Cuyabeno wildlife holiday, Ecuador
| country: | Ecuador |
| location: | Amazon rainforest |
| departures: | Group tours every Monday and Friday, but the tour can leave any day with 4 people minimum. You do not have to have this daily itinerary (the days can be combined and we run shorter and longer tours). The best time to go is from February to November. |
| price: | FromUS $200 (5 days) excluding flights. Price includes transportation (bus and canoe), food, accommodation, equipment (rain poncho, rubber boots) and guides with English, French or German language skills. |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is situated 0 latitude, 76 longitude. The national park offers us the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of the tropical rain forest and its perfect ecological balance of flora and fauna.
Since the park is a protected area visitors can observe animals in their natural environment. Among the animals we can find species like dolphins, Caymans, manatees, piranhas, monkeys, snakes, macaws, herons, parrots, toucans and millions of insects which make us feel like we are really in the heart of the tropical rain forest. Also the visitors can know about the local and medicinal plants.
Price details: Price includes transportation (bus and canoe), food, accommodation, equipment (rain poncho, rubber boots) and guides with English, French or German language skills. Not included are the entrance fee to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (US $20), bus or flight to/from Lago Agrio, breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day. The bus costs approx US $16 (Quito-Lago Agrio-Quito, 8 hours) and the flight costs approx US $130 (Quito-Lago Agrio-Quito).
Since the park is a protected area visitors can observe animals in their natural environment. Among the animals we can find species like dolphins, Caymans, manatees, piranhas, monkeys, snakes, macaws, herons, parrots, toucans and millions of insects which make us feel like we are really in the heart of the tropical rain forest. Also the visitors can know about the local and medicinal plants.
Price details: Price includes transportation (bus and canoe), food, accommodation, equipment (rain poncho, rubber boots) and guides with English, French or German language skills. Not included are the entrance fee to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (US $20), bus or flight to/from Lago Agrio, breakfast on the first day and dinner on the last day. The bus costs approx US $16 (Quito-Lago Agrio-Quito, 8 hours) and the flight costs approx US $130 (Quito-Lago Agrio-Quito).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | We meet the group at 10:15 at the hotel in Lago Agrio. There, we can leave our belongings in a safe place. To reach the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve we take our private transportation for about 3 hours. Afterwards, we change for a motorized dugout canoe for another 3 hours, which takes us through channels and rivers surrounded by thick jungle vegetation. During this time we have the chance to observe the tropical flora and fauna which is facilitated by the explanations of our guide. Finally, we arrive at the lodge, which is a property of the indigenous community called Sionas, at approximately 6-7 p.m. |
| Day 2: | We visit one of the largest communities in the area called Tarapuy – Siona Community. However, to reach the village we go for an approximately 2 hour adventurous walk in the jungle. The excursion provides us the chance to obtain a deeper understanding of the medicinal plants in the rainforest, which were used by locals for centuries. If we are lucky we may also see some animals, but this highly depends on luck. In Tarapuy we have alternative programs such as swimming in the Tarapuy River or other sporting activities, such as football or volleyball (maybe with the locals). Later, we return to our camp by canoe to have lunch. After a short “siesta” we go for the next activity which is to visit a native house which belongs to our Native guide and you can participate in a very old way of making Casabe or jungle bread then we can taste it. Dinner will be followed by an alternative evening activity: 1. "Caimania" which means let us see those shining red eyes of the caimans in the river or 2. A night walking in the jungle for about an hour just to see how the jungle is at night because 70% of the animals are active in the darkness. |
| Day 3: | We take our canoe for about an hour to reach the Cuyabeno Lake (black water) which is the largest one in the reserve. Then, we go for 'piraña fishing'. Since our company has the mission to operate under the concept of ecotourism, we would like only to demonstrate how piranhas look like. Therefore, if someone catches a piraña, after a short observation, we let it go! Soon we will have a picnic at the lake, then a walk in the jungle for about 3 - 4 hours. During the walk our native guide will show us different varieties of plants, leaves and seeds... (not only medicinal ones but also other, locally used ones for various purposes). After walking we have time not only to paddle with our canoe but also to swim in the warm Cuyabeno Lake which is surrounded by macrolobium trees covered by abundant epiphytes (this is called flooded forest which is the only ecosystem in Ecuador’s Amazon Basin). There can also be found various species of tropical birds around the lake such as parrots, toucans, herons, cormorants, swallows and the noisy hoatzins (or as its nickname says "stinky turkey"). There is also a chance to see dolphins in the lake, but this highly depends on luck. To finish our visit at the Cuyabeno Lake area we wait until the sun goes down since the sunset is outstanding on the Equator. After having our dinner in camp we have an optional night-program (either of the above mentioned activities which are did not do the day before). |
| Day 4: | We take the canoe for about 40 minutes then a walking of 2 hours and after if we go for a short swimming in the river then we'll stop in a local house to have either a short visit for a Shaman (native doctor) or Servatana practice, which is a local weapon, After lunch we take a small quilla (canoe) for about two hours. This paddling is the best chance you have to enjoy peacefully the enviroment. After it we go back to the base camp for dinner. |
| Day 5: | Listening to the sounds of the awakening jungle requires an early start before breakfast (6 a.m.). We are going bird watching for about an hour. After breakfast we can have a short walk in the jungle or a swimming session next to our camp in the river. An approximately three-hour canoe ride on the Cuyabeno River, with its wildlife and with its beautiful scenery, takes us back to the bridge where we started our canoe ride on the first day. On the way back to Lago Agrio we are going to travel another 3 hours. The trip will be finished in Lago Agrio around 3 - 4 p.m. |
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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All the personnel we employ belong to the indigenous community called Tarapuy Sionas. Every group has a Native Guide accompanied by a Naturalist Guide who speaks English fluently; they have a great knowledge of the flora and fauna of the area.
The area we visit is property of the Siona’s community, so quite often you will see another group during your trip, but the lodge where you’ll stay is exclusive for our passengers. We pay the Tarapuy Sionas community for to the guests accommodation, meals and guide.  We work with the community in the conservation of the rainforest, preventing market hunting, oil extraction and cut down of the trees, all of which are actively destroying local forests. In Cuyabeno wildlife reserve the visitors can see different species of animals and plants. The guides try to create conscience in the tourists about not contaminating but helping to protect the area. The lodge has an environmentally sustainable system because the rubbish is kept to a minimum and they compost what they can, burn and bury what is safe to burn, and pack out the remainder to designated landfills. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |