Spend 5 days kayaking and exploring the beautiful Ecuadorian rainforest.
Discover the true heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle as you explore the Yasuni National Park on this paddling adventure. This guided adventure lets you truly experience the natural beauty of the rainforest as you kayak through the vibrant jungle by day and camp in the jungle by night.
As you kayak the rivers, you’ll encounter the birds, monkeys, frogs, and countless other animals that live in the rainforest. You’ll also have a chance to look for anaconda and fish for piranha during your adventure. Between kayaking journeys, you’ll have a chance to meet the people who live in this beautiful wilderness. You’ll be visiting the children of the Mandaripanga community and will spend some time with an indigenous Kichwa family. Spending time connecting with the people who are the stewards of this pristine corner of the world will give you insight into a completely different way of life.
Dive into the Ecuadorian Amazon and take on this paddling adventure in one of Earth’s most special corners, the Yasuni National Park!
Highlights of the Paddling through Ecuador’s Rainforest
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Paddling through Ecuador’s Rainforest Tour Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive in Coca
Meet your group in the city of Coca, where you’ll be driven together to the Tiputini River. Here you’ll canoe upriver for an hour until you reach the Madaripanga community.
Meet the friendly residents and visit the children at the local school. In the afternoon, you’ll take a three-hour kayak trip to look for wildlife and learn about the plants grow along the riverbank. You’ll be arriving at your campsite in time for dinner.
Overnight Location: Camping in Yasuni National Park
Distance: About 4 hours of paddling
Meals: Lunch, dinner
Day 2 Bird and Wildlife Watching by Kayak
This morning, you’ll have an early breakfast and will be on the river early enough to catch the mist rising off the water, a magical sight.
During your 4 hour paddle, you’ll be looking for trogons, eagles, tanagers, macaws, parrots, kingfishers, and other exotic birds. You’ll park your kayaks and trade them for canoes as you search for anacondas in the black water lagoon. These snakes are important symbols to the local Kichwa people and are often found along the shoreline, so keep an eye out!
You’ll finish your afternoon with a fishing trip where you can try your hand at catching a piranha!
Overnight Location: Camping in Yasuni National Park
Distance: About 5 hours of paddling
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 3 Hike to the Clay Lick and Visit a Local Family
Today you’ll be trekking into the jungle to learn all about the medicinal plants in the area and how they’re used in daily Amazon life.
You’ll be hiking to a mineral deposit called Clay Lick where many animals get important minerals that they are missing from their regular diet. You may even see howler monkeys and parrots in the area!
After lunch at camp, you’ll visit an indigenous Kichwa family who will teach you about their culture and daily life. You will also be able to purchase locally made handicrafts, which will directly support the families in the area.
Overnight Location: Camping in Yasuni National Park
Distance: About 2 hours of hiking
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Day 4 Canoeing the Rumiyacu
You’ll start your day in the canoe with a 45-minute trip up the Rumiyacu River. After a short hike, you’ll visit a spot that is popular for seeing parrots. After spending some time watching these colourful birds you’ll return to the city of Coca for the evening.
Overnight Location: Hotel in Coca
Distance: About 2 hours of paddling
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Day 5 Departure
Today your tour officially ends after breakfast and check out. From here you can begin your trip home or continue on your journey.
Overnight Location: None
Distance: None
Meals: Breakfast
This guided tour is run as a private tour for your group only.Prices below are per person:
*-Pricing for this tour depends on the dates of your trip, as well as your group size. Please click the booking button below to get the exact pricing for your trip dates. The prices listed are per person.
Book NowAccommodation on the Paddling through Ecuador’s Rainforest Tour
This tour is based in campsites and 3-star hotel accommodations. While you are camping in the rainforest you’ll be accommodated in a rustic “glamping” camp. Rooms are double occupancy and single travellers will pay a supplement.
In some cases, the accommodation listed below may need to be substituted for other, comparable accommodations.
Single Rooms and Solo Travelers
You can pay a supplement to have a private room in a hotel (please inquire for the pricing). We can try and match single travellers up where possible.
Hotels on Standard Tour
Camping in the Amazon Rainforest
Discover the secrets of the rainforest and learn from the people who call it home during your night camping with the Kichwa community.
El Auca Hotel in Coca ★★★
This comfortable hotel is right in the centre of Coca, near the river and central park. Its beautiful tropical gardens are the perfect place to relax.
What’s Included in Paddling through Ecuador’s Rainforest Tour?
Meals
4 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 3 dinners, snacks, and water are included.
Accommodations
Accommodations for 4 nights are included. Accommodations before and after the tour in Coca are not included.
Transportation during the Tour
Transport for you and your luggage is included as per the itinerary. Pick up at the beginning of the tour will be from the Coca meeting point.
Also Included
- Experienced English-speaking guide
- Water bottle
- Paddling equipment, NRS expedition kayaks, NRS paddleboards, paddles, and life jackets
- Rubber boats are provided for jungle hikes
- All fees to reserves and museums
Not included
- Travel insurance
- Flights to and from Ecuador
- Airport transfers
- Lunches and dinners or drinks and snacks not previously mentioned
- Tourist taxes if applicable
- Visas if required
- Optional activities
- Personal equipment
- Fees not mentioned as ‘included’
- Gratuities for tour guides and drivers are not included
Frequently Asked Questions about Paddling through Ecuador’s Rainforest
The creation of Activexpedition is to inspire adventure travelers to explore our world from a different perspective. At Activexpedition they prioritize eco-friendly activities in every destination they go, as well as support local people and traditions through sustainability efforts.
Activexpedition's mission is to deliver educational experiences of a lifetime with stellar service and provide human powered holidays that go beyond typical adventure travel.
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Local Guide
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Q&A
Q: What is the best part of guiding tourists in your country?
A: Very difficult question, but Mountain Biking along the Andes is my favourite part of my country.
Q: What are guests most surprised about when visiting Ecuador?
A: The people, how friendly we are, the biodiversity that Ecuador has. Here you can have breakfast on the coast then have lunch in the mountains and finally have dinner in the Amazon basin.
Q: What is one experience anybody visiting your country should do?
Galapagos is the main highlight, but all of the visitors have to do the mainland multisport because this is an active tour where we mix with local gastronomy and the most important thing we share with local people.
Q: What is your most unforgettable moment when guiding?
A: When your guests don’t tell you anything, but you can see how excited they are in their faces.
Q: What is one local dish or drink that tourists must try on a visit to your country and why?
A: I love our local food, well the first dish fritada with tortillas that is fried pork with potato patties then empanadas.
Q: Where would you want to go on holiday?
A: Utah to ride the Whole Enchilada!
Q: What is the most challenging adventure you’ve ever done?
A: When I finished high school, I took my bike and rode it through Ecuador for 1 year, and I climbed almost all of our snowcap mountains along the way.
Q: What do your guests say is best about the trips you lead?
A: The diversity of our country and how the people are. They say also that the activities that we have are the best option to learn about our country.