These are wild animals living free across the reserve, so what you see comes down to a little luck, and part of the fun is never quite knowing what each day will bring.

Sunset & Pink Dolphins at Laguna Grande

Laguna Grande is the largest lagoon in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, a wide stretch of flooded forest where pink river dolphins, caimans, and otters live. It’s where we come to watch the sun go down over the water, and on a good evening the dolphins surface right beside the canoe.

Monkey Search

Cuyabeno is full of monkeys, and finding them is one of the happiest parts of a day on the river. With some luck you’ll spot several of the ten or so species that live here, from capuchins and tamarins to squirrel monkeys moving through the canopy.

Caiman Spotting

Once the sun is down at Laguna Grande, we head out by canoe to look for caimans along the banks. Three species live in the reserve, from the small dwarf caiman to the black caiman that can reach six meters, and their eyes glow in the torchlight.

See Anacondas

Anacondas are the giants of the reserve, and the largest can reach eight meters. They’re easiest to find between October and February, when they come out to change their skins, though like all wild animals, a sighting is never a sure thing.

Birdwatching

The reserve is home to over 500 species of birds, and our guides know where to look. We usually set out around six in the morning, when the birds are most active and the sunrise is coming up over the river.

Amazonian Flora

The forest here holds around 1,400 plant species woven into one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Your guide points out the medicinal plants, the giant kapok trees, and the water guarangos standing right in the Laguna Grande.

Some of this is active and some of it is slow, and most of it happens with the engine off, close to the water and the trees.

Hiking into the Jungle

On a walk of around four hours through the primary forest, your naturalist guide reads the jungle for you, pointing out medicinal plants, frogs, insects, and the giant kapok trees that hold the canopy together. It’s the closest you get to the forest floor and everything living on it.

Night Walk

When the forest goes dark, a different world wakes up. Surrounded by the sounds of the jungle, you walk slowly with your guide to find the shy creatures of the night, the spiders, frogs, and insects that only come out once the sun is gone.

Rowing Canoe

Some of the best moments come when the engine goes quiet. We explore the rivers and narrow streams in a traditional rowing canoe, moving almost in silence, which is often when the animals come closest and the sounds of the jungle take over.

Stand Up Paddle

When there’s time between activities, the paddleboards come out on the Cuyabeno river beside the lodge or on Laguna Grande. It’s a calm, easy way to explore the water at your own pace.

Tubing

We take you a little way up the Cuyabeno river, then let the current carry you back down in an inflated tube. Sit back, float, and watch the forest drift past, an easy bit of fun woven into your tour.

Swim in Laguna Grande

After a long day in the reserve, a swim in Laguna Grande at sunset is hard to beat. The water is warm, the light turns golden, and it tends to be one of those moments guests remember long after they’ve gone home.

Time with the Siona community is part of the four and five-day tours, and the slower hours at the lodge belong to every stay.

The Siona Community

On the four and five-day tours you visit a Siona family in the community, where a local host welcomes you into her home and gardens. Together you prepare and share casabe, a flatbread made from yuca, alongside other dishes from the region.

Visit the Shaman

During the community visit you also meet the shaman, the community’s healer and spiritual guide. His deep knowledge of the jungle, its plants, and its animals was passed down through generations, and he shares some of it with you in his own words.

Chocolate Tour

The cacao we use at the lodge comes from the local community, already fermented and dried, and the quality is something special. You’ll roast and grind it the traditional way, the way local families do, then taste it fresh, mixed with fruit from the forest.

Coffee Tour

Our Amazonian coffee is grown organically by Siona families, and it’s an important income for them. On the coffee tour you learn to prepare it well, and it’s the same coffee you’ll be drinking through the rest of your stay.

Amazonian Food

Meals here lean into the dishes Cuyabeno is known for, and maito is the one to watch for: fish wrapped in a bijao leaf and cooked slowly over the fire, which gives it a flavor you’ll find right across the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Relax in the Hammocks

The lodge has open common areas strung with hammocks, including one that looks straight out over the forest. Read, doze, watch for animals, or do nothing at all, which out here counts as a fine way to spend an afternoon.