Cuyabeno Jungle Adventure

Day 1: Quito Lago Agrio, Cuyabeno
We start our journey flying from Quito to Lago Agrio, located in northeastern Ecuador. From there, we’ll drive approximately two and a half hours to the Cuyabeno bridge. By canoe we go downstream towards the Cuyabeno lagoons, where we put up our tents at La Hormiga campsite right next to Laguna Grande at about 6h30. Some facts about the Amazon and the jungle of this area will be presented to the group. Dinner and rest.

Day 2: Exploration of Cuyabeno
Six a.m. wakeup. We’ll start the day with a 2 hours walk along a trail in the secondary dry and flooded forests, observing the birds and animals of the jungle. After breakfast, we’ll leave in a motorized canoe to some trails where we’ll do some more hiking in the jungle (3-4 hours). Lunch in the camp. In the afternoon, we’ll take a recreational tour, in canoe, on the Laguna Grande, where we’ll observe and enjoy the fauna in all of its splendor. Between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m., you’ll have the opportunity to swim in the middle of the lagoon. Return to camp, speech at night, dinner, and rest.

Day 3: Exploration of the lagoons
Wake up at 6:00a.m. We’ll start the day with a 2 hours walk along a trail in the secondary dry and flooded forests, observing the birds and animals of the jungle. After breakfast, we’ll leave in a motorized canoe to the other lagoons located around Laguna Grande. Box lunch on the way. In the afternoon, you will have the chance to fish piranhas with your hands. We’ll return to camp between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. At night, we’ll have another talk. After dinner, we go to the lagoons to watch caimans and possibly take part in other activities depending on time available and the weather.

Day 4: Camping a Chuchatipishca.
Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. After breakfast, we’ll travel downstream on the Río Cuyabeno towards a place called Chuchatipishca, where we’ll set up our camp. Lunch on the way. On this trip, we’ll make some stops to observe the red, yellow and green Guacamayos (parrots) on the indigenous trees. At this point, we’ll turn off the motors and begin paddling so that we’ll have the opportunity to observe the amazing variety of fauna that inhabits the Ecuadorian Amazon - monkeys, birds of various colors, etc. If we’re lucky, we’ll see the rare and endemic Pink River Dolphin. Afterwards, we’ll return to camp in Chuchatipishca at about 4:00 or 5:00 p.m., where we’ll have a little talk, have dinner, and relax.

Day 5: Camping, San Pablo
Breakfast at 8:00 a.m. Afterwards, we’ll take a 45-minutes walk to observe the dry jungle with its gigantic 70 meters trees. From here, we’ll travel along the Río Cuyabeno to the village of Cuyabeno, where we’ll have a conversation with the Indians of this sector. Afterwards, we’ll continue our trip upstream and eastwards on the Rio Aguarico to the village of San Pablo, where we’ll set up our last camp. In the afternoon, we’ll walk through the secondary forest and visit some people who will talk to us about the medicinal plants used by the local indigenous people. Return to camp. Our cook will prepare a special good-bye dinner for the group, talk, dinner and rest.

Day 6: Trip to Chiritza and return to Quito
Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. After breakfast, we’ll travel upstream towards Chiritza for about 2 hours. Here, our guides will be waiting to drive us to Lago Agrio’s airport where we’ll catch a flight to Quito (45 min.). We’ll arrive in at 11:00 a.m