Yachana Lodge

Overview

Description

Yachana Lodge is a window to the reality of life and culture in Ecuador's Amazon region on the Napo River. The lodge is on more than 1,000 acres (405 hectares) of land in the small community of Mondaña, located on the banks of the Napo River between Puerto Misahuallí and El Coca.

Yachana Lodge is dedicated to the preservation of the environment and culture, and offers comfortable lodging while serving as an incentive to raise awareness about the importance of authentic ecotourism / geotourism.

The lodge is not suitable for people in wheelchairs because of the need to hike and the presence of stairs.

Rooms

18 rooms and one dormitory for volunteers and students.

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 50

Percentage of local employees: 80%

Ecotourism is a vital activity for the people of the Amazon region and for the conservation of its rainforest. To ensure the sustainability of ecotourism in the region, an innovative model was developed that combines non-profit and for-profit organizational structures.

The Yachana Foundation formed two socially-responsible companies, Yachana Lodge and Yachana Technology, to finance its work to alleviate poverty and disease and to achieve sustainable development through education.

Income from these two companies fund the Foundation's sustainable development and rainforest conservation projects, ensuring their long-term sustainability.

Yachana conserves a protected area of 4,448 acres (1,800 hectares) of primary forest, where groups of volunteers are constantly conducting studies for the conservation of wildlife and plants in the area.

“Yachana” is a Kichwa word that means “a place for learning” and indeed, another of the Foundation’s most important projects is the Yachana Technical College, which offers practical education to about 100 students in five Amazonian provinces. Fields of study include ecotourism, sustainable agriculture, small business administration, and conservation.

Yachana's strength and motivation comes from the local Mondaña community. Its residents offer us an opportunity to learn more about their culture, becoming our main allies. For our part, we are trying to help them by creating jobs, offering training in hotel and restaurant management, and guiding opportunities. Yachana also works with communities to improve education, develop community-based medical services, establish sustainable agricultural practices, and provide ecological alternatives that will conserve the rainforest.

Yachana participates in the Pack for a Purpose program, where guests can bring school supplies, medical supplies, and other small items from home to donate to the local community. Guests simply drop off their donation at the hotel's front desk, and Yachana will deliver it for them.

Rates

$101 – $150

From $26 to $50 for volunteers; from $65 to $150 for students/special groups.

Getting There

Nearest international airport: Quito (UIO)

Nearest local/national airport: Coca (OCC)

Distance, by land, to the nearest airport: 37 miles.

Yachana Lodge can be reached from Coca year-round by riverboat (2 1/2 hour trip).

Additional Information

Awards or Recognitions

• National Geographic - one of the "Best Hotels in Ecuador," 2011.
• National Geographic Ashoka Changemakers Geotourism Challenge - Winner, best example of Geotourism in the World, 2008.
• National Geographic Society National Geographic Society - Grant recipient for the Yachana Amazon Culinary Center.
• Condé Naste Skål Ecotourism Award for Education, 2007.
• World Travel and Tourism Council - one of the three best examples of Ecotourism Investing in People in the World, 2006.
• Condé Naste ALCAN Prize for Sustainability, 2004.
• Condé Nast Traveler Magazine - Best Ecotourism Lodge in the World, 2004.

Additional Web sites

• www.yachana.org.ec/yachana_foundation.php (available in English and Spanish). The Yachana Foundation website has detailed information about the different social and conservation programs and the natural resource management the Foundation carries out.

Files

• Yachana Lodge General Information and Rates for 2010 -2011

Date This Information Was Provided

January 2011.

Photos courtesy of Yachana Lodge, Ecuador, for SustainableTrip.org.

Introduction to Yachana Lodge


Empowerment for Advancement, Yachana Foundation


Yachana Foundation from Green Living Project on Vimeo.

New York Times Video #1


New York Times Video #2


• Yachana Lodge Video Gallery