If you are at all interested in birds you won’t want to miss the pre-breakfast dawn hike as the forest awakes from its slumbers. Spot species with bright plumage such as trogons and tanagers, tree-creepers and flycatchers as they seek out their breakfast.
After your own meal, stretch your legs with a stroll to the waterfall but be sure to be on the road by 10.30. driving through the Antisana Reserve where the road follows the transition zone between the Andes and the Amazon basin. On your left is the Sumaco Napo-Galeras National Park, featuring the pointed peak of symmetrical volcano Sumaco, which is in constant eruption. The road twists and turns as it descends, the vegetation fringing it becoming more and more succulent as the temperature rises. In harmony with a more tropical environment, local people live in thatched homes on stilts, and luscious fruits are on sale from stalls beside the road.
You'll visit the cocoa plantation at Santa Rita, which is set off the main road down a gravel track. Having observed the beans growing on the farm you’ll be taken through the production process, where the beans are picked, roasted and ground. There may also be weaving, ceramics and dance presentations, interpretive trails to follow and talks about local legends.
Your appetite having been stimulated by tasting the high quality end product, you’ll have a traditional lunch, cooked in banana leaves, at a community tourism project in the village.
Drive on through the town of Tena, known as the gateway to the Amazon, and follow the road towards the riverport Misahualli. Your lodge is off the main road: turn off down a 1km bumpy track to reach it.