CUYABENO NATIONAL PARK

[10 FACTS]

Why better wildlife viewing on the narrow rivers in Cuyabeno National Park:

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 factors combined make Cuyabeno 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, 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! Here you can find our Prices. Our website has hundreds of high-resolution pictures of National Parks and monuments of Ecuador, with thumbnails that open by clicking on them. If you love our pictures or find our info useful you can help others finding our pages too you can share them from the mobile menu bar with a

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 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.

With or About 450 long and 150 km wide, the park covers according to the latest data of the Ministry of Environment show the seize of Cuyabeno Wildlifer Reserve: 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: Official map of the Cuyabeno National Park:

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 R�o 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.

Cuyabeno National Park: Climate Lagoagrio. Cuyabeno National Park: Weather data Lagoagrio.

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 of the Cuyabeno National Park

The Cuyabeno National Park comprises the following 8 macro-ecosystems:

frequently flooded forests or swamps;
dwarf forests semi-permanently flooded by black-water rivers;
well-drained forest, located on undulating terrain;
"coffee-with_milk" coloured sediment-rich 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 pira�as, 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, Ecuador, Canopy tower

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