My husband and I stayed at Sani Lodge the first week in September, 07. The staff was courteous and helpful. There was always someone there who spoke English. Several of the natural history guides were young women, one from Chile, another from Holland, I think. They both spoke Spanish, and English. Our native Sani guide, Carlos, was an exceptional birder, and although he did not speak English, our natural history guide was able to translate. We did have trouble with our shower (no hot water), and after several vain attempts to fix it, the staff cheerfully moved our luggage to another cabin. The cabin was always clean, although a few beetles found their way in from time to time. (You can't be too squeamish in the Amazon.) The food was very good, and there was plenty of it. Considering that this is an eco-friendly, remote lodge, we were pleasantly surprised at all the accomodations. The setting is magnificent, quiet and natural, and the canopy tower and trails met all our expectations of great birding. We experienced none of the problems that a previous reviewer alluded to. Be sure to take a sunset canoe trip on the lake! Travel tip: Bring a backpack and some snack food with you when you go to the Amazon, because there's none available once you get there, except adult beverages! (Everything has to be brought in 50+ miles from Coca)

We booked a 3 day package for Sani Lodge with a travel agent in Quito. We paid the $450 per person because Sani Lodge, owned by the local Quechua community, also stated through their marketing and website that they believed in having guidance and assistance by outside experts to provide a "five-star ecotourism experience." At the time their website listed english speaking biologists and herptologists on staff and as guides. This was important to us. Upon arrival we quickly noticed the disorganization. Our boat was greeted by the staff that consisted of very young men, none who spoke more than minimal english and some who were even weak on spanish. The assigning of rooms was slow and disorganized. Our reservation didn't get communicated from the Quito office to the lodge so there wasn't a room for us. They decided to put us in their "extra cabin", which they didn't bother to clean or tidy up. The room was a mess, dirty with cob webs everywhere and a bathroom that was obviously used as the staff restroom. When they gave the lodge introduction it was all in Spanish, when we asked for it to be translated into English they couldn't do it. We were informed that the one young man who spoke minimal English would be our guide. When we asked for one of the English speaking guides listed on their website, we were informed they were all on vacation. We later found out when we were back in Quito that the Sani Lodge had fired all outside staff and management and are trying to manage the lodge with the staff of young, untrained local men. We found out that the western, english speaking guides listed on their website have not been at the lodge for a very long time, yet they continued to list them on their website. The obvious decline in service and management was extremely disappointing and the Sani Lodge no longer lives up to the marketing it publishes or is worth the price.

Our 5 day stay in early May was way beyond expectations. Our guide, Javier, was incredible. He was raised in the area and had just returned from spending 1 year in the US to improve his English skills He and his cousin, Carlos, were extremely knowledgeable, good-natured and very attentive. The lodge is run by the local tribe based on sustainable principles (solar power) and guests are asked to take out their old batteries; plastic bottles; etc.. The wildlife we saw was amazing. In the 5 days we were there we saw 78 different birds; lizards; a Fer-de-lance snake; caiman; a wide variety of insects; plants; trees; etc.. The lodge is basic but very comfortable. We were able to also visit the local village and meet Javier's cousins. If you're going to the Amazon area of Ecuador, I definitely recommend staying at the Sani. Other lodges might be more "fancy" - but they won't be able to match the authenticity of the Sani Lodge and their staff.

Sani Lodge is a great way to have a real rain forest experience in relative comfort. It is a couple of hours down the Napo River from Coca, and is run by a local Quichua community, so the profits support the community. Although the service was not as efficient as some other more experienced lodges, it was still good and very friendly. The guides were particularly good (one English speaking and one local with each group). The food and housing was ok, especially when you consider that you are in the middle of the rain forest! This was not roughing it by any means. Our group included ages between 20 and 85, with no problems at either end! We saw a wide range of birds, some caimans, and a few other animals like monkeys, lizards, baby sloth, etc. Also had an interesting visit to the home of our native guide. The price felt high, but at least the funds were going to a good cause.