KI-NRT

Yasuni National Park was fabulous. We saw 5 different species of monkeys, Giant River Otters, a massive (>7 meters long and massively thick) Anaconda, fished for Piranha, observed Parrots, Parakeets and Macaws at 2 different Clay Licks, visited a local community, hiked numerous trails in the jungle, went on two night walk in search of the creepy crawlies, and climbed up to the top of a canopy tower to see sloths and a variety of colorful birds. We travelled with friends & family, and booked a private guide and private transfers.

Logistics were a breeze. NWC arranged for the flight from Quito to Coca (Puerto Francisco de Orellana), met us at Coca Airport, drove us to the boat dock and then we were on our way. Ditto for the return.

Napo and Sacha (and Sani) are quite spread out and are in slightly different environments, so your experience (activities, wildlife spotting, etc.) may be a bit different.

Visiting the Amazon basin, perhaps more than anywhere else, is a truly humbling experience. It's nature at its most remote, enchanting and pristine (and very hostile to human habitation, what with almost every living thing out there - including Electric Eels to Caimans to Bullet Ants to Fer-de-lance Snake to the particularly fearsome Brazilian Wandering Spider - capable of dishing out serious harm.) At the same time, it's a reminder that human encroachment knows no limits - oil in particular accelerates this process. On the way to NWC (and Sacha and Sani Lodges) you'll see large barges carrying oil up and down the Napo River (especially around Coca itself), and much of the forest is secondary (except the area around and inside Yasuni N.P.)

We're headed back to the Amazon this November on board Aqua Expeditions' Aria cruise boat for the second time. We were able to reserve a private guide for all of our outings, so we're good to go!

Photo album is here.

You can find some of the videos from the trip here.

LinLant

Pausanias

Thanks so much for that. We're already pretty excited about this trip and you have heightened our anticipation. You have a great set of photos there and I am especially impressed by your sighting of an anaconda. I long for their warm embrace. Thanks again.

Oh, one question - did you take any special precautions about your camera gear in view of the massive levels of humidity and general dampness?

KI-NRT

When in humid and hot environments (such as the Amazon), I usually make sure to seal my equipment in a water-tight bag before going outdoors, then allow at least 30 minutes for the gear to safely warm up to the outside temperature. However, at Yasuni N.P. it was not super humid/hot, so I did not take this precaution. I just made sure not to switch lenses, since that's one of the actions that can potentially cause the most damage. I carried two SLRs - one had a wide-angle zoom lens, while a telephoto lens was permanently affixed to the second body.

P.S. - we were in the Danum Valley in Borneo last month, and it was far more humid, and I took far more aggressive measures to protect my equipment. Another guest staying there had some sort of fungal matter grow on his camera's sensor.

DSI

Pausanias

Many thanks for that. I've read that our lodge, Sacha, provides some sort of 'dry box' in every room for electronic equipment.