Ecuadorian Amazon · From El Coca
The largest snake on Earth lives here. Come and meet it.
Small-group canoe expeditions into the blackwater lagoons where wild green anacondas bask, led by guides who grew up on these rivers.
- Duration
- 1 day or 2 days with lodge night
- Group size
- 2 to 8 travelers
- Starts from
- El Coca, 35-min flight from Quito
- Guides
- Local Kichwa guides, English-speaking
Not a zoo. Not a show. A wild animal, on its own terms.
The green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) can grow past eight meters and weigh more than two hundred kilos. It spends its days half-submerged in the still, tea-colored lagoons of the Amazon lowlands, and almost nobody ever sees one.
Our expedition takes you into exactly that habitat. You travel by dugout canoe with a local Kichwa guide who has tracked these animals since childhood, reading the water for the tell-tale ripple of a surfacing head, the flattened reeds where a snake has been basking, the birds that go quiet.
When we find one, we stop. We don't touch, chase or feed. We watch, and you get the photographs of a lifetime.
How the day unfolds
The one-day expedition. The two-day version adds a night at a riverside community lodge and a second search at dawn, when sightings are best.
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Pick-up in El Coca
We collect you from your hotel or the airport and drive to the river landing. Coffee, fresh fruit and a short briefing on what to expect.
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Down the Napo by motor canoe
Forty minutes on the wide, fast Napo River, then we turn into a narrow tributary and the forest closes in on both sides.
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Into the lagoons by dugout
We switch to a silent paddle canoe. This is the search: two to three hours moving slowly through flooded forest, scanning banks and floating vegetation. Caimans, hoatzins, river turtles and monkeys are almost guaranteed along the way.
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The encounter
When your guide spots an anaconda we hold position at a safe distance and give you all the time you need for photographs and video. Bring a zoom lens if you have one.
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Lunch at the community lodge
A home-cooked Amazonian meal: river fish grilled in bijao leaves, yuca, plantain and fresh juices. Time to rest in a hammock.
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Return to El Coca
Back upriver in the afternoon light. You're at your hotel by early evening, in time for the last flight to Quito if you need it.
What's included
- Hotel or airport pick-up and drop-off in El Coca
- Motor canoe and dugout canoe with life jackets
- English-speaking naturalist guide plus local Kichwa tracker
- Breakfast snack, lunch and drinking water
- Rubber boots and rain ponchos
- Community entrance fee to the reserve
- Two-day option: lodge night, dinner and second breakfast
Not included: flights to El Coca, personal travel insurance, alcoholic drinks and tips for the guides.
From the lagoons
Good to know
Is it safe to see anacondas in the wild?
Yes. Green anacondas are not aggressive toward people and we observe them from the canoe at a respectful distance. Your guide has spent his whole life on these waters and knows how the animals behave. Nobody enters the water.
Are we guaranteed to see an anaconda?
No honest wildlife operator can promise a sighting. We know the lagoons where anacondas bask, choose the season and time of day carefully, and our guides find them on most trips — but they are wild animals. Even without a snake, the flooded forest is full of life.
When is the best time of year?
The drier months, roughly December to March, concentrate the animals in smaller pools and make sightings easier. Trips run all year round; in the wetter months the two-day option gives you a second chance at dawn.
How do I get to El Coca?
Fly from Quito to El Coca (Francisco de Orellana) in about 35 minutes with LATAM or Avianca, or take an overnight bus. We pick you up at the airport or your hotel.
What should I bring?
Light long sleeves and trousers, a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, a refillable bottle and your camera with the longest lens you own. We provide boots and ponchos.
Is it suitable for children?
Children from eight years old are welcome with an adult. The canoe sections are calm, but the days are long and hot.
Book your date
Tell us how many you are and when you'd like to go. We'll confirm availability and price within a few hours.
Departures every day from El Coca, Orellana, Ecuador. Deposit by PayPal or card; balance in cash on the day.