Napo Cultural Center review: 4 days at an Amazon Lodge in Ecuador

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In this Napo Cultural Center review, we will share our experience spending 4 days at an Amazon Lodge in Ecuador and whether it was worth it!

Napo Cultural Center is the sister hotel of Napo Wildlife Center. Both hotels are located on the territory of the indigenous Anangu tribe and are managed by it. This post is not sponsored and all opinions are based on our own experience visiting Napo Cultural Center!

Why we picked Napo Cultural Center (out of all lodges in Ecuador)

The first and most common question we get on Instagram is why we picked Napo Cultural Center as our lodge and why did we decide to go to Yasuni National Park. Well, the answer is actually much more straightforward than you might have thought. We picked Napo Cultural Center because of its price & convenient location.

Let’s talk about the location first – Yasuni National Park is one of Ecuador’s main National Parks located in the Amazon rainforest. It’s not the easiest in terms of travelling there as you need to take a plane to Coca Airport (it’s a very short 25-min flight), however, it’s not the hardest either – there are some lodges in other National Parks, where you need to go by plane + bus + boat and the journey can take around 12-14 hours. However, there is also Tena, where you can easily drive in 3-4 hours or take a very affordable bus. However, based on multiple reviews we found online, Tena wasn’t as impressive as Yasuni, so we settled on Yasuni National Park.

Now, there are plenty of lodges in Yasuni – some were very affordable, perhaps, too affordable and not too exciting. Some others were expensive – something we couldn’t afford, considering other costs we needed to keep in mind for our 16-day trip around Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Napo Cultural Center was exactly in the middle in terms of the prices of the lodges in Yasuni, and it even had a promo on the dates we needed to book! Also, it was located within 2 hours by speedboat from the airport – the lodge had our name on it! So we didn’t hesitate and booked it asap.

7 days in Ecuador: Quito, Mindo and Amazon adventure in Yasuni National Park

Booking your stay at Napo Cultural Center

The booking process at Napo Cultural Center isn’t as straightforward as booking a hotel on or Expedia or any other online travel agent – there is no website where you can check the most up-to-date prices or availability. Instead, you need to fill out the form on the website and wait until they get back to you. You can also call a number of the Sales team listed on their website and chat with a Sales Representative, which might be an even better option. We actually did both – and it took them way faster to reply by phone than by email!

You can check their official phone number on the website here.

Once we confirmed the dates and availability, they sent us a link for payment and we were done. The lodge can also arrange flights for you, but we found much cheaper flights with LATAM, so we decided to book our own flights.

Speedboat to Amazon Lodge in Ecuador

Getting to Napo Cultural Center

The easiest way to get to Napo Cultural Center is by plane and by speedboat. You need to take a flight to Coca Airport (a very short 25-min flight) – you can check prices and availability here or just ask the lodge to book the flights for you (but keep in mind that it might be more expensive than booking them yourself).

The flights to Coca usually depart in the morning and land in Coca around 9am or 10am. When we landed, we took a 7-minute taxi ride to the port (Napo River) – make sure to bring some cash with you (you will need it for the tips anyway). The taxis usually stand and wait for people at the airport, so there is no problem to find one. There is no Uber or Cabify there.

Our guide was already waiting for us at the port, however, our boat ride was scheduled to go in 1 hour as other guests were arriving in the later airplane and we needed to wait for them. They were actually staying at the sister lodge – Napo Wildlife Center.

The boat ride to Napo Cultural Center took less than 2 hours. It was a scorching, sunny day, so the ride was enjoyable. It can get a bit cold there when it rains, so bring a coat and scarf as well. We were also offered a very nice lunch box and a few souvenirs with the Napo Cultural Center & Napo Wildlife Center logos.

To get to Napo Wildlife Center, you need to change to a smaller boat without a motor and spend 1.5 more hours in it! When we found out, we were so happy we didn’t book Napo Wildlife Center as it doesn’t make sense to spend so much time travelling there to stay just for 3 nights.

Arrival at Napo Cultural Center

Our arrival was very smooth – we were greeted by the leader of the community and Anangu Tribe, who offered us a few snacks and refreshments. We listened to the story about the community and the history of the Napo Cultural Center and were shown around the territory of the lodge. Later, we were shown our room, which was very impressive!

Napo Cultural Center Accommodation – Room review

What surprised us so much is how nice the rooms at Napo Cultural Cente were. They weren’t luxurious, but they were still stunning. There was a proper bathroom and shower, a huge bed with a fan on top of it and a few wardrobes and a chest of drawers. Considering how far the community is from Coca town, we didn’t expect so much comfort!

There was also a small terrace with a hammock, but we didn’t use it too much because of mosquitos. What surprised us even more was the wifi signal in the room! The Internet wasn’t the fastest, but there was enough speed to even upload Instagram stories. The internet they get at Napo Cultural Center is satellite internet, as there are no cables or roads around the community (everyone commutes to the city by boat).

Food review at Napo Cultural Center

We had absolutely no idea what to expect in terms of food and were pleasantly surprised. At Napo Cultural Center, you will have 3 meals per day, breakfast, lunch and dinner and all the meals are included in the lodge price. The meals were actually pretty elaborate and the dishes were great! Sometimes, when there are a lot of guests, there is buffet, but in our case, most of the days, we had individual dishes. Some dishes were European-inspired (e.g. French), some other ones were local Ecuadorian dishes.

In any case, there was a lot of food and we were always very full after eating, as we were not used to eat 3-course meals for lunch and dinner without moving too much.

Our itinerary for 4 days / 3 nights at the Amazon Lodge in Ecuador – Napo Cultural Center

It’s hard to talk about the itinerary for 4 days at an Amazon Lodge in Ecuador and how it could look like as every stay at Napo Cultural Center is very different. We were actually super lucky and also unlucky at the same time. We were lucky in terms of our guide – he was amazing and since there were no arrivals on the same day, we basically had a private guide, which was fantastic! From my understanding, one guide can have maximum of 6-8 people in one group, which isn’t too bad, but having a private guide is completely different.

7 days in Ecuador: Quito, Mindo and Amazon adventure in Yasuni National Park

On the other hand, we were unlucky with the weather. We couldn’t enjoy some things and do some activities because of bad weather on 2 occasions, which was a pity. However, that was expected since we visited Amazon Rainforest during a rain season (in April).

Let’s chat about the activities and things you can expect during your stay at an Amazon Lodge in Ecuador on the example of Napo Cultural Center.

Activities you can expect to take part in at Napo Cultural Center:

Every day at Napo Cultural Center follows a specific schedule. If you’re on the 4-day in Amazon itinerary, then you will usually wake up early in the morning (all the bird activity happens in the morning and bird watching is one of the main things to do in the Amazon jungle).

Then you have breakfast and often, by 7:30am, you will venture outside the lodge. In my opinion, these early morning hours are always the best, as it is not so hot yet and the weather is pretty pleasant.

What do morning tours usually entail? Well, you can either go to the parrot clay licks or to one of the observation towers if the weather permits. You can also stay at the lodge and visit the women in the community and see them perform their traditional dances and rituals. One of the tours includes going to the creek next to Napo Wildlife Center, which means you’ll take a speedboat to the rest centre (which takes 15 minutes) and then change to the kayak (you won’t be rowing, though). We had the worst luck with the weather on that day – not only did we not see any wildlife, but we also got soaked – it was raining non-stop. Even double raincoats didn’t help.

After the morning tours, you usually go back to your room for a quick change and head out for lunch in the common area of the main building of the community. Lunch is generally around 12:30-1 pm. After lunch, you always have an hour or two to rest to avoid venturing out during the hottest hour of the day.

Around 3 or 4pm, you meet with your guide again, and you go out for a shorter walk/ride to an observation tower or a walk around the community’s territory to look out for birds. All our afternoon activities have been pretty similar.

Then you have dinner around 7pm, and after dinner, you are usually free or you can also have some activities like a night jungle walk.

Napo Cultural Center Amazon Lodge in Ecuador

There are rarely activities after dinner, so you usually get some time to rest. We were supposed to take an Ancestral catamaran one day, but I think it was broken, so we didn’t have any activities.

Another activity that stands out and that is usually done in the morning is watching the traditional dance and visiting the women in the local village. This activity was unique, and it included a small tasting of various Amazonian delicacies.

What to pack for an Amazon lodge stay in Ecuador?

When we were planning our trip to Ecuador, we were not sure which clothes to bring there, especially in April, as April tends to be the rainiest month in Ecuador. We were planning to bring only one pair of fast-drying long trousers and a couple of shirts each, but after a trip to Mindo, we realised that it’s definitely not enough. We tried to do some shopping in Quito and found a few North Face and other similar shops, but quickly realised that they are at least 2 times more expensive there compared to London.

Hence, I recommend bringing all you need with you. For 4 days/3 nights in Amazon, you’d need 2-3 pairs of long fast-drying pants (trousers) like these ones (some models even have built-in mosquito protection). 2-3 long-sleeve fast-drying shirts like this one and 1-2 fast-drying t-shirts. Again, bonus if they have anti-mosquito qualities. Don’t worry about a baseball cap, because you’ll get one as a present at Napo Cultural Center. Don’t worry about the shoes either, and you’ll be wearing rubber boots 90% of the time, and every time you will leave the territory of the lodge. You will also get a raincoat from the lodge should you need one.

I also recommend bringing a waterproof backpack like this one. Try to bring some binoculars and a couple of flashlights with you as well – this would be super helpful.

Don’t forget about 4-5 pairs of socks – preferably the ones you would be comfortable wearing with rubber boots and 1-2 large bottles of anti-mosquito spray like this one (with maximum protection/DEET).

We also bought some special neck protectors (gaiters) against mosquitos – this one is a similar option.

Finally, bring some cash to tip your guide and some of the team members of the lodge (if you want to tip, that’s not mandatory).

Summary of 4 days at an Amazon Lodge in Ecuador – Napo Cultural Center review

Overall, we loved our stay at Napo Cultural Center. From the moment we arrived and were greeted by the leader of the community and throughout our entire stay at Napo Cultural Center, everyone who worked there was incredible – very friendly and polite! From our fantastic guide to the chef at the restaurant and people from the community, everybody made us feel very welcome!

If you want to have a short stay in the Amazon, then 4 days and 3 night package would be a perfect option for you, and anything longer might seem repetitive. However, the weather in Amazon can be pretty unpredictable, so it’s possible that some of the activities won’t happen because of the weather conditions. In this case, if there is something particular you want to do, it’s better to ask your guide right away or come for a longer stay, for example, 5 or 6 days – in this case, the risk of missing out on some great activities will be lower.

I hope you found Napo Cultural Center review useful! If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Instagram – you can find me as @lizatripsget!

Some other posts you might like:

Weekend in Lima – the best things to do
The most Instagrammable places in Lima
5-day itinerary for Peru: Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu
5-day itinerary for Bolivia: La Paz & Salar de Uyuni
Mexico road trip: from Mexico City to Puebla and Oaxaca

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