soft drinks, juice, and water. At the end of the day, return to your historic hotel that represents the exquisite style of the mansions of Quito from the early 20th Century, and is a great location to discover the city. Illa Experience (B,L)

Day 4: Quito / Coca / Amazon River
This morning, transfer to the Quito airport for a 30-minute flight to Coca. A short drive from the airport to “La Mision”, the main port of Coca, will bring you to “the gateway to the Amazon” where Francisco de Orellana set sail in 1541. Here you will board a comfortable covered canoe powered by twin outboard motors for the 2.5-hour navigation downstream on the Napo River to the Napo Wildlife Center (NWC) welcome station. Here you will take a short break and make use of the facilities before transferring to smaller, non-motorized to maintain the pristine landscape and habitats. Over the next couple of hours, you will paddle up Añangu Creek to the Napo Wildlife Center lodge, which is situated on the bank of a tranquil lake amid a vast tract of primary rainforest where hunting is prohibited. During this canoe ride, you have high chances of spotting wildlife including various species of monkeys, as well as large birds like toucans, parrots, and even macaws. Return to your lodge, built in a natural indigenous style and owned by the Anangu Quichua community, and recognized as a blueprint for community-based tourism projects. The lodge has been constructed in a natural indigenous style. Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 5: Amazon River
After a buffet breakfast, experience life above the forest floor by visiting the 36-meter/118-foot canopy tower. This tower is located about half an hour from the lodge deep within the forest. Look for some of the more than 600 species of birds recorded that include colorful tanagers, macaws, toucans, flycatchers as well as monkeys such as spider or howler monkeys in nearby trees. The canopy tower opens a whole new and exciting world. Return to the lodge for a typical Ecuadorian lunch. After lunch, enjoy one of the many options to choose from for your afternoon activity. Climb the central tower for birdwatching, go kayaking, or simply relax in your hammock if that is more your speed. You may choose to hike through the marvelous forest to discover the ecology and the role of plants in the complex world of the tropical rainforest. Vines, ancient trees, bromeliads, and orchids stand out in this impressive natural garden. After the hike, explore the surrounding lake and creeks for the chance to run into a giant otter family. A delicious dinner awaits in the lodge restaurant. Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 6: Amazon River
This morning, visit the best parrot clay licks in Ecuador. An early start allows you to see different creatures while paddling downstream on the Añangu Creek. At the welcome area, board a motorboat for a ten-minute ride for a beautiful view of thousands of parrots such as the Amazon-mealy, blue-headed, and orange-cheeked, among others who land at the natural river-side formation to eat some clay. Later, we return to the welcome area and start a short hike to the parakeets’ clay lick. Here hundreds of cobalt-winged parakeets remain crowded in the trees waiting for the most confident members of the flock to decide the best time to get minerals from the clay. Marvel as they all take turns landing at this clay lick in a flurry of color and sound. After lunch at the lodge, visit the interpretation area to learn about the traditions of the ancestral Kichwa community of Añangu through song, dance, and conversation. Then head back to the lodge late in the afternoon for a refreshing fruit drink, followed by dinner. Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 7: Amazon River
This morning hike along the Tiputini trail. Enjoy the mixture of solid earth and swamp forests while searching for more wildlife such as golden-mantled tamarins, white-faced capuchin monkeys, two and three-toed sloths, pigmy squirrels, and maybe even a carnivore’s tracks on the forest floor.  Enjoy lunch at the lodge and a well-deserved rest. In the afternoon, paddle canoes take you deep into areas of the surrounding creeks with more possibilities of seeing unique wildlife like the hoatzin. After dinner, discuss and share your experiences of the community and Napo Wildlife Center. Napo Wildlife Center Amazon Lodge (B,L,D)

Day 8: Amazon River / Quito / Depart
Today is an early departure with one last canoe adventure back on the Napo River in search of giant otters, Monk Saki monkeys and more rare birds. Return to the dock and transfer to a motorized canoe for the return journey to Coca. You arrive in time to check in for the flight to Quito, where you are met and assisted at the airport to board your flight home. (B)

Land price, per person, double occupancy: Price starts from US$650 per person per day.

Note: If clients are coming to Ecuador from Brazil, it is mandatory to being vaccinated from Yellow Fever, and the only way to prove it is through the International Vaccination Certificate of Yellow Fever.