Private Transport (Shuttle)

The first and easiest way is to take our tourist transportation. All you need to do is contact us and indicate that you need our transportation service.

The cost is $30 per way, so the route Quito – Cuyabeno – Quito will cost $60 per person.

After making the agreement we will send you the location via WhatsApp of the meeting point, which is located in San Blas, a neighborhood located in the center of Quito.

Secret Garden Hostel (meeting point) is also a restaurant so you can arrive early, eat and rest a little until the bus arrives at 23h00 to pick up all passengers and start the trip to the Amazon.

If you are far away from Quito, then your best option is to take our tourist transport in Lagoagrio, which is the closest town to Cuyabeno.

The cost is $10 per way, so the route Lagoagrio – Cuyabeno – Lagoagrio will cost $20 per person.

After making the agreement we will send you the location via WhatsApp of the meeting point in Lagoagrio. The Hotel d Mario, will be your place to wait for the bus and go directly to the Cuyabeno Bridge.

Upon arrival at the Cuyabeno Bridge our guide will be waiting for you with his uniform as well as your motorized canoe driver, we are sure they will be very easy to identify.

The canoe driver will be in charge of placing the passengers’ bags in a canoe and take them to the lodge, while you will go with the guide to the entrance of the Cuyabeno Fauna Reserve to receive information about the place you are going to enter and the rules you must follow inside the reserve. When this is finished you will take another canoe and begin your adventure in the jungle.

An advantage of taking our tourist transportation is that in case there is any inconvenience we are communicated all the time and we can notify the operations team to coordinate with the guides who will be waiting for you at the Cuyabeno Bridge.

Another advantage is that you are picked up from the meeting point in Quito and dropped off at the meeting point in Cuyabeno, avoiding taking cabs or transportation that you do not know.

The approximate travel time is 8-9 hours in total.

The easiest way to get to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is to take our tourist transportation. All you need to do is contact us and indicate that you need our transportation service.

By Plane

The second way is by air. You take a flight from Quito to El Coca with a price that ranges between $90 – $100. It usually lands at 11h00, then you must take a cab to the Cuyabeno bridge with an approximate time of 3 hours, the approximate cost of this transport is between $100 to $120 approximately.

It is important to mention that you will arrive at the meeting point at 15h00 so you must pay an extra for the canoe and the private guide that you will use to enter at a different time than usual, this value is $150.

In the same way when the tour ends you must pay the same value because you will need to leave the lodge very early at approximately 4h00 to travel to El Coca and take your plane back to Quito or you can leave at the normal time, travel to El Coca that day, stay and travel to Quito the next day.

To avoid these extra expenses it would be best to travel a day earlier, this way you can stay in El Coca and travel at 7h00 to arrive at the Cuyabeno Bridge at approximately 11h00.

The most expensive but fastest way of getting to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is by plane. You take a flight from Quito to El Coca with a price that ranges between $90 – $100.

Public Transportation

The third way is by public transportation. If you are in Quito you can go to the two land terminals, in the case you choose the one in the south called Quitumbe we can recommend you to take the Putumayo Bus that leaves at approximately 21h30, for this you must be at the terminal at 20h00 to buy the tickets since the online purchase is not always effective.

This bus DOES go over the Cuyabeno bridge so if you decide to take this alternative it is important that you contact us to send you the exact point where you should be to meet the guide and the rest of the passengers. The cost is between $18 – $20 per person. Approximate travel time 9 – 10 hours.

If you are in the north of Quito or you are not convinced by the previous alternative, you must go to any bus terminal in Quito and buy a ticket to Lagoagrio, wait until it is time to take the bus, it will be approximately 7 – 8 hours of travel. The cost is between $13 – $15 per person.

In the same way if you are in Baños or Tena you go to the bus station and buy the ticket, wait until you have to board the bus to Lagoagrio, we recommend you to do it in the day so when you will arrive you can lodge, rest and the next day go to the Cuyabeno Bridge to start your trip in the jungle.

In Lagoagrio you will have to take a cab or van that will take you to the Cuyabeno Bridge. The cost of this transportation ranges from $12 – $15 per person.

There are several bus cooperatives that can serve you if you are traveling from Quito, Baños or Tena if you consider this is your best option, we recommend that you do it the day before the start of your tour because being a public service schedules may vary slightly causing you to be delayed and you must pay extra to enter. The approximate travel time will be 8 – 9 hours.

Transportation cooperatives “Baños
Transportation cooperatives “Trans Esmeraldas”
Transportation cooperatives “Transportes Putumayo

There are several bus cooperatives that can serve you if you are traveling from Quito, Baños or Tena. We recommend that you do it the day before the start of your tour because being a public service schedules may vary slightly causing you to be delayed and that you must pay extra to enter.