I did a lot of cool things during my one month stay in Ecuador, from extreme sports like bridge jumping,white water rafting in Banos to climbing the ice covered volcano of cotopaxi, However my favorite trip was the 4 days I spent in Cuyabeno nature reserve exploring the Amazon jungle in Ecuadors Oriente region.
After doing a bit of shopping around in the Mariscal area of Quito talking to various tour operator’s I found a reasonably priced Amazon tour for around $250 USD for 4 days 3 nights which included the following:
- 4 days with 3 nights accommodation in a double cabin .
- Breakfast lunch and dinner meals for duration of your stay.
- Rain boots and poncho’s.
- Various activities with a bilingual naturalist guide.
- Transportation by boat into and out of the river lodge.
Getting There
Cuyabeno national park is located in northern oriente region of Ecuador and is accessible by bus or flight. A flight will cost you around $130 USD return and take about 25 minutes from Quito.For those on more of a budget and less worried about time a 8-9 hour bus can be taken for around $10-13 dollars from Quito.
Once you arrive at the town of LagoAgrio it’s a short 1.5 hour drive to the the Cuyabeno bridge where the entrace of the wild life reserve is located, From there you will be travelling by canoe.
Word of warning: be wary taking night bus’s as numerous people have reported night bus’s being robbed. It didnt happen to me but while at the nature reserve I met a couple who had gotten the same bus as me the day previous and everyone on the bus was robbed by a passenger on the bus at gun point at 2am. So it might be advisable to get a day bus if you can.
Day 1
On the first day I arrived at 8am to the Cuyabeno bridge ready to enter the nature reserve after my 10 hour bus ride from quito (my bus got a little delayed)
Upon arrival I was greeted by a friendly bilingual guide who helped me load my stuff into the motorized canoe and we were off down the river through the amazon to the river lodge where I would be spending the next 4 days. As soon as I stepped foot in the canoe I couldnt believe it, I was in the amazonian jungle and in a canoe no less, It made me instantly forget about the long bus ride I had endured.
The beautiful amazonian jungle
After a short 15 minute canoe ride we arrived at the Cuyabeno River Lodge and I was shown an awesome open air cabin where I would be sleeping the next few nights and served up a delicious breakfast.
Cuyabeno River Lodge
I then had a much needed rest in the hammock area for a couple of hours while all the native birds and animals calling out from the jungle around me.
I then went on a tour with a guide through one of the nearby jungle trails where we got to see some of the area’s largest species of tree’s ,followed by a short canoe ride up the river before returning for dinner.
Day 2:
After rising for an early breakfast and shower I was off on a day trip to Laguna Grande, Cuyabeno’s largest lake. During the trip I got to see many interesting plants,monkey’s,bats,birds and turtles. We went searching for an Anaconda however didn’t have any luck.
The banks of the Laguna Grande
Bats on a stick 😀
Bat mid-flight, This would have been the best photo ever if it was in focus
However we did have more luck when it came to Piranah fishing. I even managed to land a couple of decent sized ones. Come on it doesnt get much cooler than fishing for Piranahs in the amazonian jungle right?
After that we stopped off at an indigenous community where we participated in the preperation of traditional Yucca bread before returning back to camp for a delicious dinner, They even cooked up a couple of the piranah we had caught during the day which turned out to be quite delicious.
Rice beans and meat the South American staple food 😀
Full moon above the river lodge
After dinner was done we all put on some of the provided gum boats and headed out for a guided night tour into the jungle where besides being constantly swarmed upon by mosquito’s we encountered a bunch of creepy crawlies.
Here’s just a few of the awesome things we encountered on our nocturnal walk of the jungle.
A friendly spider guarding his lair
An awesome frog
More spiders
Giant stick insects
After the night jungle adventure I decided to have a bit of a rest in the hammock area before bed and look who I met 😀
So if you don’t like creepy crawlies maybe the Amazonian jungle isn’t the best place for you
But having said that I never found any in my bed and with a giant mosquito net I think you are pretty safe.
Day 3:
On the third day we had the option of getting up at sunrise to go on an optional bird walk or sleep in a bit and have some breakfast. I have to admit I was a little bit lazy this morning and opted for the sleep in as well as some additional hammock time.
Beautiful tree next to the river lodge.
Next up we did a day walk through the jungle led by a bilingual guide who even had a wild pig as a pet. We got to taste wild fruit and saw a lot of beautiful fauna and even a few more spiders.
The guide carved this out of a nut
After our 3-4 hour walk through the jungle we all cooled off in the river before boarding a native style canoe and paddling up stream in search of aligators or Caimens as they are called here. I really enjoyed the paddling tour as we saw a lot more animals and got to really hear and experience the amazon jungle without the loud noise of the noisy motor.
The highlight of the night was when we paddled back in the dark with nothing more than a small torch guiding our way. You could see the eyes of caimen as you appraoched and they slid themselves into the water.
Day 4:
On the 4th and final day you have the option to have a lazy day relaxing at the river lodge and exploring one last jungle trail before taking the early evenning bus back to quito at 6:30 or if you wish to leave earlier in the day that is possible as well
Conclusion
Overall I really enjoyed my time in the Cuyabeno wild life reserve, I got to see a lot of wild life and birds and the various canoe trips were by far the highlight for me.
Have you ever visited the Amazon? and where did you visit it?
those teeth are crazy!
I know right they were very bitey 😀
Looks and sounds very interesting, thinking of trying to travel in your footsteps here… if I dare! 😛
Hi there, this sounds amazing! Am currently trying to organise my own trip into the Ecuadorean amazon but as I’m not near Quito, i don’t have much information in terms of travel agents etc. I wonder would you have any details of who you organised your trip with, that you might be able to share with me? Or feel free to email me either. Thank you so much!
I just walked into one of the many travel agents in Quito. can’t remember the name sorry.
Cuyabeno really is a fantastic place:
10 REASONS WHY CHOSE CUYABENO NATIONAL PARK?
Only Amazon park accessible over a paved road;
Leave Quito at a comfortable hour, fly to the Amazon city of Lagoagrio and board the our canoe in Cuyabeno where you start your Amazon tour before noon;
Only Amazon park near the Andes with both narrow creeks and lakes;
Better wildlife viewing than in any other Amazon park in the world;
Lowest visitation prices of any amazon park in South America;
greatest diversity of any park in the world;
Located right on the equator;
Wildlife viewing from boats with all your gear close at hand;
With or about 450 long and 150 km wide, the park covers 603,380 ha of pristine jungle as you can verify on Google Earth;
Guides are trained by the government National Park Service.
For those with a bit better budget, there are actually options deeper inside the reserve with better wildlife viewing and right on the reserves visitation hotspot
http://www.cuyabenolodge.com/amazon-rainforest/amazon-visit.htm