Sinchi Wayra

Scouting river dolphins, caimans, monkeys, and rare birds; hiking and canoeing through the jungle; and fishing for piranhas are all part of the daily program on a trip to Yasuní National Park. The rainforest between the Rio Napo and Rio Curaray in northeastern Ecuador was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1989 due to its unique flora and fauna, but the area remains under serious threat from oil companies buying land from indigenous groups. That’s just one of the reasons Edwin Gualinga Senior, former president of the local Sani community at Rio Napo, has dedicated his life to preserving nature for future generations and making tourists aware of the immense value of this ecosystem. After six years of construction, he and his family of 10 opened the rustic Sinchi Wayra ecolodge in March 2023 with five simple rooms with private baths, a dining area, and a kitchen in a riverside garden flourishing with exotic plants. The team repurposed wood from the riverbanks for construction, used woven palm leaves from a nearby swamp for the roofs, and handmade most of the furniture from natural materials. There is no hot water in the lodge and electricity shuts off at 10 p.m., but on multi-day trips to Sinchi Wayra, tourists experience the breathtaking beauty of the Amazon wilderness and the Kichwa culture’s cuisine, dances, and handicrafts, all while exploring the area with English-speaking guides. By booking a trip here, travelers directly support the community: a portion of the proceeds from the lodge go toward fair wages for the staff, local school and infrastructure projects, and guide training. There are daily flights from Quito to the nearest town of Coca; from there it’s an adventurous 2.5-hour motorized canoe ride downstream to the lodge, buried deep within the national park.

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