4 Days Amazonian Tour

CUYABENO 4 DAYS RAINFOREST ADVENTURE AMAZONIAN TOUR

Included for the tour

3 nights accommodation in a jungle lodge

Bottled water

Meals as per itinerary (B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)

Prices starting from $280 pp.

Our most popular tour offers the perfect way to explore the Amazon region. Traveling to our lodge is already an adventure, as you leave the summits of the Andes behind and enter the Amazon basin. During the last part of the trip, a motorized canoe takes you along the Cuyabeno River through the rainforest. Be sure to have your camera ready, as you might see animals like monkeys, sloths, caimans, and various birds.

Spend two entire days exploring the Cuyabeno Reserve with its unique ecosystem of the flooded forest, search for wildlife, and enjoy the calm and quiet. On the last day, you leave the lodge early to ensure you can travel back to Quito on the same day.

Want to spend more time in the Amazon with Cuyabeno Lodge? Join our 5-day tour!

Day 1: Quito – Lago Agrio – Cuyabeno

Travel by bus from Quito to Lago Agrio the day before your tour starts (bus fare is not included in the tour price). From Lago Agrio, our private transportation will take you to the park entrance (distance 100 Kms / 62 miles, travel time approx. 2 hours), where you will meet your guide. Depending on logistics, we will either have lunch at a local restaurant or once you arrive at the lodge.

We will travel by canoe along the Cuyabeno River to the lodge (approximately two hours). During the trip, your bilingual guide will explain the local flora and fauna. It’s common to see monkeys and tropical birds, such as toucans, macaws, and parrots.

After arriving at the lodge, you’ll have time to relax. Later that day, we’ll explore the beautiful Laguna Grande. If we’re lucky, we might spot some pink river dolphins. You can enjoy the sunset from the canoe and take a refreshing swim in the lake.

Dinner at the lodge. Fall asleep surrounded by the relaxing sounds of the jungle.

Day 2

You’ll probably be woken up by monkeys or birds. After breakfast, a short canoe ride takes you to one of the trails in the National Park. Walk through the “terra firma forest” and listen as your guide explains the wildlife, medicinal forest plants, the forest ecosystem, and indigenous life. As you get a closer look at the jungle, pay attention to small details: different species of ants that have perfected their colonies’ organization, tiny poisonous frogs hiding under leaves, insects hunting for their next meal, or fungi taking over and killing small organisms like insects or spiders. Our expert guides will happily answer any questions you have.

After lunch, we recommend a siesta during the hottest part of the day. You can relax in your room, the hammocks, or on the dock. Later in the afternoon, you’ll explore more flooded parts of the forest by canoe. Try to spot monkeys and birds, and also look for dolphins or anacondas among the macrolobium trees covered with abundant epiphytes.

After dinner, get your flashlight and take a walk through the primary forest, looking for insects like giant grasshoppers, stick insects, praying mantis, and others that come out at night. If you’re lucky (and quiet), you might see nocturnal jungle animals, like night monkeys, owls, and different kinds of rodents.

Day 3

After an early breakfast, you’ll visit the indigenous Siona tribe. Follow the Cuyabeno River downstream for about 1.5 hours, always looking for wildlife, until you reach one of the three indigenous villages we work with and support through our visits. One of the women will give you a hands-on lesson in preparing the typical casabe, a tortilla made from manioc. Start by harvesting manioc in the family’s fields, then cook it in a traditional kitchen over an open fire. Your guide will also explain the indigenous people’s history and way of life.

Return to the lodge for lunch. After a siesta, take a refreshing bath in the lake and enjoy the sunset again.
After dinner, a special adventure awaits: a nocturnal excursion by canoe, looking for caimans, snakes, and nocturnal birds. Bring a good flashlight, as caimans are most easily spotted by the reflection of their eyes.

Day 4

We’ll go for early bird watching at 6 am. Birds are most active in the morning, making it the best time to see them waking up with the jungle. After sunrise, we’ll return to the lodge for our last breakfast together. Departure from the lodge is at 9:30 am. We’ll travel by motor canoe to the park entrance. Our vehicle will take you back to Lago Agrio, marking the end of our tour. Return to Quito by bus or private transportation.