Day 1.-  Arrival Day

9am – 12pm
You can arrive at our meeting point, the Hotel Arazá in Lago Agrio, early in the morning and relax in the lobby until the tour begins. Breakfast is available from 6am to 9am, and you can also use the showers and pool. Our team will pick you up at 9:30am to start the journey to Bamboo Lodge. After a 2-hour shuttle ride, you’ll reach the entrance of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve.

12pm – 4pm
Your guide will register you at the entrance of the reserve, providing general information and important safety instructions. Then, you’ll board the canoe and enjoy your first views of the magnificent Amazon rainforest. During the 2-hour canoe ride to Bamboo Lodge, you’ll have your first opportunity to observe Amazon wildlife and vegetation. Once you arrive at the lodge, you’ll have lunch and settle into your room.

4pm – 9pm
After a short break, you’ll head out in our light paddling canoes to explore the “Laguna Grande” (Big Lagoon). You’ll have a great chance to spot pink river dolphins and other wildlife, and then you can swim in the middle of the famous lagoon and enjoy your first jungle sunset. After dinner, you’ll go on a night expedition by motorized canoe to search for caimans and other nocturnal animals.

Day 3.-  Amazon Culture & Forest

7am – 12pm
After breakfast, you’ll travel down the Cuyabeno River in a motorized canoe until you reach the Siona community “Puerto Bolívar.” On the way, your guide will point out wildlife like monkeys, birds, and snakes. In Puerto Bolívar, a Siona woman will welcome you and guide you through the process of harvesting yuca and making “casabe,” a traditional yucca bread. You’ll have the chance to participate and taste the bread afterward.

1pm – 4pm
You’ll return to the lodge for lunch and a brief rest. In the afternoon, you’ll explore the jungle on a hike.

4pm – 9pm
Starting around 4:30pm, you’ll experience the transition from day to night in the jungle. The change in sounds and the beginning of the cicada concert is impressive. After sunset, you’ll spot nocturnal amphibians and insects. Dinner will be served at the lodge.

Day 4.-  Exploring the Rainforest

7am – 12pm
After breakfast, your guide will take you on a three to four-hour jungle hike. You’ll experience the transition between different forest types (highlands, swamps, and flooded forests). Your guide will explain the rainforest ecosystems, wildlife, and medicinal plants. Although most wildlife in Cuyabeno is spotted from the canoe, you may get lucky and see monkeys, deer, turtles, or other Amazon species.

1pm – 4pm
Back at the lodge, you’ll have lunch and some free time to relax. You can take a nap, have a coffee at our restaurant, or enjoy a cold beer in a hammock.

4pm – 9pm
You’ll explore the Hormiga River by canoe and visit the Caiman Cocha lagoon, one of the 14 lagoons in the Cuyabeno Reserve. This flooded forest, called the “Igapo” forest, is a unique ecosystem. Around sunset, you’ll reach the Laguna Grande again to swim and enjoy your final evening in the amazing Cuyabeno jungle. Dinner will be served at the lodge.

Day 5.-  Departure Day

5:30am – 9:30am

You’ll rise early for birdwatching, as most birds are active at sunrise. From our birdwatching tower, you might see toucans, aracaris, oropendolas, and more. If the weather is favorable, you’ll paddle out one last time to see the sunrise at the Laguna Grande. You’ll then return to the lodge for breakfast and pack your belongings to begin the journey back at 9:30am.

9:30am – 2:30pm 
Your final canoe ride on the Cuyabeno River takes you back to the reserve’s entrance, where you might spot more wildlife along the way. At the entrance, our shuttle will be waiting to take you back to Lago Agrio, where you’ll say goodbye to your guide.

Approximately 2:30pm 
Our shuttle driver Jaime will take you to a restaurant in Lago Agrio for lunch. Afterward, he can drop you off at the bus terminal, the Hotel Arazá, or any other location in Lago Agrio. If you’ve booked the tourist shuttle back to Quito, it will pick you up directly from the restaurant.