Travel

Napo Runa Volunteer is situated in the Community of Uchuculin, near Tena, in the Province of Napo, Ecuador. First you must arrive to Tena and from there you can take local transportation to Uchuculin.

To get to Tena from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, will last approximately 5 to 6 hours. Buses leave from the Terminal Terrestre Cumandá, in the colonial section of Quito, which can be reached by taxi or public transport (take the trolley to the Cumandá stop). Tickets can then be purchased at the bus station. The various bus cooperatives have departures each hour in the morning and the afternoon. The recommended bus lines are: Transporte Baños, Express Baños, Amazonas, and Flota Pelileo. The bus trip takes you over the eastern mountain range of the Andes, past the thermal waters of Papallacta, and down towards the Amazon basin. About 15 minutes from Tena, you pass through the city of Archidona, the first city founded by the colonizers in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

From Tena, you can take a bus that leaves every hour for the communities of Pano, Uchuculin, Talag, and Serena. You have to ask the driver to stop at the community of Uchuculin. If you contact us to inform us of the time you are arriving, we can meet you at the bus terminal in Tena. The cooperative can be identified easily and the buses carry the name “Centinela de Tena”. Make sure to inquire at the terminal, because sometimes the buses are stationed on a street next to the terminal. The cost of the bus is 35 cents. You can also take a taxi for $4 or $5 US dollars. Just inform them that you are going to the community of Uchuculin, through Pano and Talag, and the majority of them know the area.