Sacha Lodge

one of the best lodges in the Amazon Basin

Sacha Lodge is located in the Yasuni Amazon area of Ecuador.

Set close to the Rio Napo around 55 km east of Puerto Francisco de Orellana (El Coca) in the Yasuni Amazon area, Sacha Lodge is a relatively large and comfortable property.

The lodge is set on the shore of the mysterious black-water Laguna Pilchicocha, deep in the Amazon rainforest.

It is centred on a large main building, which is set back into the forest from the lake, containing expansive lounge, bar and dining areas.

Down by the lakeshore there is a further thatched building known as La Balsa (The Raft), where bar and lounge areas lead out to extensive decking and a swimming pool (which is actually a caged-off area of the lake).

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Sacha Lodge is in 26 rooms, which take the form of comfortable wooden cabañas, each with air-conditioning, bathroom, large windows with panoramic views and private terrace with hammock. They come in two specifications …

• Standard Cabins : x23 : king or two small beds
• Family Suites : x4 : king and two small beds

Activities

Sacha Lodge offers a good range of forest activities, including …

• Motorboat safari
• Canoe safari
• Clay licks (for parrots and macaws)
• Walking safari
• Night walking safari
• Canopy observation towers and walkways
• Cultural interaction
• Turtle adoption program

The Yasuni Amazon area can be easily reached by air from Quito. It is most commonly combined in trips with the Bosque Nuboso to the north of the capital and the Galapagos Islands out in the Pacific.

Seasonality

The best time to visit the Yasuni Amazon area is generally considered to be the Apr-Oct dry season.

Although this area is dominated by tropical rainforest (which is usually indicative of a pretty stable year round climate), Yasuni actually experiences quite a considerable seasonal range.

Temperatures are quite stable year round, with peak daytime temperatures typically rising to around 31C/88F (peaking around 37C/98F), with nighttime temperatures dropping to 17C/63F. Given the high year-round humidities, these night conditions can be quite sticky and uncomfortable (yet none of the lodges offer air-conditioning). During the Nov-Mar rainy season those nighttime temperatures can be a few degrees higher, which doesn’t help.

If you don’t enjoy high temperatures, then Jun-Jul is the best bet, since southerly winds can bring in slightly cooler fronts.

But the biggest seasonal difference is rainfall. During the Nov-Mar rainy season the precipitation rises to around 300mm (6”) per month, which is pretty high. Downpours can be torrential and enduring. Whilst there’s still a lot of sunny weather around, it is possible to have consecutive days of overcast weather.

During the converse dry season rainfall drops to around 75mm (3”) per month, which means there are still regular showers, but they tend to be light and intermittent, with sunny weather prevailing.

Getting there

The Yasuni Amazon area can be easily accessed by regular internal flights from the capital Quito into Francisco de Orellana Airport in Puerto Francisco de Orellana (El Coca).

It’s also often possible to connect the same day from Lima in Peru. But connections in from most other locations (including Galápagos) typically require a stopover in the Quito area.

On rare occasions we undertake the journey from Quito the Yasuni Amazon by road, which is a wonderful journey, but which does necessitate a night at each of Antisana and El Coca.

To reach Sacha Lodge, it is necessary to drive from El Coca to reach the river port of La Misión, then travel by motorboat down the Rio Napo for 55 km (33 miles), a journey of around two hours, to reach a landing jetty.

From there it is a walk of around 1 km through the forest, to reach Laguna Pilchicocha, which we cross by canoe to reach the lodge.

an interesting and diverse jungle experience