4-Day Cuyabeno Tour | Amazon Wildlife & Adventure

Cuyabeno Reserve

$379

Per Person

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▪ Explore the Amazon’s flooded forests and pristine wilderness.

▪ Spot incredible wildlife, from pink dolphins to caimans and monkeys.

▪ Discover exceptional birdwatching in Cuyabeno’s lagoons.

▪ Experience Indigenous cultures and the traditions of the Siona-Secoya people.

Travel to the reserve: Quito – Lago Agrio – Cuyabeno Wildlife ReserveTravelacross the Andes to the frontier oil town of Lago Agrio. (Ask How to Get to Lago Agrio) and from there to the entrance of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, “Cuyabeno Bridge” at about 100 km / 60 miles from Lago Agrio. You will meet your guide at the park entrance, who will register you with the national park service.

Within Cuyabeno National Park: Rio Cuyabeno – Lake Cuyabeno – Cuyabeno Lodge Your guide will help you board our motorized canoe to travel downstream the winding Cuyabeno River to Lake Cuyabeno where our Cuyabeno Lodge is nestled on an island close to the shore of the lake. Watching wildlife, it takes about 2 hours to get to our lodge. It is common to see different species of monkeys on the way, such as squirrel monkeys, capuchin monkeys and tamarin monkeys, as well as a variety of bird species like toucans, macaws and parrots. With luck, you may also spot a sloth or the largest monkey species, the howler monkey. Other possible animals you can spot on the river are anacondas and Amazon dolphins. Be sure to keep your eyes on the banks, your binoculars and your camera ready.

Speaking about binoculars: Please notice that the Amazon jungle is all about details of small animals and bright flowers. Without binoculars, you just don’t get to see as much as you should. Please bring them. If you forgot, we have a few pairs for rent at the lodge at a modest price.After arriving and settling into your room at the Lodge, your guide takes you out onto Lake Cuyabeno to watch wildlife and birds, to swim from the canoe and watch the beautiful sunsets for which Cuyabeno is so famous. After dinner back at the lodge, your guide will plan the next day’s itinerary and activities with you before you retire to your room for a good night’s sleep with the nocturnal sounds of the rainforest.

Monkeys or birds will probably wake you up in the morning. After breakfast, a short canoe ride takes you to a trail through the jungle. Your guide will tell about wildlife, medicinal plants, the forest ecosystem and indigenous people. As you’re learning more about at the Amazon jungle, pay attention to small details, like different species of ants with their perfected the organized colonies, tiny poisonous frogs hiding under the leaves, insects on the hunt for their next meal, or fungi that take over and kill small organisms like insects and spiders.

Our guides are the best in the entire reserve and will happily answer any question you may have. After lunch you can enjoy a siesta during the hottest part of the day. You may relax in your room, in one of the hammocks in our recreation room, or in a deck chair in the shade on our boat landing. Later in the afternoon, you will explore the flooded part of the forest by canoe. The fascinating Macrolobium trees, covered with thick blankets of epiphytes, are the most captivating tree species of this area.

Your all-seeing guide will help you spot monkeys, birds, pink dolphins, and with luck, an anaconda. After darkness has set, you will go on a night walk through the primary forest, looking for fascinating insects like giant green sable grasshoppers, stick insects, praying mantis and other critters that come out at night. If you’re lucky (and quiet) you might see some of the other nocturnal jungle animals, like night monkeys, owls, and different kinds of rodents. It is essential to bring your own LED flashlight to be able to fully appreciate the nocturnal life of the jungle. If you forgot to bring one, the lodge has a few available for a modest rent.

You will start the day with an early breakfast, after which you visit the Siona community. You will follow the Cuyabeno River downstream to reach one of the four Siona indigenous villages. Along the way you will be looking out for birds and pink dolphins on the lake and monkeys along the river.

Having arrived at the village you will watch how a Siona woman prepares and cooks the typical “cassava” tortillas while you participate in the preparation. The process starts with the harvesting of the manioc or cassava in the family’s kitchen garden, before it gets cooked in a traditional kitchen over an open fire. The woman will also talk about the way of life of the Siona tribe. The women rotate daily so each will get a turn to earn some money.

After the presentation, you return to the Lodge for lunch and a siesta.In the late afternoon, you will enjoy a refreshing swim in Lake Cuyabeno. When darkness has set, you may go on a night excursion by canoe to spot caimans, snakes and nocturnal birds.

On the last day of your Cuyabeno visit, you will share the feeling with so many others: It all went by too fast, and you would have loved to stay longer.

Well, you will always take along the memory of the peace and beauty of our beloved Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve. For those who would still like a last excursion early in the morning, get up early and enjoy a last birding at dawn.

You have one last delicious breakfast at the Lodge, afterwards navigate back upstream to the Cuyabeno National Park entrance from where you start your return to Quito either by bus or private transportation.

4-Day Cuyabeno Tour | Amazon Wildlife & Adventure

Cuyabeno Reserve

$379

Per Person

Payments through WeTravel

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