$280
per person
Duration
4 Days / 3 Nights
Level
Low
Altitude
0–300 m / 984 ft
Temperature
24–26 °C
Language
English, Spanish
About This Tour
Our best-selling explorer tour, in the middle of the jungle: rainforest hikes, a visit to the native community with its shaman, and the search for wildlife including the pink dolphins. No experience needed.
Cuyabeno Dolphin Eco-Lodge is located in the heart of the primary jungle, in a protected area 2 hours by motorized canoe from the Cuyabeno Bridge. We sit right in front of the natural pool of the pink dolphins — that is why it is called Dolphin Lodge, a privileged place.
The Cuyabeno Reserve is one of the most important conservation reserves in the world for its great biodiversity of plants and animals per square meter, with several indigenous nationalities living in one place.
How to Get There
Tourist bus: departs from Quito the night before, from the Plaza Foch area (Embassy Quito Hotel, Wilson E8-22 & 6 de Diciembre) at 22:30, and for travelers staying in the Historic Center from Secret Garden Hostel (José de Antepara & Los Ríos) at 23:00. It is a direct trip to our meeting point, the Cuyabeno Bridge (El Puente de Cuyabeno). This service has an extra cost: $37 per person one way, $74 round trip. We can help you with the reservation.
Public bus: the Putumayo bus company is the only one that travels directly to the Cuyabeno Bridge. It leaves from Quitumbe South Terminal in Quito at 21:00 and costs $19 per person. We help you with the logistics; tickets are purchased directly at the terminal.
Note: if a curfew is announced, pickup times move 30 minutes earlier at each meeting point; you will be notified in a timely manner.
What's Included
Not Included
What to Bring
Itinerary
Our guide will meet us at El Puente de Cuyabeno at 11:00 a.m. with an explanation about the reserve and the entrance. We will travel by canoe on the Cuyabeno River to our lodge — 2 hours of navigation where, with a bit of luck, we can observe 10 different kinds of monkeys, including the pocket monkey that measures 10 cm, the only one of its kind in Cuyabeno, plus birds, reptiles and mammals.
Lunch at the lodge, check-in and rest. At 4:30 p.m. we depart for the Laguna Grande: swimming, photos and the sunset. On the way back to the lodge we will search for caimans and boas in the river. Dinner and lodging.
Level: Low
Altitude: 0–200 m / 656 ft
Temperature: 24–26 °C
Activities: Navigation, swimming, photography, guiding
What to bring: Comfortable shoes, life jacket, rain coat, swimming suit, camera, insect repellent, towel, flashlight, sunscreen, binoculars (optional)
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We will take a canoe to the trailhead to start a 3-hour walk in primary rainforest. Our native bilingual guide will explain the animals and medicinal plants we find on the trail, observing birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals in their natural state.
Lunch. Time to rest, read a book or swim in front of the lodge — dolphins are often observed in season. At 4:30 p.m. we leave by canoe to look for animals in the river: sloths, monkeys, parrots, dolphins, hoatzins, caimans and more. In the evening, a 45–60 minute night walk around the lodge to observe nocturnal animals. Dinner and lodging.
Level: Low – Intermediate
Altitude: 0–300 m / 984 ft
Temperature: 24–26 °C
Activities: Navigation, hiking, photography, guiding, observation
What to bring: Rubber boots, rain coat, life jacket, camera, insect repellent, flashlight, sunscreen, water, binoculars (optional)
Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We go deeper into the primary rainforest to visit the community: by canoe from the lodge to the trail known as Taricaya, then a 1-hour walk. The community welcomes us with typical fruits of the place.
With the ladies of the community we take part in the preparation of the typical food called CASABE — from harvesting the yucca to cooking it over firewood, with tasting. Today lunch is in the community, not at the lodge.
In the afternoon we visit the shaman, the doctor of the community, for a conversation about their way of life and ancestral medicine, including an explanation of how AYAHUASCA is prepared (no drinking). Ancestral cleansing for the travelers who wish. Return to the lodge around 4:00 p.m., visit to the Laguna Grande, dinner.
Level: Low – Medium
Altitude: 0–300 m / 984 ft
Temperature: 24–26 °C
Activities: Navigation, hiking, photography, guiding, observation, culture, shamanism
What to bring: Rubber boots, rain coat, life jacket, camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, water, long pants and long-sleeve shirt, bathing suit, binoculars (optional)
5:30 a.m.: we wake up very early to observe birds — between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. they come out to look for food and we have the best chance to watch them. Breakfast at 7:30 a.m., our last meal included in the tour.
We prepare our luggage and take the last excursion: navigation from Dolphin Lodge to El Puente de Cuyabeno, watching animals in the river. Farewell and final photos; at El Puente de Cuyabeno we help you take the buses back to Quito or recommend buses to other destinations.
Level: Low
Altitude: 0–300 m
Temperature: 24–26 °C
Activities: Sailing, hiking, photography, guiding, observation
What to bring: Rain coat, life jacket, camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, water, binoculars (optional)