Cuyabeno and the Amazon Lodges

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (1979), Among Ecuador'S Most Accessible Amazon Destinations, A Blackwater Lagoon System With Pink River Dolphins, Caimans, Monkeys And Over 500 Bird Species. Visited On 4 5 Day Lodge Packages With Siona And Secoya Communities. Oil Development Is A Pressure On The Ecuadorian Amazon. · Lago Agrio, Sucumbios

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, created in 1979 in the far north-east of Ecuador, is a flooded rain forest of black-water lagoons and rivers and one of the most reachable parts of the Ecuadorian Amazon. You get there by a short flight or an overnight bus from Quito to Lago Agrio, a road transfer, and then a motor canoe to a lodge, so it is a real journey. Most people book a 4 to 5 day package that covers transport, meals, guides and lodging. Days are spent paddling quiet channels, walking trails, fishing for piranha and listening for monkeys and birds, with over 500 bird species recorded. Pink river dolphins, caimans, sloths and capybara are possible, but wildlife is a probability, not a promise. Some packages include a visit to a Siona or Secoya community. It is hot, humid and wet, with insects everywhere. Oil development and the border province also shape the region, so choose a licensed operator and check current advice before you go. Bring patience, cash and a sense of humour about the mud, because the trip rewards slow travellers.

Flooded rain forest of the northern Ecuadorian Amazon reached from Lago Agrio by road and then canoe to lodges on the Cuyabeno river and lagoons, an overnight journey from Quito, Lago Agrio, Sucumbios, Ecuador

The reserve is open all year and has no gates; you visit only on a lodge package with a guide, and the timetable is set by your lodge: early canoe trips, midday rest, afternoon and night walks. Access depends on water level and weather. There is no free independent entry to the lodges. Confirm departure days, fees and conditions with your operator.

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