Amazon - Ecuador
Siona
Superior Lodge
4-5 Days
Included
High
The Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve’s Caiman Lodge, which is near the Laguna Grande and is reachable by canoe all year round, is in one of the best locations. Two of Cuyabeno’s most skilled managers and guides were responsible for the design and construction of Caiman Lodge. There are rooms that can accommodate up to 40 people in triple, quadruple, quintuple, and matrimonial configurations. Each room has a private bathroom and hot water.
The lodge also has a lounge area, hammocks, and an impressive bird watching tower with a fantastic view over the lagoon and jungle from the seventh floor. An accredited naturalist guide, a certified canoe driver, and the Caiman Lodge Crew provide assistance to all of their visitors. There is electricity at Caiman Lodge, not all day, because they use solar panels in order to save energy. But you will have light at night (from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm) and you will have the opportunity to charge your camera.
Itineraries
Browse through the different cruise itineraries below by clicking on each one
DAY 1 Journey to lodge by bus and motorized canoe. Lunch, relaxation, and visit to Laguna Grande for swimming, sunset, and search for pink dolphins.
DAY 2 Morning forest trek in search of interesting flora and fauna. Afternoon paddle through interconnected rivers in our silent catamaran. Nocturnal caiman alligator spotting.
DAY 3 Visit the Siona indigenous community, learn to make Cassave from yuca, visit the shaman healer. Afternoon visit to Laguna Grande for swimming and sunset.
DAY 4 Optional early morning bird-watching, breakfast, check-out and return to Lago Agrio town.
(4 days)
Day 1: After arriving in Lago Agrio town, you will use private transportation to the Cuyabeno Reserve’s entrance, where lunch will be served. You will then board the canoe and begin the two-hour trip to Caiman Lodge along the Cuyabeno River. You’ll see some of the reserve’s incredible flora and fauna while on the journey. You will be taken to the main lagoon to take a swim and enjoy a stunning sunset after you arrive and settle in at the lodge. You’ll leave for a night walk after dinner.
Day 2: After breakfast, you start a three-hour trek through the rainforest as your guide describes the unusual flora and fauna you will encounter there. Following the hike, you’ll have lunch and some downtime before using a paddle canoe to explore the interconnected rivers in the late afternoon. You might see a variety of river wildlife while also admiring the lovely sunset. You will go caiman-spotting after dinner.
Day 3: After an early wake-up call and breakfast, you’ll travel downstream to the Puerto Bolivar Siona Community, where a Siona woman will greet you and show you how to gather some yuccas (flat bread) and prepare their traditional meal. The Siona Tribe Shaman will then be introduced to you and walk you through the Ayahuasca ritual while also selecting one of you for a cleansing ritual. We can visit the Laguna Grande at dusk after returning to the lodge in the afternoon.
Day 4: Breakfast and an early wake-up call are required for an early morning birdwatching activity. You will be transported by canoe to the reserve’s entrance at 9:30 after checking out, and a bus will then take you to Lago Agrio so you can travel back to Quito by bus or airplane from there.
DAY 1 Journey to lodge by bus and motorized canoe. Lunch, relaxation, and visit to Laguna Grande for swimming, sunset, and search for pink dolphins.
DAY 2 Morning forest trek in search of interesting flora and fauna. Afternoon paddle through interconnected rivers in our silent catamaran. Nocturnal caiman alligator spotting
DAY 3 Visit the Siona indigenous community, learn to make Cassave from yuca, visit the shaman healer. Afternoon Visit to Laguna Grande for swimming and sunset.
DAY 4 Canoe ride and trekking along the Cuyabeno & La Hormiga rivers, wildlife spotting along the way.
DAY 5 Optional early morning bird-watching, breakfast, check-out and return to Lago Agrio town.
(5 days)
Day 1: Between 9:00 and 9:30 am, we will meet at Lago Agrio, from where we will take a private vehicle to the Cuyabeno Reserve’s entrance. You can learn more about the Reserve from our naturalist tour guide right here. You can take in the gorgeous jungle flora and fauna while on the canoe trip. Lunch will be served. After dinner, we’ll head back to camp before taking an hour-long night walk in search of arachnids, amphibians, and if we’re lucky, reptiles.
Day 2: 8:00 am Breakfast . Day walk in the primary forest at 9:30 am. The guide will discuss the ecology of the Amazon rainforest, as well as the relationships among the planet’s most diverse ecosystems’ plants, animals, and microbes. We’ll go in the afternoon to search for animals in the trees, including monkeys, birds, and dolphins in the river and lagoons. 7:00 pm Dinner . We’ll use the motorized canoe to search for alligators.
Day 3: Breakfast at 8:00 am. We will travel downstream to the Siona Community of Puerto Bolivar at 9:00 am, where a native woman will welcome us and take us to the cassava plantation. The guide will then introduce you to one of the final four Shamans of the Siona tribe in Ecuador, and one of them will discuss how drinking ayahuasca fits into his worldview. We can go to the Laguna Grande at sunset, swim, and then head back to the lodge after we return to the lodge in the afternoon.
Day 4: 8:00 a.m. Breakfast . We will paddleboard and canoe to the Laguna Grande to look for dolphins, monkeys, birds, sloths, and other wildlife. The guide will continue to discuss the ecology of the Amazon rainforest as we take a walk through the primary forest. Swim again in the expansive lagoon, take in the breathtaking sunset, and then head back to the lodge. As a nighttime activity, we will use a motorized canoe to search for alligators.
Day 5: 5:30 am We’ll go on a tour to see the sunrise and different kinds of birds. 8:00 am We’ll eat breakfast at the hotel and get ready to leave at 9:30 for the return trip to the Cuyabeno bridge, where we’ll have lunch. After that, they’ll be picked up by our private bus and driven to Lago Agrio so they can take a bus or a plane back to Quito.
2023 - 2024 Rates (per person)
ACCOMMODATION | DOUBLE STANDARD |
---|---|
3 DAYS – 2 NIGHTS | $280 |
4 DAYS – 3 NIGHTS | $320 |
5 DAYS – 4 NIGHTS | $380 |
Lodge comfort
Capacity
Guidance
Local + Bilingual guide
Location
Park-reserve
Community visit
Lodge immersion
Rooms
Rooms type
Rooming
Sharing
Rubber boots
Mosquito net
Rain ponchos
Private bathrooms
Private terraces
Private hammocks
Scenic lounge areas