5 Days Cuyabeno Amazon Experience at Waita Lodge

Ready for your 5-day Amazon tour? Meet us at Meeting Point Restaurant (formerly Blue Planet) in Lago Agrio at 8:00 AM. A bus ride and scenic canoe trip will take you to Waita Lodge, where you’ll enjoy wildlife sightings and an immersive rainforest experience, including a night walk to spot insects, snakes, and more.

Our activity starts at 6:00 - the best time to spot birds. We take our rowing canoe through small lakes to enjoy the sunrise. We have the opportunity to observe many species of birds and mammals. We then return to our Lodge to enjoy a delicious breakfast. Later, we go on a walk of 3 hrs. Our local guide will share his knowledge about the use of medicinal plants that his ancestors have transmitted through generations and provide explanations about the fauna and flora of the area. Back at the Lodge, we have a delicious lunch. At 16:30, we take again our canoe to navigate around the lagoon of the Ceibo, «giant tree of the jungle». We can admire the forest flooded by black water, also called Igapo. Afterwards, we visit the San Francisco river, a narrow white water river surrounded by exuberant vegetation and unique species of birds. When it gets dark, we venture downstream in search of caimans and nocturnal animals (fishing bats, tree boas, nocturnal birds, etc.).

At 5:45, we take the canoe to enjoy the awakening of nature. We navigate with the motor canoe for about 1h30 downstream Cuyabeno River. On the way, we can observe birds starting their day. Once at the saladero (a clay bank full of nutrient-exposed river banks), we can witness 5 species of colorful parrots and parakeets feed on clay. After enjoying this wonderful morning, we return to our Lodge for breakfast. We take a rest and hop in our motorized canoe once again, direction to the bocana, where the two rivers meet. Here, we are able to admire the freshwater dolphins and the different colorations of the water. In the afternoon, we canoe-ride to the Bird Observation Tower. This tower is built around one of the largest trees in the area, a Ceibo tree. From the top of the tower, at 28 m (92 ft) high, we have a breathtaking view of the Canopy and the fauna. Before returning to our Lodge for dinner, we go for a short night walk around the tower in search of new species of insects.

Once again, we prepare to go in search of new adventures and new species of birds to enrich a little more our "check list". After a breakfast at 7:00, we will take our rowing canoe down the Cuyabeno River until we reach the San Francisco River. After our boat ride, we will enjoy a box lunch and then take the Terra Firme trail for a 3-hour walk. The guide will share his knowledge about the flora and fauna of the area and we will return to our camp.

That day being our last one in this wonderful place, we will go on a forest excursion or canoe ride to witness the awakening of this incredible nature one last time. After breakfast, you must prepare your luggage for the return trip. We will sail 30 minutes downstream on the Cuyabeno river and then take the Aguarico river upstream for 3 hours until we reach Tierras Orientales. We will have lunch while waiting for our transportation back to Lago Agrio. We will arrive at approximately 15:00 and you will be able to either take the bus or the plane back to Quito.