Explore the Amazon: 3 Days on the Arajuno River
Kichwa community day, clay lick birdwatching and an artisanal chocolate workshop
- Kichwa community day
- Chocolate workshop included
- Full board included
- Starlink Wi-Fi in common areas
- Departures any day
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Duration3 days / 2 nights
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DifficultyEasy
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DepartureArajuno River Bridge (Puente del Rio Arajuno) at 12:00, then 20 minutes by motorised canoe to the lodge
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Departure daysAny day of the week
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LanguagesEnglish and Spanish
Tour overview
Three days on the Arajuno River is the sweet spot: enough time for the forest, the community and the lodge itself, without the long overnight journeys that deeper Amazon trips require.
The centrepiece is the afternoon in San Bartolo Sharayaku, a Kichwa community of Arajuno. The community leader introduces the families, you brew chicha the traditional way, cook maito and yuca on the tulpa fire, watch the dances in traditional dress and then everyone sits down together at the pambamesa to eat what has just been prepared.
Around that you get a night walk through the sounds of the jungle, dawn birdwatching at the saladero clay lick, the AmaZOOnico refuge, and an artisanal chocolate workshop where you dry, roast, grind and taste the cacao yourself.
Full board, bilingual guide, all river transport, boots and rain gear included. The pool, kayaks and catamaran nets at the lodge are there whenever you want them.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Welcome to the Amazon
We meet you at the Arajuno River Bridge at 12:00 and take a 20-minute motorised canoe ride, zigzagging upriver to the lodge. Welcome and check-in, then a self-service lunch prepared with local ingredients. In the afternoon, a one-hour interpretive hike around the lodge to learn about the local vegetation and the tropical rainforest. Free time for the pool, the lodge facilities or the river. Dinner at the lodge, then a night walk focused on the sounds of the jungle: the chorus of Amazonian frogs and insects. Return to the lodge and rest.
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Day 2: Amazonian culture and nature
Early departure for birdwatching around the lodge and a visit to the saladero, a natural clay lick and one of the few still preserved in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Self-service breakfast. Then a visit to the AmaZOOnico refuge, Caiman Island or Monkey Island, depending on the weather and operating conditions. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we visit the San Bartolo Sharayaku community of Arajuno: introduction to the families by the community leader, traditional chicha brewing, a toast with guayusa tea and fermented chicha (optional), Amazonian dances in traditional dress, a tulpa workshop cooking maito and yuca, a shared pambamesa meal and time to buy handicrafts made by the community. Back to the lodge for free time, dinner and overnight.
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Day 3: Chocolate workshop and departure
Self-service breakfast at the lodge, followed by the artisanal chocolate activity: drying, roasting, grinding and tasting, learning the traditional techniques used by local families. Time to pack and check out. The day of this activity may vary, but it always takes place.
What's included
Included
- Motorised canoe transport for all activities
- Accommodation in your selected room category
- Bilingual guide, English and Spanish
- Full board, served self-service or buffet style
- All excursions and activities in the itinerary, in shared groups
- Life jackets, rain ponchos and rubber boots (sizes 34 to 45)
- Unlimited water, coffee and tea dispensers in the dining areas
- Starlink satellite internet in the common areas
- Towels, shampoo and biodegradable soaps in the room
- Electricity in every room, powered by solar panels
- Safe at reception
- Use of kayaks during your stay, subject to availability and weather
Not included
- Transfer Quito to Arajuno River Bridge and back. Door-to-door service available at an extra cost
- Entrance fees to the community and the AmaZOOnico refuge: USD 10 per person, subject to change
- Alcoholic drinks and personal expenses
- VAT
- Additional meals
- Tips
- Extra activities such as rafting or the ayahuasca ceremony
What to bring
- Long-sleeved shirts, 2 or more
- Comfortable trousers, 2 or more (no jeans)
- Shorts and T-shirts, 2 or more of each
- Socks, one pair per day
- Trainers and/or sandals
- Warm jacket and sweater
- Swimsuit for the pool and the river
- Biodegradable or natural soap and shampoo
- Sunglasses and camera
- Small waterproof backpack
- Mosquito repellent and sunscreen
- Hat or cap
- Torch with spare batteries for the night walk
- Binoculars (optional)
- Reusable water bottle and towel
- Personal medication
- Dry bags for gear, clothes and documents
- Passport or ID card (copy or photo)
Good to know
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What happens during the community visit?
In San Bartolo Sharayaku the community leader introduces the families, you take part in traditional chicha brewing, there is an optional toast with guayusa tea and fermented chicha, a performance of Amazonian dances in traditional dress, and a tulpa workshop where maito, yuca and the community's staple foods are cooked. Everyone then eats together at the pambamesa, and there is time to buy handicrafts made by the community.
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Is the entrance to the community included?
No. Entrance fees to the community and to the AmaZOOnico refuge are USD 10 per person, subject to change, and are paid separately from the tour price.
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How do I get to the lodge from Quito?
The meeting point is the Arajuno River Bridge at 12:00, from where a 20-minute motorised canoe ride takes you to the lodge. The Quito to Arajuno River Bridge journey is not included, but we can arrange a door-to-door transfer for an extra cost.
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Can I stay connected?
There is Starlink satellite internet in the common areas and electricity in every room from solar panels. There is no internet in the rooms and no air conditioning.
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What is included in the meals?
Full board is included and served self-service, using local ingredients with a variety of options. Breakfast is at 8:00 a.m. Water, coffee and tea dispensers in the dining areas are unlimited. Alcoholic drinks and any additional meals are not included.
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Will the itinerary run exactly as written?
The order of activities may change for weather, operational or safety reasons, and the itinerary can also vary with group size. Programmes starting on a Friday include tubing or a community activity. The chocolate workshop may fall on a different day, but it always takes place.
Book this tour
Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability within 24 hours.
Write to us and we will hold your places while you decide.
More tours in Tena & Napo River
- Tubing and kayaking included
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- Kichwa community day
- Full board included
- Bilingual guide included
- Full board, self-service
- Pool, kayaks and tubing
- Clay lick birdwatching