Amazon Here We Come!

Yet another early start! We leave at 06.20 for Quito airport and our flight to Coca in the Amazon. The weather is grey and cloudy with intermittent rain and poor visibility. We were so lucky with the weather yesterday. The traffic in Quito is terrible and there are junctions that make the Arc de Triomphe look like a breeze. Vehicles squeeze through impossible gaps, nobody gives way and every inch of road surface is utilised. A two lane highway somehow accommodates 4.5 lanes of vehicles. Miraculously we arrive at the airport unscathed and in plenty of time. Our guide ushers us through the airport which is pristine and only built 10 years ago, It is very efficient indeed. We board the plane which sits on the tarmac for ages but eventually takes off for the 40 minute journey.

There are no views as it is so cloudy but suddenly the plane banks and a huge peak protrudes through the cloud bank.

We shall be staying at the Napo Wildlife Centre. It turns out that we are sitting next to our guide Jairo on the plane. He escorts us to a very comfortable dock on the Napo River.

Coca itself is bustling but pretty tatty and the dock has sliding doors to protect it from the town and presumably crime. While waiting to board the powered canoe downriver, we are lucky to be joined by a squirrel monkey in the nearby trees. It is difficult to see, but eventually it comes very close to me and I get some great close-ups. I hope this is a good omen for the trip.

Life-vests are handed to us and we embark for the 2.5 hour trip on the large high-powered canoe before we will change to a more sedate paddled canoe once we enter the Napa Reserve. It is hot, humid and very hazy. The river is wide but quite developed with roads running alongside, scattered settlements and oil extraction. It is horrendous to see the impact and of concern for how long the rainforest here will survive. There is a new suspension bridge, oil plants and huge barges carry JCBs and oil lorries upstream.

Eventually the activity reduces and we branch off onto a tributary where we are to change boats. Just as we are changing boats there is a five minute torrential deluge. As a precautionary measure we put all our gear into huge plastic bags in case of further downpours.

The weather improves, we are now paddling at a leisurely pace and we look out for wildlife. We see a huge 3 metre black caiman, a caiman lizard and lots of birds. My new camera lens is a delight to use. I cannot believe how much easier I am finding it to take previously impossible shots.

After 90 minutes or so, the channel widens and we emerge onto a lake. There, before us, we have an amazing view of our lodge. It is a real wow moment. The lodge is stunning. The light is not great and hopefully I can capture some better photos during the course of our stay.

We have Room 11 on the waters edge with great views across the lake. This is the view from my bed,

Napo Wildlife Centre is 100% owned and managed by the Kichwa Anangu Community. 8 families had a vision in 1998 and raised funding for the lodge. It was completed in 2003. Now they have also opened a second lodge. It is a huge credit to them, superbly run and we feel very privileged to be able to visit and stay in such a special place,