How to visit the Amazon in Ecuador at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center
How to visit the Amazon in Ecuador at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center
Visiting the Amazon is a life bucket list goal. Yet people get overwhelmed as they are not sure how to achieve that goal. I am pleased to say we had an incredible time and wrote this post to share with you how to visit the Amazon in Ecuador at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center.
If you have wanted to make this dream come true, here is the breakdown of everything you need to know. Someone in our group literally flew down from the USA to Quito, Ubered to a gas station, got picked up on the shuttle, taken out to the Amazon, dropped off near the airport again and flew home. You can make this happen!
Saying you want to plan a trip to the Amazon can feel overwhelming. The where, when, and how can stop people from making the final commitments. This trip was truly so easy. Here are all the steps we followed and some of what we saw.
Where is Ecuador?
Where is the Amazon?
Map credit to WWF
Where is Cuyabeno Wildlife Center?
Map credit to Happy Gringo
How do I get to Cuyabeno Wildlife Center?
This process is straightforward and outlined here on the website. We opted to take the shuttle bus there. We also opted to take it back. It was nice to know bathroom breaks would happen routinely.
TIP: Have toilet paper on hand for the gas station rest stops.
After the long night bus, it was lovely to stop at a place where breakfast was all prepared and set for us. We also had a lovely lunch ready soon after leaving the boat point.
We did talk to travelers who took the public bus to the meeting point. They said their experience was fine, just the bus was very crowded.
If you are going all the way back to Quito, the shuttle bus is worth the convenience to get from point A to B in one go. Otherwise, you take the public bus and switch in Lake Agrio to then take another bus back to Quito. After arriving at the terminal you still need to make it to lodging somewhere. It makes for quite a long day and you get into the terminal in the middle of the night. Or I would stay in Lake Agrio for the night, personally, and break it up.
TIP:
If you are at all prone to motion sickness – just take the medicine. It’s no secret – the road is very windy. Take pills ahead of time.
Also, the distance is long and road conditions unpredictable – do NOT risk delays and plan to exit the forest and take a 1 am flight. If there were any issues, you could be cutting it close. A 6 am flight, you should be fine.
How long should I stay?
We stayed a week and loved it. We could have easily stayed another week. That said we met some people who were at their max at three nights.
What I will say is the people we met who were doing the 2N/3D option regretted not staying longer. It’s a haul and an investment of time to get out there. If all you can do is swing the two nights – go for it. But for all the time and energy to get out there, stay at least the 3N if you can.
Most people on either the 3N/4D or 4N/5D were happy with their decision.
What is the accommodation like?
All the rooms (whether private or shared) have a bathroom, and we thought that was such a luxury! You are in the forest and completely off-grid. The hot shower also felt like a luxury.
For being off-grid in the forest reachable downstream 2 hours by boat – a bed, mosquito net, hot shower, flushing toilet, delicious meals prepared, all the tea and water and coffee you can want to drink – plus – to see pink dolphins right off the dock – this place felt so comfortable and charming.
All the food was so good!
Fruit in the shape of a parrot – so cute!
Tea, coffee, and water station.
Charging Station
Gotta say – this is an impressive charging station! It seemed to be no trouble to keep phones, laptops, and batteries charged up. The best practice was to charge in the morning and throughout the afternoon until the sun went away.
What will I see?
Oh my gosh – we saw so much! The sightings were better than we could have hoped for. We consider this a great destination for wildlife photographers.
Some highlights:
- 9 of 10 monkey species in the Cuyabeno area
- 4 different snakes
- 10+ frog species
- 16+ mammal species
- insects – so many
- flora & fauna – so many
This IS a wildlife destination. If you want to know where to see wildlife in the Amazon go to Cuyabeno Wildlife Center.
Days and activities vary according to what program you booked. There will be some sort of boat safari for wildlife watching, land trekking (which might as well be called mud trekking – haha), early morning birding, and the iconic Laguna Grande. If you book the 2N only option, there is no time to go to the community.
Wildlife, Birds, Fauna
I am going to keep the descriptions somewhat short for the animals we saw – otherwise this post could go on for many more pages. This is a sampling of some of the animals we saw.
Saki Monkey
This was one of the species we were the most excited and hopeful to see. A shy monkey, often at the top of the canopy, they can be a difficult monkey to see and photograph. They look so big and bulky, but largely, these monkey’s are just very hairy! Endemic to Peru and Ecuador, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Center is one of their homes and a great place to see them.
Golden-headed Manakin
A striking bird, the golden-headed manakin is always a fan favorite.
Pygmy Marmoset or The Pocket Monkey
This tiny thing was another species we were so excited and hopeful to see. Known as the Pocket Monkey, this vulnerable species is the world’s smallest monkey. Weighing approximately 120 grams or 4 ounces – that weighs about the same as a deck of cards. Getting such a good sighting felt like a true bonus.
Stinky Turkey or Hoatzin
This is a common bird to see around the Cuyabeno Wildlife Center. Terrible at flying and smelly, they make all sorts of noise as they try to navigate through the forest.
Tiger Heron
This is one of my all time favorite bird species. Every time I see a tiger heron I stop in my tracks and think what a stunning bird. They have a wide range throughout Central and South America. It’s always a delight to see them.
River Otters
Our guide Victor became visibly excited when we saw river otters. Around the Cuyabeno Wildlife Center they are hard to see. We saw them over five times (lucky us) so we were known as the otter group. They move quickly and often dart in and out of the vegetation around the shoreline. River otters are very sensitive to pollution, so seeing them around is a great sign.
They were still so hard to get good photos of. We have other photos, but I liked this one so you can see how bulky and buff the body is here. Look at how strong that back leg is!!! Wow!
White throated Toucan
What a stunningly beautiful bird! Just love the blue around the eye.
Red Howler Monkey
With a glistening red coat, this red howler monkey has a baby! Famous for their “dawn chorus” we frequently heard the roar of the howler monkey upon awakening at the lodge in the mornings.
Three toed Sloth
Who doesn’t love a sloth! This was such a big one. Thought this was a great sighting to see the markings on the back.
Pink Dolphins
This was the species we had really hoped to see at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center. We were not disappointed! We saw the pink dolphins almost every day. They are certainly hard to photograph as they usually do not emerge much from the water. However, we had overall great sightings of them. An endangered species, seeing this animal felt very special.
Aracari
It’s an aracari party!
Cordyceps
Now this is something from the movies. Cordyceps fungus takes over the body of its host to control its behavior. The fungus manipulates the moth to climb to a specific height where it will die. This allows the fungus to grow out of its body to release spores that will infect new insects. This “zombie” effect aids the fungus’s reproduction and is a natural process.
Woolly Monkey
A strong and powerful monkey, the woolly monkey uses its tail frequently while feeding in the tree tops. One of the larger monkey species, it is a sight to behold.
Whip Scorpion
Despite the name, whip scorpions are not actually dangerous. (I have even had one put on my face in Costa Rica!)
Plus.So.Much.More!
Ah. The wildlife, nature, plant, and landscapes were just incredible at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center. We have so many more photos to continue sharing – I just couldn’t put them all into one post. So keep an on socials for more coming.
Community Oriented
An aspect that had it feel like Cuyabeno Wildlife Center was so well set up for long-term success was the strong connection with the local Indigenous Siona communities. Upon arrival, we were greeted by staff from the community. Boat drivers were also from the local community. It seemed a system was in place with rotational work schedules for many local people to have the opportunity to sustain part of their income with tourism work.
We had a full day outing to the local Sionna community. We got to meet locals, make bread, have lunch, and visit a shaman. Our lunch was delicious. Our whole group marveled at how we made bread together.
It’s optional – we also got blessed by the Shaman.
When one looks at the conservation of large tracks of land, there are so many factors that go into that. That this program and lodge operation seemed so legit in supporting the local communities and the conservation of land felt like such a big win for this portion of the Amazon.
Tips of what else to bring:
We found the food to always be ample and we try to not to over snack. One day I think we ate a little nibble of some of the food we brought, but otherwise, we found the meals provided to be completely satisfying.
Side note: We saw them cater well to vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free eaters.
First Aid Kit; Insect spray; Sunscreen; Sun hat > Those are the must-haves. They made a great what to bring list – so be sure to check that out. This is a list of some of our favorite travel gear. Exofficio quick-dry clothes would also be very good to have out there.
EAR PLUGS – I will say some travelers mentioned the noise of preparing the lodge for the morning and cleaning things up in the evening could be heard by them. Bring ear plugs just in case if you are a light sleeper.
Payments
Payment was made ahead of time via a secure link with credit card. All super easy. Everything from the booking to the shuttle was included in writing. If you do purchase sodas or beer at the lodge – you pay cash for that.
Tipping & other Money
You need to bring cash (get SMALL CHANGE AHEAD OF TIME) to bring to the community.
There is a tip box for the lodge staff on the counter.
You should have something to give directly to your boat driver.
You should have something to give directly to your guide.
There is an option to buy beer or sodas at the lodge if you wish.
Conservation Issues
We asked several people and got similar responses that, at this moment, this section of the Amazon does not seem to be a target for deforestation. That said, oil companies are entering other areas of the Amazon and what’s to say they won’t push to come here as other areas dry up.
Poaching, particularly for the pet trade, is an issue.
Overall Feeling and Take Away
After spending a week visiting the Amazon in Ecuador at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center, I can truly say it felt like such a well-run establishment. They cared about their guests, the environment, the local community, and the vibe felt great.
It felt like wildlife appreciation and conservation was happening. We were so happy to have the opportunity to go here and I hope others can too. If you have any further questions on how to visit the Amazon in Ecuador at Cuyabeno Wildlife Center, do not hesitate to reach out. What an incredible journey!
More info:
We stayed the night before pick up at The Secret Garden. The shuttle bus will pick you right up at the door. There were a lot of hangout spaces and luggage storage, so you could come and go throughout the day for convenience.
Personally, I would highly recommend staying at any of the Quito lodging options the shuttle drops you off at, especially for the return. You arrive late and it’s dark. You will be tired. How nice to walk in a door and have a room ready for you. You can find all the lodging options on booking.com.
For years, we have been using IMG for all our insurance needs. We like their plan options, coverage, and prices.
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Check out the recap video of Cuyabeno Wildlife Center:
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