Ecuador's Amazon - La Selva Eco-lodge & Retreat

Day 1 — Quito › Coca › La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat

Upon arrival in Quito you will be met and checked in for your short flight to Coca on the Napo River, from where you will embark on a 2.5 hour journey to La Selva Eco-lodge & Retreat in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon. Take time to enjoy the scenery and different sounds of the jungle. On arrival at the lodge you will be met by a naturalist guide who will give you a short briefing about the region and the experiences awaiting you. First enjoy a short guided hike along the Matapalo Charapa Trail, learning about the flora and fauna and observing the incredible 400-year-old Mahogany trees.

In the evening experience a night canoe ride at Garza Cocha lagoon. This is a great place to search for caimans, bats, owls, and night mammals with the help of a spotlight. There are also great opportunities for stargazing if the night sky is clear!

Day 2 — La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat

Over the next two days you will be immersed in nature. After breakfast head to the Observation Tower where your naturalist guide will share some insights about the colourful birds you will observe and maybe even certain primates. Continue your guided walk to Mandi Cocha, a small lake with unique vegetation displaying the beauty of the flooded forest. With a little bit of luck, you might spot the famous giant otters that make their home nearby.

After lunch reach Garza Cocha lagoon, home of several different species of primates and birds. Sometimes, huge groups of squirrel monkeys join families of capuchin monkeys to look for food. Howler monkeys also like to spend the late afternoon around the lake. In the evening and before dinner there’s opportunity for a night walk to learn about the tiny species that inhabit the forest such as insects, reptiles, nocturnal mammals.

Note: During your free time in between activities, you can use kayaks, have a massage, participate in a yoga class, or just relax in your room and have a nap!

Day 3 — La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat

Another full day of adventure and nature activities awaits. Heading to the Napo River, take a motorised canoe to the clay lick, one of the most fascinating displays of the wild world. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather here to eat the mineral rich soil, an important part of their diet. Binoculars are essential to really capture the moment. You will also visit the indigenous community of Pilchi to learn about how the first nations people of the Amazon live. You can ask them questions and maybe even try some of their traditional drinks and food! They love to share their ancestral knowledge and spread awareness about their culture and where they live.

After lunch take a guided walk to the Coto Trail. This is a fantastic walk that goes from the lodge to the edge of the Garza Cocha lagoon. In the afternoon, the soft rays of sunlight make this walk an amazing experience and the perfect opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this amazing forest. Your guide will point out and explain all the fascinating creatures that you come across, and our native guide will show you some of the medicinal plants that they have used for thousands of years. A canoe ride back to the lodge will provide you with the opportunity to see caiman, bats, and other nocturnal wildlife in and around the lake.

Back at the lodge you will join a departure briefing while enjoying a delicious farewell cocktail.

Day 4 — La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat › Coca › Quito

After an early breakfast you will be transferred to Coca by motorised canoe then fly back to Quito where arrangements conclude.

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What’s included

• 3 nights’ accommodation
• All meals (B, L, D) and snacks during your stay
• Welcome and farewell cocktail
• Purified water, brewed coffee, and tea
• Flights Quito › Francisco de Orellana › Quito
• Meet & Greet at Coca Francisco de Orellana Airport
• Shared transfers by vehicle and boat between the airport and lodge
• Shared excursions with English-speaking naturalist guide and native guide
• Shared yoga sessions
• Expedition gear including water bottle, daypack, raincoat and rubber boots

Not included

• Non-alcoholic beverages unless otherwise mentioned
• Alcoholic beverages unless otherwise mentioned
• Fuel surcharge (if applicable)
• Gratuities for guides and staff

The whole trip, one booking

We arrange your international and regional flights alongside your journey — in whichever cabin suits — with stopovers, travel insurance and the rest of your time in South America, so it’s all priced, ticketed and looked after together.

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Why book through us

A South American itinerary takes real co-ordination: flights across the Pacific, internal flights between countries, trains, lodges, guides and the occasional boat. Booking through Fine Travel, you benefit from partners on the ground who have been chosen and tested over many years by our specialist partners — and you deal with one TAANZ-accredited agency in New Zealand.

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Your Fine Travel consultant looks after your enquiry and your booking from the first conversation to your return, with the operator’s on-the-ground partners behind the journey itself.

Complimentary documentation

If you prefer printed copies of your travel documentation, we’ll courier a full hard-copy set to you at no cost — a service few agencies still offer, and one our clients tell us they value.