May 14, 2021: Napo Wildlife Center (Author: J)
Our first full day at Napo Wildlife Center was one of the best days we can remember having on any vacation. The beautiful weather, great activities, and wonderful hospitality combined to create as close to perfect an experience as it is possible to have.
Our day began — as all days at Napo do — with an early wake up. We had breakfast with our group in the main lodge building. “We” in this context means D and I. P took a roll and some fruit from the breakfast buffet and proceeded to lick them for several minutes before declaring himself “stuffed.” When I insisted that he actually bite the food, he took a nibble of the roll so small that a mouse would find it a stingy portion. D and I had some fruit, yogurt, and cereal — along with an omelet for D.
After breakfast, our group loaded into a canoe for a short paddle to the canopy observation tower. Because the river levels were high, we were able to take a shortcut that put us fairly close to the tower. That meant it was just a short walk from where we were dropped to the tower itself.
Considering that it is in the middle of a rainforest, the canopy tower is impressive in both construction and amenities. There was even a little bathroom building next to the tower with pit toilets and hand sanitizer pumps. I decided the smart thing to do would be to use the facilities before making the climb up the tower. I pushed open the stall door and let out a blood-curdling scream. Then, in a failed effort to appear cool, I pretended that it had been a scream of excitement. “Who wants to see a tarantula?” I called to the group. Everyone dutifully trotted over, but the giant tarantula that had been on the bathroom wall was nowhere to be seen. We spent several minutes searching for him without success. “He must have left,” our guide, David, suggested. Comforted — sort of — I set about to actually use the bathroom. The tarantula reappeared right on cue once I was inside with the door shut. I hurriedly finished up and went outside where I reported my rediscovery.
We then climbed the stairs leading up to the observation tower, which, true to its name, is in the canopy layer of the rainforest. I was worried that I would be frightened given my fear of heights, but I found that my reptile brain did not appreciate how high I was because the thick layer of trees masked the distance to the ground.
In the tower, David would spot wildlife for us and then set up a spotting scope so that we could all take a look. Initially, we saw only birds — and far away birds at that. But just when I started to think that canopy towers were not great for spotting wildlife, the real show began. A spider monkey, sloth, and family of wooly monkeys all put in appearances. Even the bird life became more impressive with assorted toucans, parrots and even a rare harpy eagle perching in nearby trees. We passed a pleasant morning watching the animals, eating the snacks that David had brought for us, and just generally soaking in the fact that we were actually in the Amazon! Up a tree! Just like the scientists I had read about in nature magazines as a child.
After our time in the tower, we hiked back to our canoe. We took a slightly longer route this time and David showed us some of the interesting plants that grow along the path and explained their uses. P was getting cranky at that point, so I had a hard time listening to David and keeping P quiet simultaneously. I apparently succeeded because we received compliments from the rest of the group on how well-behaved P was.
After our hike, we paddled back to the lodge for lunch and a rest before our afternoon activity. P was interested in purchasing the wildlife guide that the lodge offers, so he and I headed upstairs to the shop. We found that it was closed until later in the afternoon, but our detour meant that we arrived back in the restaurant just in time to see a troop of capuchin monkeys in the banana trees near the lodge. We watched as they ate and squabbled, and then headed back to the cabin for a bit.
Our afternoon activity was a canoe trip to spot wildlife. We once again had absolutely perfect weather. Not a drop of rain. We saw a wide variety of wildlife, with the highlight being a huge troop of squirrel monkeys that jumped right over our canoe to cross the river. We also saw more capuchins and some red howlers. Everyone was in great spirits by the time we returned to the lodge, where we were met by the bartender, who had fresh juice for everyone.
We spent the time before dinner reading, relaxing, and admiring the scenery. At some point, we went to the dining room for drinks and to stake out the banana trees, but no monkeys appeared. We then returned to the cabin where we relaxed on the porch and watched the beautiful sunset.
Dinner was at 7:30 again. By that time, we were treated to a star-filled sky for the first and only time during our trip. The other nights were all too cloudy to see the stars, so we were happy that we spent a few minutes admiring the night sky before dinner. Our meal was excellent as usual, and P surprised us by actually eating. He particularly enjoyed the popcorn garnish on our vegetable soup and the fried plantains that came with our beans and guacamole. Dessert was a layered fruit jelly cake, something I had only seen on the Great British Baking Show. It was not something I would have ordered if given a choice, but it was interesting to try something new.
After dinner, we headed back to the cabin to sleep. In the dark, we could not see any wildlife, but we could hear rustling, chirping, and splashing. I had a momentary chill thinking about how easy it would be to fall off the elevated walkway and into the lake. Although I am very much of the mindset that you can take your kids anywhere, I was glad we waited until P was 8 to take this trip. I can’t imagine having to keep watch over a younger child in a place where there is no where to safely run around. At 8, though, P was old enough to use care on the slippery walkways and steady enough on his feet that I didn’t worry about falls. I shook off my heebie-jeebies and we turned in for the night, exhausted. It had been a magical day.
Travel Monkeys 