At a glance
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Don't forget that all of our itineraries are totally customized and so this is just an idea of what we can build for you.
Yasuní National Park holds more species of plants and animals in a single hectare than exist across all of North America, and this seven-day trip spends four full days living inside it.
The journey opens in Quito, the first city named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a morning at the equator line in Mitad del Mundo before an afternoon spent in the historic centre’s colonial streets, squares, and churches with an English-speaking guide.
From Quito, a short flight to the jungle town of Coca leads to a river journey by motorized canoe and, on the final stretch, a paddle canoe into the still water where the lodge sits.
What follows are four days inside or near Yasuní, one of the ten most biodiverse places on Earth, with jungle treks through primary forest, night walks that reveal the jungle’s nocturnal life, a climb up an observation tower over the canopy, visits to Kichwa communities, and a cooking class built around the Amazon’s own ingredients.
Our LGBTQ+ travel specialists handle every flight, canoe transfer, and lodge booking along the way, leaving you with one real decision: whether to extend the trip into the Andes.
In detail
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Don't forget that most of our itineraries can be totally customized. Our expert team will be able to talk you through all the options.
Days 1-2: Quito
Arrive in Quito and take a private transfer to your hotel, chosen for its location within easy reach of the historic centre, named the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978.
Your first morning is spent at Mitad del Mundo, also known as ‘The Middle of the World,’ where a painted line marks the equator between the northern and southern hemispheres, followed by lunch at a local restaurant.
The afternoon returns to Quito’s historic centre, widely regarded as the best-preserved colonial centre in Latin America, for a guided walk through its cobbled streets, squares, and churches.
Days 3-6: The Amazon
A short flight from Quito to Coca puts you in the jungle within the hour, where a naturalist guide meets you for the river journey by motorized canoe, continuing by paddle canoe along a blackwater creek to reach the lodge.
Over the following days, activities draw from jungle treks, night walks, a canopy-level observation tower, visits to Kichwa communities and local cultural centers, and a hands-on Amazon cooking class, shaped around your pace rather than a fixed schedule.
Day 7: Coca to Quito
After a final breakfast at the lodge, the paddle canoe retraces its route back along the blackwater creek before the motorized canoe carries you the rest of the way to Coca, the jungle giving way gradually to the wider Napo River and the first signs of the town.
From there, a short flight returns you to Quito, close enough to the Andes that the change in altitude and scenery is immediate, whether you continue straight into the optional Andes extension below or spend a final evening in the capital before your onward journey home.
Optional Add On: The Andes
A transfer to Sacha Jí, an Andean wellness retreat designed by its owner, a working architect and photographer, whose eye for detail shows in the property’s curved, feng shui-inspired structures and the original photography lining its walls.
The eleven guestrooms sit in small clusters across the hillside, each with a private bathroom, many with a wood-burning stove, and green roofs fitted with hammocks looking out over Imbabura Volcano and Lake San Pablo.
Optional Add On: Otavalo, Peguche and Cuicocha Lagoon
Otavalo holds the largest indigenous market in Latin America, its textiles and handicrafts spilling from the Plaza de Ponchos into the surrounding streets.
Lunch is followed by a visit to a textile workshop, where owners demonstrate techniques passed down through generations, and a stop at a workshop where local musicians build and play traditional Andean instruments.
The day closes at Cuicocha, a volcanic crater lake, with time to shop in Cotacachi, a town known for its leatherwork, if the schedule allows.
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