nkeys right by our room!
Animals:
• Squirrel monkeys
• Pygmy monkeys
• Caimans
EVENING:
At the dock is a boat house where we were given our rubber boots for our stay. How they can keep track of U.S., U.K., and European foot sizes, I just don’t know!
Before dinner, we headed to the bar area upstairs in the main building. It is a very cozy gathering spot. We got some wine, lemonade, and popcorn. It was a great place to socialize with lots of interesting people from around the world.
At dinner, we are assigned to a guide and our group sits together. Groups are 6 people maximum. We were with a nice couple from Vancouver, so only 5 people with our guide.
NIGHT HIKE:
After dinner, our guide took us on a 30-minute night hike around the lodge. We brought headlamps and flashlights to see the night creatures. With this light plus a flash, some pictures came out okay even though it was pitch black in the forest. My son got to hold a tree frog, which he thought was pretty cool.
Animals:
• Tree frogs
• Katydids
• Walking sticks
• Jumping sticks
• Tarantula
• Salamander
• Praying mantis
• Bullet ants
Some people on our Galapagos cruise talked about all the bugs and the giant spiders, and this hike was when we saw some of those things. However, I have to say that all in all, I was surprised how few bugs there were. For about half of the night hike, I wished I had some bug spray on my neck, but the rest of the hike was fine.
After the hike, we went right to bed because tomorrow we have a 5:30am wake-up call!
LODGING:
Sacha Lodge has a main building with the dining area on the main floor and the bar/lounge area upstairs. The rooms are in duplex bungalows spaced around the main building and connected by elevated boardwalks. All the buildings are made of wood with thatched roofs.
The dining area has a number of tables which are made from beautiful natural wood slabs, and the benches and chairs are made from logs. There are tables set up in a circle in the middle for the buffets. Another table has coffee and tea all day.
Upstairs from the dining room is the bar and lounge. This is a popular gathering spot during the days and evenings. From this floor are stairs leading up a tower in the middle, which gives a great vantage point around the lodge.
Most of the rooms have 2 double beds and a nice-sized private bathroom. Triple rooms have an extra single bed. You can request a king size bed. There are some family "suites," which are 2 regular rooms with a sitting room in between.
Each room has a porch with hammock, table and chairs, and wooden laidback chairs for watching the monkeys and birds. There are no glass windows, just screens. There is also no TV, telephone, or hair dryer. This is the deep jungle experience – but with a touch of luxury!
CLOTHING:
It was cool in Quito, but it is much hotter in Coca. Some people wore lightweight long pants and long sleeved shirts, and others wore shorts and short sleeved shirts. The zip-off pants were handy. Our guide said that we might need bug repellent for the beginning of the walking portion, but we really didn’t, so shorts and short sleeves would have been fine. Walking shoes and hat were also good.
FOOD:
The Coffee Tree restaurant (breakfast) has lattes and WiFi, so I was happy We also had a fruit plate with yogurt and granola, an "American" breakfast with eggs/bacon/3 rolls, a ham and cheese sandwich, and 2 orange juices for $17.
When we arrived at the Coca Airport, Sacha Lodge had a lunch of sandwiches (cheese and tomato on wheat, chicken salad heavy on the mayo on white bread), bananas, oranges, Tango cookies, coffee, tea, and water. We also got a Popsicle from the store next door.
Dinner at Sacha Lodge was a buffet of pork, chicken, green beans, 4 different salads, battered zucchini, garlic toast, carrot soup, and fried potatoes. Dessert was a selection of fruits, chocolate cake, and an extremely delicious passion fruit mousse.