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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In the morning, you will fly from Quito to Lago Agrio. Upon landing, you will take a private 2-hour bus ride to the entrance of the Cuyabeno River, where you will have a box lunch. At this point, visitors have to register in the Reserve’s office. The lodge’s naturalist guide will also give you information about the reserve, as well as share important recommendations with you and give you other tips before beginning your two-hour scenic boat ride on the Cuyabeno River to reach Jamu Lodge in the afternoon.
At that time, you will be shown to your room, where you can relax a little. After a siesta, we will leave the camp for a swim in the lagoon and watch a beautiful sunset in the middle of Laguna Grande. You will then return to the camp for dinner. You will spend the night in your bungalow with double beds and mosquito nets.
After breakfast, we will take a trek in the primary forest for 3 to 4 hours, where your guide will explain how the complex tropical ecosystem works. You will be able to learn about medicinal plants and might be able to see some exotic birds or monkeys. We will then return to the camp for lunch and a siesta.
In the afternoon, we will go for a lagoon swim and later watch the sunset. With a little luck, you can observe the pink river dolphins or an anaconda sunbathing in a tree. You will return to the camp for dinner, and take a nighttime canoe ride to look for caimans.
After breakfast, we depart to head to the Siona Community of Puerto Bolivar, the largest ethnic group in the Reserve. The trip takes 1-hour navigation downstream to get there. On the way, it will be possible to admire the existing fauna along the Rio Cuyabeno such as birds, monkeys, snakes, pink dolphins, tortoises and many others.
During this tour, you will learn their customs, traditions and way of life. You will be part of the elaboration of the Casabe – a local dish made of yucca (carbohydrates are the principal food of the community). On this full-day excursion, you will have lunch with members of the community. Also included is a visit with the Shaman, who will explain some more about life in the jungle.
After this memorable visit, we will return to the lodge to rest, have dinner, and go on a nocturnal hike. This trek will take you through the primary forest in search of insects, spiders, geckos and scorpions, while you listen to the night sounds of the jungle.
This morning, we will visit do some birdwatching while riding in a native dugout canoe called a “quilla.” While paddling, you have a better opportunity to see more fauna and flora, as well as get a good idea of what a flooded forest looks like.
We will also go on another hike in the forest, where you can observe a variety of different birds and monkeys. Because this activity is about 4 – 5 hours long, we take a box lunch with us.
Early in the morning before breakfast, a bird-watching excursion is optional.
Back at the lodge, we have breakfast and you will start the motorized canoe voyage on the Cuyabeno River, with a box lunch served when landing at El Puente. From there, a bus will take you to Lago Agrio, where you will be accompanied to the airport and assisted with checking in for your return flight to Quito.
Room | Double | Single | Triple |
5 Days | US$ 406 PP | US$ 609 PP | US$ 406 PP |
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