Kapawi Eco Lodge, The Amazon

Location

Southern Amazon (The Amazon, Ecuador)

Description

The most remote of the jungle lodges, Kapawi is Ecuador’s most complete eco-lodge, close to the Peruvian border, on the Pastaza river, with 3 possible access routes depending on conditions.

Activities

Wildlife treks, river trips, community visits - all with an Achuar and bilingual guide. Pink dolphins and giant otters are commonly sighted.

Accommodation

Pretty thatched cabins on stilts, laid out in a curve on the edge of a small lagoon. No fans, but large netted windows allow a good flow of air and it usually cools down at night.

Our comments

A buffer night on departure is essential.

Client comments and reviews

Getting to Kapawi was the first challenge! The plane could not land at Shell due to the weather so we took a bus for 7 hours. This was not as bad as we anticipated as the scenery was spectacular and we saw Tungurahua volcano erupting. After a night in Puya we left in a 5 seater Piper plane, great excitement. When we finally arrived the staff were very friendly and the lodge comfortable. There was lots of rain and the ponchos provided were useless, they all leaked. We enjoyed the bird watching from the canoe and the Achuar village, the food was good and the staff delightful. It has an amazing location and great potential, but they need more organisation and to get an airfield that can cope with the rain. When we came to depart it was pretty shambolic. Everyone had other trips planned and it was very frustrating trying to get any information on when we would leave. Visitors need to be aware of the problems getting there and back due to the high chance of rain and not make any arrangements for a couple of days after the planned departure. The medical supplies at the lodge were poor and although the chef had some medical knowledge I'm not quite sure how much. - IT (February 2008)