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Roughly 100km, or five hours, downstream of Coca, and then doubling back for a few more kilometres northwest and upstream along Panayacu, will bring you to the brooding waters of PANACOCHA ("piranha lake" in Quichua), the centrepiece of a 56,000- hectare protected forest created in 1994, connecting the enormous Yasuni and Cuyabeno reserves on either side. From the lake, several coiling waterways retreat into thick primary rainforest, where ocelots, jaguars, nine species of monkey and over five hundred bird species can be seen. As well as the eponymous piranha - which are unnervingly easy to catch in the murky waters with just a hook, string and bait - the rivers are home to the beautiful freshwater dolphins, rosy-pink mammals that locate their prey using sonar. Although the area has remained relatively untouched from outside interference, the new protected forest has no government resources or management plan, leaving it vulnerable to exploitation and damage. There are reports that an oil company has built illegal seismic exploration lines within the protected area. The Panacocha Lodge , stands at the edge of the lake, a group of simple cabins with private bath, a dining room and a forty-metre observation tower built around a giant ceiba tree. Recently bought by a collective of conservation organizations, there are plans to renovate the lodge and to establish a scientific research station and ecotourism project with the local Quichua community; proceeds will go towards defending the forest and conservation patrols of the area. It currently costs around $200 per person for a five-day trip to the lodge, and you can get updates on how things are proceeding and make bookings through the Centro de Investigaciones de los Bosques Tropicales (CIBT), Alemania 339 and Eloy Alfaro, fourth floor, Quito (tel & fax 02/540346, cibt@ecuanex.net.ec ) or in the US through Ecole Adventures International (tel 707/923-3015). Emerald Forest Expeditions , who previously used the lodge, are building another facility elsewhere on the lake; contact them for the latest.
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