Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

Your journey begins in Quito at Hotel Blu, where you will board an overnight bus to the Amazon, already included for a seamless experience. Upon arrival at Cuyabeno Bridge, the main entrance to the reserve, your naturalist guide will welcome you before continuing by motorized canoe along the Cuyabeno River for approximately two and a half hours toward Nicky Amazon Lodge. Along the way, keep watch for monkeys, birds, and the first glimpses of the rainforest’s vibrant life. After a welcome cocktail and room assignment, enjoy time to unwind before lunch. In the afternoon, explore Laguna Grande by canoe, discovering the flooded Igapó forest. Swim in calm waters as the sun sets over the jungle, then venture out to spot nocturnal wildlife such as bats and caimans before returning to the lodge for dinner and a briefing for the days ahead. Meals: Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

After an early breakfast, you will start your exploration, taking advantage of the early hours of the day, which is the best time to observe the flourishing activities of the tropical forest. Your guide will explain the use of medicinal plants, knowledge, that has been passed on from generation to generation and is still applied by the local population. Keep watch for amphibians, butterflies, snakes, birds, monkeys, and other mammals along the trail. Later you will return to the lodge for your lunch. In the afternoon, you will make an excursion that will take you along the Cuyabeno River to discover the animals that live in the dense forest on the banks of the river, especially monkeys, toucans and sloths. There will be a good opportunity to see river dolphins in the magnificent fluvial landscape. Before having your dinner, you’ll head into the dark forest to find its nightlife such as insects, spiders, snakes or colorful frogs, accompanied by the nocturnal sounds of the jungle

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

An early morning activity through the forest will allow you to enjoy nature while wildlife awakens and the jungle arises; You will have a good chance to observe several species of monkeys and birds. After breakfast, you will continue by motor canoe along the "turtle path" to visit the community of Seoqueya, where some of the local families of the Siona indigenous group live. A family member will show you how to prepare the typical yuca bread of the area, called "Cassave", and you will prepare it together with them. Your guide will explain local traditions and cultures from the past to the present.

Laguna Grande

In the afternoon you will drive by motor canoe along the Cuyabeno River to the Laguna Grande. When exploring the lagoon, you will get to know the flooded forest (Igapo), a very special ecosystem of the tropical jungle that is dominated by powerful trees in which many epiphytes grow and give the natural habitat to local birds. After exploring the lagoon you can cool off by swimming in the calm waters of the lagoon while enjoying a spectacular sunset in the Amazon. Later, you will continue your adventure down the river to observe nocturnal animals, especially caimans, before returning to the lodge

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

Today early in the morning, you will enjoy the fantastic sunrise that the jungle offers you. You have the option to take an excursion, either by canoeing or hiking in the middle of the jungle landscape (depending on the climate and the interest of the group). After breakfast you will explore the virgin forest through a walk across the rainforest. Your guide will share the wealth of his knowledge with you, such as the medicinal use of the flora and fauna of the place, which since generations and until today have been used by members of the different cultures of the region. Later you will return to the Lodge to have lunch and take a rest. In the afternoon you will explore by canoe the Cuyabeno River, while enjoying not only the view of the extraordinary landscapes but also the magical sounds that the jungle produces while you are looking for its exotic inhabitants

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

This morning activity will be a short canoe trip to enjoy the sunrise in the jungle, where you will have a good opportunity to observe some different types of wild animals and enjoy another moment of peace in this wonderful natural paradise. After breakfast you will have time to prepare your luggage for your return trip. You will navigate upriver to return to El Puente de Cuyabeno. After your box lunch, you will be able to grab your bus back to the city of Quito.