After choosing the town of Tena as our entry-point into the Amazon, our next task was to find the perfect hostel to base ourselves in, that would enable us to explore the rainforest and surrounding areas.
Once we clicked on Hostal Pakay’s website, we didn’t look back!
Here are all the things we loved about this fabulous Amazonian jungle hideaway…
About Hostal Pakay
Hostal Pakay is, for me at least, the kind of place you would picture in your mind when you daydream about what it would be like to stay in the Amazon rainforest.
The surroundings are lush, with sprawling flowers and foliage taking over every inch of the property’s two hectares of land.
The hostel is both very peaceful and full of life, with silent spells followed by sudden bursts of song as various birds and bugs make their presence known. And that’s during daylight hours! At night time you are lulled to sleep by the sound of frogs and insects humming.
And then there is the rain! And I know what you’re thinking, rain in the rainforest is a given, right? But what I mean when I refer to the rain is just how dramatic and all-encompassing the power of the rain is here. It’s pretty impressive.
Hostal Pakay is also extremely beautiful. I dare you not to feel in awe of the hostel as it reveals itself in a very cinematic fashion… slowly, as you walk your way up a winding stone pathway into the greenery from the main gate. An entrance that also provides glorious views of the town of Tena below and the ever present Andes mountains too.
An Eco-Friendly Space
You only have to speak to Tony, the owner, briefly to realise his passion for sustainability and the care he has for the Amazon and its inhabitants.
Hostal Pakay is dedicated to sustainability. The numerous buildings are made mainly of bamboo and woven palm leaves. Not only are these sustainable materials, but their use also ensures that the hostel blends in seamlessly with the surrounding nature.
On top of being crafted from natural materials, the hostel also has composting (or ‘dry’ toilets). This means that the toilets do not flush and that human waste is treated by the biological process of composting. While some people may find this to be something that is outside of their comfort zone, I can assure you it’s a very clean and easy system to use. You become used to it very quickly. It just means the hostel has more compost for their gardens – so you really do contribute to the future of the plants around you by staying there!
Nature & Wildlife
It would be impossible to spend a mere five minutes at Hostal Pakay and not interact with nature and wildlife in one way or another.
Birds of all kinds are abundant here, flying from tree to tree and making lots of noise while they do so! It is a twitchers paradise.
And whether you are a fan of them or not, spiders are also in abundance. We were able to spot a tarantula chilling on the roof of the hostel a couple of times. Other guests also reported sightings across the property. Including on their bed! I am not a fan of spiders, but I have to say it was quite cool to just observe the tarantula in its home. They act as natural pest controllers, killing off the mosquitos and other bugs – so a useful asset to have onboard! They are completely harmless so no need to be afraid.
Lizards also frequent Hostal Pakay. From teeny-tiny, little ones that stare at you curiously to geckoes that come about to snack on moths at dinner time, there is quite the microcosm of critters to be spotted here.
Finally, I have to mention the butterflies! The famous blue morpho (the emoji butterfly!) could be seen almost everyday at the hostel, with wings the size of dinner plates! There were lots of other species around too, like the glasswing, which I think are particularly unique as their wings are transparent.
The Surroundings
I’m not sure my photographs do this place justice!
When you first arrive you’ll be led to the ‘main house’ which hides amongst the lush green jungle landscape. This encompasses the reception area and is also where you have breakfast each morning. After taking off our shoes first, mind!
There is also a gorgeous little balcony upstairs where you will find six hammocks that are free for anyone to use – a great place to rest and relax during any down time you might have.
Around the grounds you will find stone pathways leading to another set of private rooms (which we stayed in), also constructed beautifully from brick, bamboo and recycled glass bottles.
Breakfast With Hummingbirds
Breakfast here is a particularly joyful experience as you get to share it with the natural surroundings – the plants, flowers and the hummingbirds!
As you sip on your coffee each morning you will be able to watch the hummingbirds sip on nectar from the flowers in the garden and chase each other around. Pure magic.
The breakfast itself is also very lovingly made and consists of eggs, local fruit, pastry, jam, fresh juice and tea/coffee.
The Perfect Location
The hostel offers a truly idyllic location. The charming town of Tena (which has plenty of restaurants, shops etc.) is only a five minute walk away. Primary Amazon rainforest (land untouched or changed by human hands) is a short 30 minute drive out of town.
Taxis to and from the hostel to the centre of Tena cost a couple dollars or so each way, making it very easy (and cost effective) to pop in and out of the hostel. Personally we decided to walk to town. It was completely safe (we did the walk during the day and evening) and we met plenty of friendly locals along the way.
Read more about why I think Tena is a real hidden gem when it comes to being an affordable and incredible place to gain access and insight into the Amazon rainforest here.
Tours
Another benefit of staying at Hostal Pakay is that Tony offers a range of tours into and around the Amazon rainforest, all of which he organises and leads.
Whether you are into thrill-seeking activities like rafting and canyoning, love to hike in nature or prefer a more culturally immersive experience, the hostel offers it all.
It goes without saying that any venture into the rainforest should not be done alone. You need a guide and Tony was one of the best we experienced anywhere in South America.
We took two of the provided tours and they were simply fantastic.
Primary Rainforest Hike
We decided to jump right into the heart of the Amazon by joining the primary rainforest tour on our first day at the hostel. Our wellies were fitted and away we went!
As mentioned, a primary rainforest is one which has remained untouched and unaffected by human activities. With much of the Amazon under threat, having access to such a location so close to the hostel was a real privilege. Tony’s passion for keeping the area secure was clear to see.
The tour was incredible. Tony took us deep into the rainforest and we learnt a lot about the flora and fauna of the region. We were able to spot lots of bugs, frogs, butterflies, reptiles and mammals. Tony’s depth of knowledge of the rainforest coupled with an incredible eye for spotting wildlife while hiking through the jungle made the experience endlessly exciting.
I won’t give away too many more spoilers of what the day entails – you really will have to experience the day for yourselves. It will be a day you will always remember, I can tell you that!
Napo River Tour
The second tour we took was a full day Napo River exploration. This was significantly different to the rainforest hike, with us taking various boats along a tributary of the Amazon to learn more about the people that inhabit the local area.
The tour included visiting a number of indiginous communities in the region, learning about how local people make a living such as producing chocolate, and a stop off at an animal rescue center, (it was very hard to hear about how many of the animals ended up here, but incredible to learn how well they are cared for now).
Alongside some other stops and explorations, the trip ends with your tour group tubing down the river which for me was equal parts cool (how many opportunities will you get to go tubing down a tributary of the Amazon River?!) and equal parts terrifying after learning about the inhabitants of the river. Needless to say, we did not come in contact with any caimans!
Learn about the tours on offer at Hostal Pakay here.
Things To Know Before You Go
- Bring strong insect repellent with you – I’m talking super strength here people! The one we bought from Amazon ensured we didn’t suffer from ANY mosquito or bug bites in the entirety of our stay.
- Bring cash – the hostel accepts cash payments only. There are cash machines in town should you need to withdraw any.
- You don’t need to bring mosquito nets. We wondered whether it would be worth bringing them in our backpacks, but truly the private rooms here are secure with netted window screens, so you won’t need them. And when walking past the dorm rooms we saw the bunk beds had nets attached to each bed individually.
Support The Local Community
I really hope you enjoyed my review of Hostel Pakay. Since starting my backpacking journey and having stayed in some incredible places, I feel it is my duty to share more in-depth reviews of the hostels/hotels etc. that really stood out in the hopes that it will encourage more people to visit them.
I was instantly inspired by Tony, and his family who work at the hostel with him. Everything they do for their local community and the environment is so genuine. They also have so much care for their guests. The hostel, on top of everything else, also works alongside the indiginous communities in the Napo region, to help preserve their cultures and traditions.
They really deserve a shout-out and I would love to encourage more people to come visit not only the hostel, but the local area and have as memorable and incredible a time as we had!
Address: Av. Antisana (Perimetral) y Manuel M. Rosales Barrio 30 de Diciembre, Tena, Ecuador
Until next time,
Lica
