Plan Your Trip
On this 7-day/6-night Amazon jungle tour, you will journey deep into hidden areas of the Amazon where its lush vegetation and fascinating wildlife will be revealed. You’ll make authentic contacts with the indigenous Siona people, visiting the home of a local family and participating in a spiritual cleansing ceremony led by a shaman medicine man; other highlights of this tour include nighttime caiman spotlighting in a canoe and piranha fishing in the surrealistic waters of the Laguna Grande Lake and the Igapo flooded forest. On this Amazon tour, you’ll also go on easy jungle treks where you’ll observe exotic wildlife, bird and plant life. While based at the comfortable Tapir Lodge, you will also experience two nights of camping “under the stars” in the tropical rainforest, where you will learn jungle survival techniques, fall asleep under the orchestra of the sounds of the jungle night, and likely wake to spider monkeys swinging through the forest canopy.
“I want to thank you for arranging a perfect tour for me. I know you did not have control over who the other people would be, but it all, on all fronts, was perfect. The itinerary was sensational and the boat fabulous.”
AM: Your tour will begin with a 30-minute flight from Quito to the Amazonian town of Lago Agrio. Once in "Lago," you’ll be picked up by the lodge's own private transportation service. On board a truck, four-wheel drive vehicle or bus, we will drive 2 ½ - 3 hours to “El Puente” (The Bridge), which is the entrance to the Cuyabeno Reserve. Throughout this drive, you will have the opportunity to view striking landscapes created by the combination of rainforest, rivers and small towns. Some 60% of this road is paved and the following 40% is open road, which means that you can expect either a dusty road or a muddy trail, depending on the weather conditions.
PM: At “El Puente,” you can enjoy a box lunch and meet your tour guide. Afterwards, we will continue our trip via motorized canoe (12mts. / 24 ft. long). You will be provided with a rain poncho and a life vest, while your luggage will be covered in plastic to prevent it from getting wet in the event of rain. Along this narrow river, you will be able to admire the wide variety of flora and fauna that the Cuyabeno Reserve has to offer. After close to 2-1/2 hours of sailing, we will arrive at the attractive Tapir Lodge around dusk (5:00-6:00 PM).
Dinner will be served at approximately 7:30 p.m., after which time your guide will give you a briefing on the next day’s activities and the required gear. You’ll then turn in for the night at the relaxing Tapir Lodge.
After a good night’s sleep, your day begins with a delicious 7:30 a.m. breakfast. Afterwards, you will be provided with rubber boots before heading out on our first journey of the day. Depending on the size of the group, we will take either a larger motorized canoe or a small, 15-feet-long, wooden canoe called a quilla. Accommodating up to four passengers and guide, these small vessels are nonetheless quite stable. In fact, the indigenous inhabitants use these canoes as their main source of transportation.
Riding upriver to Laguna Grande (“Big Lake”), we will proceed slowly so that you can observe the surrounding plant and animal life. The trip takes about 30 minutes by motorized canoe or one hour by paddle canoe. Our destination is an Igapo, which is a seasonally flooded forest. The flora found here is unique, with an abundance of ancient macrolobium trees. These have adapted to the surrounding environment, which allows them to grow straight out of the water. These majestic trees also provide the perfect habitat for other plants such as bromeliads, orchids, ferns and Cacti. Completing our Igapo excursion, we will begin a 3-1/2 hour hike on "terra firme" along the Red Palm Trail. This will be your first encounter with primary rainforest, which is the habitat for many terrestrial mammals such as tapirs, capybaras, jaguars, agoutis and other species native to the rainforest. You will also have a chance to see a variety of ancient trees such as Lianas and Giant Palms, as well as bird species such as woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, and toucans. With luck, we will come across two or three species of monkeys. This trek follows a path that loops around in the rainforest; bringing us back to our point of origin. Our return time should be around 1:30.
After lunch, you’ll have a couple of hours to try a little Piranha fishing or just relax in one of the lodge’s hammocks. Later this afternoon, we will take the canoe to a new area of “Laguna Grande” in search of birds and other animals. As an option, you can go swimming, which is perfectly safe here. Depending on the weather, we may be able to admire a breathtaking sunset, as we pass the time enjoying the surrounding symphonies of the rainforest until nightfall. This evening, you can join in on a nocturnal safari to look for caimans, birds, frogs and tree snakes on the shores of the lake and river.
AM: On the third day, we will start our camping expedition riding downriver in the motorized canoe for about 4 hours. On our way, we will take a break and enjoy a delicious box lunch.
PM: Right after lunch, we will search for the perfect spot on the banks of the Cuyabeno River and set up our camp. We will then trek through the rainforest and might even see some diurnal mammals. We will return to the campsite for dinner and spend the night there.
AM: Heading out from the campsite early, we will ride by canoe downriver for a great opportunity to enjoy the sounds of the various animals along the way. We will then find the right spot in the heart of the rainforest to enjoy our breakfast. After eating, we will trek through the rainforest for about 4 hours searching for birds such as herons, egrets, curassows, hawks, Screaming pihas, oropendolas, Flycatchers and Kingfishers, as well as different species of monkeys.
PM: We will then return to the camp for lunch. Afterwards, we will have a well-deserved resting period of about 2 hours before riding along the Cuyabeno River for more birdwatching until nightfall. Once the night settles, with the aid of our flashlights we will search for caimans and other nocturnal animals. We will return to the campsite for dinner and spend the night there.
AM: After an early breakfast, while enjoying the mood of the rainforest, we will begin breaking camp. We will then head up the Cuyabeno River. During our return, we will stop at a small settlement. Here we will have the opportunity to visit and meet the local shaman, Tomas, who belongs at the Cofan ethnic group. Tomas spends most of his time curing and treating the local inhabitants with his vast knowledge of medicinal plants. He will share with us his experience in the rainforest as well as the processes for healing people. For those interested in taking part in a healing ceremony, this will be an option (it should take about 40 minutes). Handicrafts are also available for purchase, all of them crafted out of materials provided by and obtained in the rainforest.
PM: Following lunch, at around 3:00 p.m. we will start our canoe trip back to Puerto Bolívar, where we will be greeted by a local Siona family. From them, you can observe how they prepare cassava bread – an essential food supply and perhaps the main source of carbohydrates for the indigenous communities of the rainforest. We will then head back to the Tapir Lodge, where we will have dinner at around 8:00 and spend the night.
AM: Breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m., though the rest of the day will be scheduled according to your interests, as guests will have the option of choosing their activities. Several alternative activities are available, ranging from birdwatching and canoeing to fishing or hiking in the rainforest.
PM: Lunch will be served at the Tapir Lodge, and in the afternoon guests can enjoy some leisure time before enjoying their last sunset on the lake. Tonight will be your farewell dinner, where you will be served a going-away passionfruit cocktail and have a chance to say goodbye to the lodge’s hardworking, attentive and diligent staff members.
Following breakfast, served at 8:00 a.m., we will coordinate and schedule your departure from Tapir Lodge. Departure from the lodge is generally between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., depending on flight times, river and road conditions as well as the guide’s decision. The lodge's staff will attend to the luggage, making sure that all of your belongings are loaded onto the canoe. We will depart Tapir on a scenic boat ride back to Agrio Lago and make our way back to the bridge, where private transportation will be waiting for us. You will then be driven to the airport in Agrio Lago, assisted with checking in for your return flight to Quito and wished a fond farewell.
| Room | Double | Single | Triple |
| 7 Days | US$ 1,189 PP | US$ 1,546 PP | US$ 1,189 PP |
| Days |
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“The trip was excellent from beginning to end. The Isabella II was a fine ship and the crew and guides were all of the highest quality. I would recommend them to others. For us, the ship was the perfect size – not too small and not too large.”
