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During this 5-day/4-night Amazon jungle tour, travelers based at the Jamu Lodge can enjoy a variety of activities, from rainforest expeditions and visits to a nearby indigenous community, to plenty of fishing and swimming. The lodge is located along eastern Ecuador’s scenic Cuyabeno River, 15 minutes downriver from the spectacular Laguna Grande lake – a prime region for an authentic South American vacation.
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We will take a morning flight from Quito to the Amazonian town of Lago Agrio. Upon landing, we will travel by private bus (2 hours) to the entrance of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, where we will have a box lunch. At this point, visitors will have to register at the reserve’s office and pay the entrance fee. Our naturalist guide will provide us information about the reserve, as well as important recommendations and other tips before beginning a two-hour boat trip on the Cuyabeno River to reach Jamu Lodge in the afternoon. Once at the lodge, you will be shown to your room, where you can relax for a short time. After a siesta, we will leave the lodge for a swim in the lake and to watch a beautiful sunset over the middle of Laguna Grande. You will then return to the camp for dinner. You will spend the night in a bungalow with double beds and mosquito netting.
After breakfast we will take a trek in the primary forest for 3 to 4 hours, during which time your guide will explain how the complex tropical ecosystem works. You will be able to learn about medicinal plants and you might even spot some exotic birds or monkeys. We will then return to the camp for lunch and a siesta. In the afternoon, we will go to the lake to swim and watch the sunset. With a little luck you can observe Pink river dolphins or an anaconda sunbathing in a tree. We will return to the camp for dinner, and take a nighttime canoe ride in search of caimans.
After breakfast, we will head out for the village of Puerto Bolivar to visit the indigenous Siona community, the largest ethnic group living in the reserve. During the one-hour boat trip to the community, it will be possible to admire the animal life along the Cuyabeno River, such as birds, monkeys, snakes, Pink dolphins, tortoises and many others. During this tour you will learn about the community's customs, traditions and way of life. During this full day excursion, we will not only have lunch in the community but you can also participate in making "casabe," a local dish made from yucca (carbohydrates are the principal food of the community). This excursion also includes a visit with a shaman, who will explain more about life in the jungle. Later, we will return to the lodge for a nocturnal hike through the primary forest in search of insects, spiders, geckos and scorpions, and to listen to the eerie night sounds of the jungle. We will have dinner and spend the night at the lodge.
During the 5-day/4-night tour, we will go on another jungle hike on Day 4. We will travel in a native dugout canoe called a “quilla” to go birdwatching in the surrounding area. While paddling you will have a better chance to see even more exotic plant and animal life – including various birds and monkeys. This boat trip will give you a good idea of what a flooded forest looks like. Because this activity is about 4-5 hours long, we will bring box lunches with us.
Early in the morning, before breakfast, you can go on an optional birdwatching excursion. Following breakfast back at the lodge, we will start the journey back up the Cuyabeno River, stopping for a boxed lunch at the bridge. The bus will take us back to Lago Agrio, where you will be assisted in catching your return flight to Quito.
