Vicki's Travel Journals

Yasuni Bioshpere Reserve, Rio Napo Ecuador

Australia | Wednesday, April 17, 2013 | flickr photos

The magnificent Yasuni Biosphere Reserve is a National Park at the head of the Amazon River Basin. It plays host to a remarkably diverse selection of fauna and flora, as well as being home to indigenous Indian people that still cling to their traditional forest lifestyle.
Sadly the whole biosphere is under threat by international oil and gas companies encroaching into the reserve. This has been even more evident with the recent construction of a suspension bridge across the Rio Napo leading vehicular traffic into the heart of the biosphere.
The Yarina Lodge is a low impact ecologically sensitive resort on the banks of the Mandura tributary off the Rio Napo. It is nestled into a small clearing in the rainforest. Guests are required to wear clean rubber boots when entering the rainforest, this is for the protection of both the natural environment and for the guests. The Lodge runs on generator power for only 4 hours a day and recycles all waste products. The main building acts as a combination dining and lounge room and a fabulous viewing platform for fauna as it sits at the forest canopy height. Perfect for birdwatching and animal spotting. The Manduro and nearby lagoon play host to cayman, giant otters, piranha and many other fish and insect species. Strategically placed viewing towers in the rainforest give visitors a birds-eye view of the dense forest and animal life. And might I add for this intrepid explorer, a false sense of safety from the magnificent jaguars that are regularly heard but rarely seen. The plethora of diverse species that make up this equatorial rainforest biosphere is well worth protecting. If the ancient trees and lush vegetation act as the lungs of this planet, then the wonderful animal life are this planets heart and soul.