The Oriente
Amazon lodge tour from Quito
An Amazon lodge tour from Quito is a few nights on a river, not an afternoon. Cuyabeno and the Napo are different gates. These are listings we could open. The price is on the partner’s page.
Photograph by Geoff Gallice from Gainesville, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0.
Listings
Ways to book
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GetYourGuide
Cuyabeno, four days
A lodge stay that names the bus or the plane from Quito.
The listing includes transport Quito to the Cuyabeno bridge and back, by bus or plane, canoe transfer to the lodge, and the nights on the river. The itinerary visits the Siona community at Tarabeaya.
Photograph by Hanspeter Bellers, CC BY-SA 4.0.
See prices -
Viator
Cuyabeno, five days
A longer lodge week with the shuttle from Quito already in the price line.
The listing includes a shuttle Quito–Lago Agrio–Quito, the boat into the reserve, lodging, meals, and activities as the itinerary states them. The lodge it describes sits on the Cuyabeno River.
Photograph by Nelson Vera, CC BY 3.0.
See prices -
Viator
Napo, three nights
A lodge on the Napo, reached by a flight the listing includes.
Round-trip flights Quito–Coca, pickup from a Quito hotel, meals on the itinerary, and a motorized canoe to the lodge. The listing names Yachana Lodge. It is a tour, not a hotel search.
Photograph by SabineDeviche, CC BY-SA 4.0.
See prices
Buttons above are paid partner links. How that works.
On the ground
Trip tips
- Quito
- Lago Agrio or Coca
- A river
- The lodge
- Back to Quito
Cuyabeno uses the northern gate, through Lago Agrio, then a canoe from the bridge. The Napo listing flies Quito to Coca and continues by motorized canoe. They are not interchangeable roads.
When
Book the nights, not a morning. The Cuyabeno bus, when that is the ride, is described as the night before or a long daytime haul. The Napo listing starts with an early hotel pickup in Quito for the flight.
Weather
Lowland heat and rain. A rain jacket and repellent matter more than a fleece, once you are off the páramo. The climb back to Quito is the cold part.
Stops
On the Cuyabeno listings: the river, a lagoon, a night walk, and a community visit where the itinerary names one. On the Napo listing: the canoe, a jungle walk, and the lodge program. Yasuní is not a place to leave the group.
Altitude and what to bring
Quito is about 2,850 m. The lodges are not. The CDC note in the comparison guide is for land below 2,300 m in the eastern provinces. Come back to the capital slowly if you can.
Sources: Wikipedia, Yasuní · Wikipedia, Cuyabeno · GetYourGuide, 4-day Cuyabeno · Viator, Yachana from Quito . Rewritten here. Fees, hours, and roads change.
Before you go
Good to know
- Cuyabeno’s usual road goes through Lago Agrio, in Sucumbíos. The comparison guide is the warning for that gate. Read it in the week you book.
- Yasuní is the large park between the Napo and the Curaray, about 250 km from Quito. You do not wander off a lodge program.
- None of these is a day trip. A night bus or a morning flight is part of the booking.
Landing at Mariscal Sucre and would rather not start in a city taxi? UIO Transfers is a private car from the airport. It is the owner’s company, not a third-party ad.
Also on this site: The Amazon chapter · Is Ecuador safe? · Baños .
Questions
Before you click
Can you book an Amazon lodge from Quito?
Yes. One Cuyabeno listing includes transport from Quito to the bridge and back, by bus or plane. A five-day listing includes a shuttle between Quito and Lago Agrio. A three-night Napo listing includes the flights between Quito and Coca.
Is Cuyabeno the same trip as Yasuní?
No. Cuyabeno is a lagoon reserve reached through Lago Agrio. Yasuní is the larger park, reached from Coca on the Napo. The comparison guide is which one matches the warning you are willing to accept.
How long is a lodge tour?
The listings here are 4 days, 5 days, and 3 nights. A day in the forest is not one of them.
Do you need to think about yellow fever?
The comparison guide quotes the CDC: yellow fever vaccine is recommended for travelers 9 months and older going below 2,300 meters in several eastern provinces, and it is not a recommendation for Quito. That page is not medical advice. Talk to your own doctor.