★ 5.0 Google · 750+ reviews | We help arrange your transport | One meeting point at the bridge | Pickup confirmed before you travel
Where We Meet
All Tucán Lodge experiences begin at the Cuyabeno River Bridge, the official entrance to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve.
This is where you’ll meet your naturalist guide and begin the journey by canoe into the jungle.
You don’t need to worry about finding us deeper inside the reserve. We meet everyone here.
Four Ways In from Quito
There are four ways to reach Cuyabeno from Quito, and most guests choose the first. The three road options are roughly a nine-hour journey, most of it overnight; flying is the comfortable alternative if you’d rather skip the bus.
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★ Private Shuttle
|
Public Bus |
Driving Yourself |
Fly via El Coca |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | $37 / route · $74 round trip | Lowest fare | $5 parking | Flight ~$180 pp · taxi $160 (up to 4) |
| Leaves Quito | Evening, ~9–11 pm (we confirm) | ≈ 9:30 pm, night before | On your schedule | Daytime flight (~30 min) |
| Journey | Overnight | Overnight | Daytime, paved roads | Flight + ~3 hr drive |
| Meals | Breakfast + lunch included | Not included | Not included | Not included |
| Best for | Most guests | Independent budget travelers | Full independence | Skipping the overnight bus |
| We help arrange | Yes | Guidance only | — | Yes |
Private Tourist Shuttle
Highly recommended
This is the option we recommend: the simplest, lowest-stress way in. The shuttle is run by a company that only carries guests entering Cuyabeno, so there are no extra stops and no confusion.
It leaves Quito the night before your tour, usually between 9 and 11 pm depending on road conditions, with pickup at our two meeting points, Secret Garden Hostel and Embassy Quito Hotel. On the way it stops in Lago Agrio at the Meeting Point restaurant for breakfast, then continues to the Cuyabeno River Bridge, and lunch is included on the return trip. At the end of your tour it collects you from the same spot. We help you reserve it once you book and confirm your exact pickup time and place before you travel, so you sleep on the bus, wake up at the jungle, and never have to think about logistics.
It costs a little more than the public bus, but not by much. With the public bus you also have to pay for a taxi just to reach the terminal, and no meals are included, while the shuttle covers breakfast on the way in and lunch on the way back. For most guests it is the easier, better-value way in, which is why we recommend it 100%.
One note: the shuttle is run by an external company, so we can’t promise their exact timing and we aren’t responsible for delays or changes on their end. What we can do, and what isn’t possible with a public bus, is stay in direct contact with them, so if there’s ever a breakdown or a road closure we coordinate with the operator and sort out your onward plan with you.
Public Bus from Quito
A good fit if you’re comfortable traveling independently and want the lowest fare. Buses leave from Quitumbe Terminal in south Quito on Putumayo Transport, the only line that passes the reserve entrance.
Be at the terminal by 9:00 pm for the roughly 9:30 pm departure, arriving at Cuyabeno Bridge between 8 and 9 am. At the end of your tour, your guide helps you get back to Lago Agrio, where buses to Quito leave every 30 minutes.
One honest caveat: this is a public service, so we can’t coordinate timing with the operator or step in if there’s a breakdown or a road closure. That means your arrival isn’t guaranteed to line up with the group’s start. If your dates leave no room for delay, the private shuttle or a flight is the safer choice.
Driving Yourself
If you prefer full independence, you can drive in. The route runs Quito → Lago Agrio (Nueva Loja) → Cuyabeno Bridge, paved the whole way.
At the bridge there’s a local restaurant with secure parking for $5 total for your stay. From there you meet your guide and continue by canoe.
Flying via El Coca
If you’d rather skip the overnight bus, you can fly from Quito to El Coca (about 30 minutes, around $180 per person each way) and travel by road from there to the Cuyabeno Bridge.
We recommend flying in the day before your tour, staying overnight in El Coca, and leaving at 7:00 am to reach the bridge around 11:00 am, in time to join the group. For the return, you leave with the group, travel to El Coca, stay the night, and fly back to Quito the next day. We can arrange the private taxi between El Coca and the bridge for $160 each way (up to four passengers), or $320 round trip.
Prefer to fly in and out on the tour days themselves? That works too, with a private canoe to match your off-schedule arrival or departure, $250 each direction, split between up to six travelers, and if your group is larger than that, we cover it. We’ll walk you through the timing when you book.
Not Coming from Quito?
Not everyone starts in Quito, and that is no problem. If you’re traveling from somewhere else in Ecuador, like Baños, the easiest way in is through Lago Agrio. You make your own way there first, usually by public bus, which runs around $15 depending on the company, and from Lago Agrio a tourist bus goes to the Cuyabeno Bridge for $15 one way. We can help you coordinate that last leg from Lago Agrio to the bridge, so the part that connects you to your tour is handled.
Ready when you are
Once you’ve booked, we help you reserve your shuttle and walk you through every step. Tell us your dates and we’ll take it from there.
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