Yasuni National Park has been described by some scientists as the most biodiverse place on the planet, as it is located at the intersection of the equator, the Andes and the Amazon. This may in fact be true, but is actually, perhaps strangely, beside the point.

The real reason that Yasuni, and specifically the Napo Wildlife Center is the most rewarding place to view nature in the hemisphere is really because of the talent and dedication of the people who look after it and share it with visitors.

The Kichwa Añangu indigenous community sets such a high standard for both conservation and how to experience it that it has left other lodges and reserves much to learn. Not only have they practised two decades of strict conservation of the wildlife in their 20,000 ha sector of the million-hectare Yasuni National Park, but they also do not permit any outboard motors inside their lands. That includes when they built the lodge, every beam and bed was brought in by canoe, often tied together to support the weight of all that was required to build a first-rate jungle lodge. No motors - zero.

This might seem like a minor detail to many, but anywhere else in the Amazon basin, the hum of outboard motors is as common as Wi-Fi at any café.  The combination of motor noise and hunting means that the Amazon is not always an easy place to see wildlife, as most animals are pushed deep inside the forest by this devastating one-two punch. Even in the best scenario, cases with the forest and rivers are not being illegally mined, logged or contaminated.

At Napo Wildlife Center in Ecuador, motorboats that bring visitors from the airport, 2 hours and 30 minutes up the busy waterway of the Napo River to the reserve, are promptly tied down, and visitors are transferred to canoes, with guides paddling them through the magic of the jungle.

The visitor is thrust into a natural paradise experienced as humans have for centuries before the advent of motors and mass ecological destruction. It is time travel of the most inspirational kind. We are all Alexander von Humbolt or another explorer experiencing the forest as it was created. 

This entrance to the park via the Añangu River is without a doubt the height of any Amazon experience. On my visit in June of 2025, we spotted five species of monkeys in less than 24 hours. Anacondas, other snakes, lizards, exotic birds, deer, giant river otters, armadillos, frogs, agouti and some of the most spectacular trees and plants on earth. It is a visual feast experienced in hushed tones, just the song of the birds, the occasional cry of an ocelot or monkey mixed into the natural soundtrack of this earthly paradise. 

Much has been made of the great wildlife experience in Costa Rica, and well-deserved praise for their superb guides and nature parks. That said, nothing in the Americas comes close to the nature experience in Yasuni National Park at Napo Wildlife Center. Bird lists might be bigger at other parks, as dry hiking is not abundant in the reserve, but we saw numerous rare species and a paddle at daybreak can nearly bring one to tears with the sheer scope and diversity of the symphony of bird calls. The park is bursting at its seams with birds and wildlife. 

The lodge itself is not luxurious, but quite far from roughing, in fact it is very comfortable and situated on a mirror lagoon that reflects the colors of the changing moods of the Amazonian sky across the day, punctuated by giant otters rolling playfully and fishing in its pure waters.

The lodge is owned and operated by the indigenous community, making it not only a model for worldwide sustainability, but also living evidence that Amazonian native communities are amongst the hardest working, welcoming and talented people on earth. 

Wild Frontiers invites our travelers to experience nature at its purest and bring real benefit to the Kichwa Añangu indigenous community. A culture that has forgone not only hunting, but also offers of millions of dollars from international oil companies to exploit their land. Their firm response - ecotourism is the answer - has brought immeasurable benefit to both Ecuador and our planet.