Haugan Cruises - Amazon Rainforest and Lodging in Ecuador

About the lodge
Features
Prices

Kapawi Lodge
This resort is considered the top jungle resort in Ecuador. You fly from Quito to a small town named Macas, or sometimes to the small community, Montalvo, from there you will take a small plane deep into the jungle, close to the border of Peru. Once at Kapawi you will stay in a comfortable room with private showers and go on short expeditions close to the resort. Kapawi is considered one of the best eco-tourist projects in South America. the Kapawi resort is a cooperative between the Ashuar Indian community and the private organization Canodros S.A.

Kapawi (and the Tropical Rain Forest) is as safe as a temperate forest or walking in a big city. Very few animals are dangerous. They are generally shy and prefer to run than attack (like the poisonous snakes). This is why it is so hard to see them in the forest.

Kapawi has Achuar and naturalist guides who are well versed in the environment. They carry first aid kits and radios for emergency purposes. Life jackets, well-maintained paths and motorized canoes guarantee security for our visitors. An evacuation protocol is available upon request.

Kapawi Lodge cabins Inside

Near the Ecuadorian-Peruvian border and seen from a small aircraft, interrupted only by isolated communities, the Amazon is an unending carpet of trees. During your flight over Kapawi Ecolodge & Reserve, it will be difficult to differentiate the lodge from the local communities. The twenty thatch-roofed Cabañas (huts) that are aligned along a small lagoon look from the air like a rather unimpressive project. However, by combining the vernacular architecture, exogenous and low-impact technologies plus a unique and friendly working relationship with the Achuar it was possible to create what has been called "Ecuador's closest approach to the perfect ecolodge".

Lodges from the lake

Luxury Kapawi Lodges

Features

Rainforest Mammals
You have to understand that most rainforest mammals are hard to find because they are shy, nocturnal and well camouflaged. If you are searching for animals, some patience, luck and a good guide will get you to see quite a few, including monkeys, giant otters and fresh-water dolphins.

Rainforest Birds
In Kapawi, during the past three years, 520 species have been recorded. The number increases every season with migrants from Patagonia or North America. Everyone wants to see toucans, macaws and parrots. These and other birds can not be seen until they fly out across a river or forest gap. However, hawks, kingfishers, orioles, flycatchers and anis can be easily spotted.

Rainforest Reptiles
Reptiles are relatively independent in open water with scaly skin and eggs that are waterproof enabling them to colonize in different areas and getting all the water they need from their food. Their slow metabolism allows them to reduce water and food requirements. Distribution and activity is limited because they are 'cold-blooded'. When they need to warm up, they bask in the sun and to cool down they seek shade (useful clues on when and where to look for them). You will find land reptiles like snakes, lizards and tortoises. Aquatic reptiles like caimans (a type of alligator) and river turtles can also be found in Kapawi.

Kapawi Lodge cabins Inside

Prices 2008:

Number of days	Accommodation			Services
Number of days	Triple	Double	Single	Services
• 4 days:	US$570	US$670	US$935	Plus $6
• 5 days:	US$760	US$895	US$1250	Plus $8
• 7 days:	US$1195	US$1405	US$1970	Plus $14

- Transfer Quito - Kapawi - Quito: US$224