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Amazon Rainforest Clay Licks and Observation Towers
Galapagos Islands Natural History
November 1, 2018
Gastronomy at Ecuador Amazon Basin Lodges
November 8, 2018The Ecuadorian jungle is one of the fascinating natural treasures of the small Andean country, containing thousands of species of flora and fauna, including more birds than the entirety of North America. Keep reading for some of the sites that you can visit during an exciting time reconnecting with the natural world when staying at one of the Amazon Rainforest lodges in the Ecuador Amazon Basin.
Quick Facts
- There are 10 species of monkeys in the Ecuadorian jungle, including the boisterous howler monkey, reclusive night monkey, squirrel monkeys, spider monkeys, tufted capuchins, wooly monkeys, and yellow-handed titi monkeys. Titi monkeys are the jungle’s lovers, sleeping with tails curled together and a symbol often found on keepsakes to take home.
- More than 600 kinds of birds live in the Ecuador Amazon Basin, a mere 37% of all the birds found in Ecuador. These include the paradise tanager-with the whole spectrum of colors in its plumage, the black-and-white hawk-eagle, and the harpy eagle, one of the largest of all the eagles in the world.
Finding each species on your list or seeing a variety of the exotic birds that live in the jungle isn’t as hard as it seems. Expert guides on Amazon Rainforest tours take you to observation towers high above the tree tops and clay licks in the Yasuni National Park and the Napo territory that are some of the most visited places in the jungle.
Far from being crowded, these sites are places to relax and explore. Keep reading for some of the best places in the jungle, and the Amazon Rainforest lodges that have built them to find spectacular views, a bevy of birds, and an incredible and impressive variety of wildlife.
Yasuni National Park Parrot Clay Licks
A few of the lodges that are a couple of hours downstream from Coca visit two different clay licks in Yasuni National Park as part of their programs in the Amazon jungle. Sacha Lodge, on the shores of Lake Pilchicocha in the private Sacha Reserve, Napo Wildlife Center, up a tributary of the Napo River on Anangucocha Lake-and La Selva Lodge on the Garzaocha Lagoon all take short journeys from their properties to visit the Yasuni clay licks.
- There are 20 species of parrots, macaws, and parakeets in the Ecuador Amazon Basin. Macaws are the largest type of the parrot species and those that live in the jungle include the blue and yellow macaw, the scarlet macaw, and the red and green macaw.
- Types of parrot and parakeets found in Ecuador’s jungle include the orange-winged parrot, the scaly-naped parrot, the golden-plumed parakeet, and the cobalt-winged parakeet.
Arriving after an early breakfast to the different blinds at the two clay licks, small groups from each of the Amazon jungle lodges wait with hushed whispers in anticipation of a flock of hundreds of birds to arrive. Once in attendance, the birds crowd the scene with flashes of color, a flurry of sound from beating wings and sharp calls, and sweeping movements while in flight to and from the licks.
The technicolor birds are drawn to the sodium in the clay, a sort of catnip for parrots, as the rest of their diet has about one fortieth of the amount of salt as that absorbed by the lick. The sodium helps to maintain a healthy balance between water and electrolytes.
All science aside, it means that there will be parrots, a lot of parrots-weather permitting, at one of two locations in Yasuni National Park on any given day.
This is the stuff of jungle adventures on Amazon Rainforest tours of Roosevelt traveling the Amazon, of Orellana first losing his way against the current of the Napo River, and the members of Rainforest indigenous communities who call the Ecuador Amazon Basin home. These are the people who travel the byways of the Napo River for work, pleasure, and sometimes to show international visitors why they love where they live.
Canopy Observation Tower
Many of the Amazon jungle lodges in and around the Yasuni National Park have their own observation towers. Napo Wildlife Center, one of the successful pioneers of eco lodges in Ecuador, has a seven-story observation tower that is part of the main building.
Sacha Lodge has built an impressive canopy bridge that stands 94 ft. high (36 meters) and spans 940 ft. in length, (275-meters.) Roughly the length of two and a half football fields and the height of the tallest wave ever surfed, or if you like, nine stories-half as tall as the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
In addition to the observation tower that is part of the main structure of the Napo Wildlife Center, the community lodge built another structure on its land. The 360-degree observation platform is over a hundred feet tall about five times as tall as a giraffe.
Many lodges in the area, including Sani Lodge use the Napo Canopy Tower, which can comfortably host up to 16 people at a time.
The view from the tower ignites excitement and passion in the hearts and imaginations of those who visit. Guides dart back and forth between the different sides of the structure, pointing out different species of endemic birds, and packs of monkeys-pinpointing their exact location with explicit instructions using the hands on the clock as navigation points.
The sites in the Amazon River Basin and Yasuni National Park that are visited by the Amazon Rainforest lodges in the neighborhood hold the keys to unlocking the door to the natural world in the jungle. It’s a world where nature holds sway-bringing new discoveries with every day’s excursions, and a new found appreciation for the work and dedication of the communities and people of the jungle.
For more information about the handful of world-class jungle lodge’s that await those looking for a classic Ecuadorian adventure, and your options for different lengths of Amazon Rainforest tours and agendas, reach out to one of our team of experts to get the ball rolling. Your dream trip to the wilderness of Ecuador is just a phone call or email away.
