Welcome to the Jungle!

In our waning days in Ecuador, Santiago surprised me with a trip to the Amazonia, the one area that I haven’t been. We had a wonderful time, experiencing the gorgeous nature, fascinating cultures, and amazing animals.

We traveled by canoe down the Napo River (Ecuador’s largest)

to a beautiful hotel in the middle of the jungle.

Great sites on all sides…

The flora was amazing.


We visited a reserve for rescued animals. Howler monkeys and cucuchos joined us for the walk around the park. There were spider monkeys, squirrel monkeys, caimans, toucans, and lots more.

We took a great hike to see the primary forest and learn about some of the medicinal plants. Santiago and Jacob braved the basket across a deep valley, while Nicole and Timothy hoofed it safely on the ground.


We visited a indigenous village to see the local culture. A woman showed us how she makes chi-cha, a local drink. Timothy learned a few words in quechwa, the predominant indigenous language in Ecuador.

We took turns using blowguns to hit a wooden monkey target. We’ll keep secret who was able to do it!!

We went to a butterfly farm to see the wide diversity of butterflies from the area. Timothy particularly loved the sites.

From there our guide showed us how to build a raft to float down the Napo. OK…the boys were more interested in playing in the sand, but…what can one expect from 2 and 3 year olds. It was wonderful to slowlyfloat down the river. Timothy bailed pretty quickly, but we could watch our family’s “other half” enjoy the ride. We saw a “pato de agua” along the way.

What a wonderful relaxing weekend, and a great way to see another corner of this amazing country.