Cuyabeno National Park , Ecuador: Why better wildlife viewing:
Imagine yourself exploring the Amazon rainforest.
Of course, you really want to see wildlife. But only in Cuyabeno you actually
get to see it. This is why: Most wildlife moves about through the canopy of the
trees. From where you are on the ground, your vision is limited, because the
undergrowth and the leaves are in your way. From the relative darkness where you
are on the ground, you get blinded when you look up towards the canopy. That
makes it difficult to distinguish the characteristics of the birds and mammals;
From the ground, the canopy of the Amazon jungle looks almost
black and distinguishing fauna that moves around at 35 m above the ground is
almost impossible, except for highly experienced birdwatchers. The contrast
between the canopy and the light of the sky is blinding;
From the water, however, birding is great, because trees along
the creeks are lower and also, many birds and mammals like to move about edges
of the forest, not surprisingly, among them of course many water birds. The
light shines on the trees from the side and you are not blinded by light
overhead. Moreover, from a canoe, one can explore the rainforest comfortably
watching wildlife from a seat with your camera, binoculars and a bird guide at
hand;
As wildlife observation must take place very early in the
morning, it is paramount to be in the heart of the location of observation. In
the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, the Cuyabeno Lodge is on a peninsula on the
border of the Laguna Cuyabeno, right in the heart of the lake system, while
visitors coming from other lodges must first travel at least 45 minutes to get
to the lake.
These facts make the Cuyabeno National Park one of the best, if not the best Amazon National
Park in the world,
where one can see more different species of animals and flowers per day than in
any other Amazon park.
Dear visitor, our website gives you info about
our
National Parks Tours,
our
Galapagos programs, the
Cuyabeno Loop,
as well as our
Cuyabeno and Cofan Lodges in the Amazon.
For those who want to combine the
Exuberant Nature of Ecuador with the Famous culture of Peru, we even have a
7
days Highlights of Peru extension! Our website
gives you the best information on the internet, because we are the only tour
operator run by professional biologists. Take a look:
OUR PARKS AND TRIBES ECO TOURS
(Scroll down for the full description of the current page)
STANDARD COFAN LODGE TOUR
Start your Cuyabeno journey on
Ecuador's most scenic wide Amazon tributary, the Aguarico River. Spend 3 nights in the Cofan Lodge,
exploring the lower Cuyabeno and Zábalo Rivers.
The Cuyabeno Loop explores
the breathtaking scenery of lower Cuyabeno and Zábalo
Rivers and the Cuyabeno Lake. Watch the amazing birds and
wildlife. Pass 2 nights with the amazing Cofan Indians in
the Cofan Lodge and enjoy 2 nights of comfort in the famous
Cuyabeno Lodge.
The Lagarto Cocha Expedition on hidden
creeks and lakes is the best Amazon journey in Ecuador!
Discover Indian tribes in Ecuador, Monkeys, Sloths,
Dolphins. No other Amazon rainforest in any of the
Amazon-Andean countries can match the wildlife viewing
of Cuyabeno and it is far better than Yasuní!
The Cuyabeno Lake Program
explores all the wild places surrounding the Cuyabeno Lake.
Bonsai-shaped Macrolobia trees with the whispering of the
mysterious prehistoric Hoatzin birds and the noisy Blue and
Yellow Macaws. Our Cuyabeno Lodge is on the best location,
because we were the first and chose the best location on a
seasonal island in the Cuyabeno Lake itself.
Our Northern Andes Tour lets you get a
taste of some of the best Andean National Parks,
visiting the highest groves in the world: the Polylepis
trees, the highest mountain in the world calculated from
the center of the Earth, the Chimborazo with Vecuñas and
Lamas, the highest active volcano in the world, the
Cotopaxi.
Our National Parks Tours take you on a fantastic
journey along the best possible sample of Andean and coastal
parks. They have been designed to complement
Galapagos and/or Amazon cruises. They can start from different places, particularly Quito,
Guayaquil and Cuenca. While the full program lasts 9 days, it is possible to
make a limited selection of parks, like the 6 days' "Andes
and Coast" module.
We have a fabulous selection of Galapagos
programs, including cruises, island hopping, scuba
diving or relaxing on one of the many different hotels
varying from modest inns to deluxe resorts.
A fabulous program for visiting the most
famous cultural highlights Lima, Cusco, Machu Picchu and the
Sacred Valley. At the same time it serves as the Lima hub
for the Peru National Parks Tour. This module is an
extension to our National Parks Tour Ecuador and/or Galapagos National Park
and/or Amazon Cruises.
The location within
the Cuyabeno National Park also is of the essence:
As bird and wildlife
observation is best very early in the morning, it is paramount to be right in the
heart of the best place for observing animals. In the Cuyabeno, this is the Cuyabeno
Lake system. The Cuyabeno Lodge is on a seasonal island, right in the heart of the
lake system, while visitors coming from most other lodges must first travel 30 to
45 minutes to get to the lake. According to Tripadvisor, our Cuyabeno
Lodge is the best
Amazon Rainforest eco lodge in Ecuador!
Visibility
on the ground within the Amazon forests is poor, making
exploring the Amazon rainforest more difficult as one is blinded looking
up while having to permanently having to watch where one walks. This makes wildlife
observation much more difficult.
Watching birds, flowers and mammals from
narrow rivers is better as trees along the creeks are lower and the sunlight penetrates
to illuminate the river banks. Moreover, wildlife observation and photography from
the water is much more convenient and effective, as one always has his/her binoculars,
camera and birdbook at hand, as opposed to when one is walking through the forest.
The beauty of the Amazon jungle is in the
small details. There are up to 580 species of birds, many of them incredibly beautiful,
while flowers, such as orchids and bromeliads decorate the forest.
Cuyabeno National Park Facts
With or About 150 long and 50 km wide,
the reserve covers 590,912 hectares (5,901 km2 or 2,330 square miles) of mostly pristine
Amazon jungle as you can see on Google Earth above. The Cuyabeno Lodge is only a
few hundreds of meters away from the equator.
CLICK TO ENLARGE the official map:
Rivers of the Cuyabeno National
Park
The Reserve incorporates most of the Rio
Cuyabeno watershed which drains into the Aguarico River; About 60 km down stream,
along the Río Aguarico, is the Zancudo Cocha Lake and further down stream are the
Lagarto Cocha Lakes along the border with Peru. At a gradually sloping elevation
form 300 in the East and 200 m at the border with Peru, the Reserve is covered with
humid tropical rainforest.
Climate and Weather
The climate in the "Oriente" of Ecuador is varies
between 3500mm at the airport of Lagoagrio and probably
about 3200 mm near the border with Peru while average
temperatures fluctuate between 24 C and 26 C. However,
these values are very coarse and temperatures are lower
in the foothills of the Andes, where the Cuyabeno Lakes
are located. For instance the temperature runs up to 27
C in Leticia, in the eastern Colombian Amazon. Average
Amazon rainfall also shows a strong west-east gradient,
with average values decreasing towards the east.
Precipitation is the lowest in December, with an average
of about 200 mm. Most rainfall falls in June, with an
average of 345 mm.
At an average temperature of
25.7 °C, November is somewhat warmer, while the average temperatures in July are
a bit lower at 24.1 °C. It is the lowest average temperature of the whole year.
Ecology and Species
There are the following 8 macro-ecosystems:
frequently flooded
forests or swamps;
dwarf forests semi-permanently
flooded by black-water rivers;
poorly drained lowland forests;
well-drained forest,
located on undulating terrain;
"coffee-with_milk"
coloured sediment-rich rivers;
black water rivers;
semi-permanent lakes;
permanent lakes.
The internal rivers and creeks
are black-water ecosystems; however, during heavy rains they become laden with sediments and may become lighter to
a "coffee with milk" color.
With some 580
of bird species, Cuyabeno
is a world hot spot for birdwatchers. There are also many mammals tha call
Cuyabeno home, such as dolphins, manatees, 10 primates, including the night monkey,
the second smallest monkey on earth, many
bats and rodents, varying from the world's largest, the Capybara to many small
ones. Hoofed animals are include tapirs, two species
of peccary and deer. Tree dwelling mammals include Sloths and Ant
Eaters. Predotars include various South American cats, including jaguar and Puma.
When the
United Nations project selected the protected areas
of Ecuador in 1975, Cuyabeno was known for its 6 m giant Anacondas, occasionally reaching 9 m.
With the better protection, big anacondas are seen relatively frequently, sometimes with the
visible remains of an animal. Some of the turtles may grow to 1/2 meter, while
yellow-legged tortoises roam the land. Moreover, many smaller snakes, lizards,
geckos and iguanas are found in the park. Amphibians
are everywhere, but hard to spot. The
fish fauna of Cuyabeno is extremely diverse and includes the pirañas, enormous catfish,
electrical eels, prehistoric paiches and small colorful fishes.
Of the 19
monkeys of Ecuador, 10 species occur in Cuyabeno National Park.
The Cuyabeno Rivers and Lakes are
visited by
Amazon Dolphins and occasionally by Manatees.
The
Cuyabeno and Cofan Lodges, are located for
exploring the park. Our programs famous for the quality of our tours with great guides
who know their
birds,
mammals
and
plants. Check
our
Cuyabeno
Lodge rates.
Cuyabeno
National Park, Canopy tower
CUYABENO, GETTING THERE AND BACK
There are 3 options to travel to the Amazon Lowlands:
Take the night bus on the Putumayo bus cooperative from Quito to the
Cuyabeno Reserve (usually leaves at 11 at night) from the "Terminal
Carcelen (Norte)"
in Quito and arrive in Lagoagrio the next day. Another option is from the
"terminal Quitumbe (Sur). As a result of major construction works it now takes about
13 hours. It
costs about $ 25 one way and you have to leave from your hotel in
Quito to the terminal an hour before departure (by taxi).
Fly Quito - Coca, which about $ 180 round trip, but it takes 2 X
$25 to take a taxi to Quito airport. The flight usually leaves at 9 in the morning, and
takes 30 minutes to arrive. After getting your luggage, it will be 10:30. We'll
pick you up at the airport. This fight is great for the
Yasuní - Napo River
Cruise. We can coordinate a 3 hours private transportation to Cuyabeno
for $60 with a minimum of 2 persons.
Take our Private Trans-Andean bus Transportation to
Coca and the Cuyabeno Reserve. It will pick
you up at your hotel early in the morning and take to the Aguarico River in
about 8 - 9 hours depending how much time we spend on the way at the
overlooks into the Cayambe - Coca Ecological Reserve, the San Rafael Falls,
the Reventador Volcano and the Papallacta spas.
The same applies for the Lake Cuyabeno accommodations which pass through the
main park entrance on the Cuyabeno River.
Routes of the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve and Yasuní programs of Parks and
Tribes / Cofan Lodge:
Cuyabeno Lake Area including our new 1 Day Trip;
Lagarto Coche Expedition Leaving from Nuevo Rocafuerte at the border
with Peru;
Near the mountain pass you pass by
beautiful paramos and some of the highest rainforests in
the world along Lake Papallacta.
The San Rafael waterfall has collapsed into a sinkhole and
is no longer accessible.
Bordering Lake Papallacta is the Jamanco Spa with
great mineral water without prior filtration as done in
the Papallacta resorts. As a result, the mineral quality
is supposed to be better, while resort prices are a
fraction of the spas in Papallacta.
The Reventador is Ecuador's most
active volcano and frequently runs of lava can be
seen glowing in the night.
It is possible to
arrange for spending the night at either a Papallacta (costly) or Jamanco
(friendly and much more economical) Spa, but then another day is needed to
get to the reserve.
Many passengers
who take the private transportation, chose to fly back from Coca or visa versa.
Arrival at the airport of Coca.
On a clear day one can see the
Antisana Volcano, as you fly passed it.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
National Parks Tours
All hotels
and lodges;
Transportation:
All ground transportation on the National Parks tours;
In-country
flights where included in the national parks tour program, but NOT to/fro Galapagos
or Lagoagrio;
An English speaking naturalist guide. A German or
French speaking guide may also be available, but can't be guaranteed.
All entry fees.
NOT INCLUDED:
Meals and beverages.
Amazon Tours
Lodging;
Excursions with professional nature guides;
All Amazon
programs
include all meals, and fruit juices served with the meals. Our restaurants serve
a mix of international cuisine and occasionally, the Cofan Lodge offers a
sample meal of traditional Cofan dishes.
Meals include coffee, tea and bottled
water;
Transportation between Lagoagrio and the access
rivers.
NOT
INCLUDED:
Bottled and alcoholic beverages need to be paid.
COMBI-DISCOUNTS
Depending on the program you selected, we always try to give you
a discount on combined modules. Groups above 4 passengers will receive discounts, depending on group size.
HOW TO BOOK A TOUR?
Our programs are rather customized and we try to
accommodate the travel needs of our customers. To avoid misunderstandings, we
don't offer a prepaid travel option.
Just send an email to
or contact us through our contact data below.
From Abroad:
Sending money from abroad is rather costly and we try to minimize money going to
bank transfers.
Once your schedule has been worked out, we kindly request you to make a reservation guarantee
transfer of only $100 by
Western Union or
Moneygram. The balance you pay in CASH in
Quito upon arrival (we don't take credit cards!) This way you don't lose a lot
of money sending money. The $100 is NOT recoverable upon cancelation.
Why we don't accept credit cards in Ecuador either? The credit card services
charge 7%! We would have to charge you for that, making your trip more
expensive. We do everything to make your trip as cost effective as possible.
Already in Ecuador?
You can pay in our office mentioned below. We apply a cancelation fee of $100.