TAPIR LODGE
Tapir Lodge
First Class Lodges Cuyabeno
Tapir Ecolodge, Cuyabeno Amazon Rainforest Reserve, Honeymoons. Looking for a great place with all the confort, book with the specialist, all in one place at the best price!
Tapir lodge is located in the expansive Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, deep in the Amazon with its 4 rooms built in 2 towers, each 35 ft. high, closer to nature and birds , a restaurant bar and a host of rainforest activities are offered.
Tapir Lodge was built in 1996 in partnership with the local Siona community with the aim of providing comfortable lodging while creating minimal disturbance to the surrounding ecosystem. Tapir Lodge shares access to and profits from its ecotourism activities with the local Siona community.
The Tapir Lodge is located in the upper section of the Cuyabeno Reserve, which over the years has itself become an important tourist destination due to its amazing animal and bird diversity, reflected in its 15 species of monkeys and well over 500 types of birds.
Location: The Tapir Lodge is located in far eastern Ecuador, in an area made up of 14 interconnecting lagoons, of which only Laguna Grande (2.5 km/1.5 miles in length) is accessible to visitors.
Accommodations: The Lodge consists out of three 35-foot high “towers” with double, triple and quadruple rooms. All the rooms have private bathrooms, with hot running water and are outfitted with water-containers providing our guests with purified water (brought from Lago Agrio), which is perfectly safe for drinking and brushing your teeth. Some of the rooms are equipped with a hammock, balcony and have spectacular views of the jungle!
The “Piranha” Tower has 4 rooms that can be used as single or double rooms.
Each room is located on a different floor so you have optimal privacy. From one’s balcony, they can admire beautiful bromeliads, orchids, birds and different endemic species of monkeys.
Facilities: The Tapir Lodge has a fully equipped kitchen to provide with fresh and healthy local Ecuadorian and international food. The ingredients are a mixture of local products (fruits and vegetables) from the jungle and others from the closest city. Vegetarian and special diets can be accommodated with advance notification.
After a full day of activities in the forest, the lodge’s “La Tarántula” bar offers very good non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages – like freshly made tropical juices, cold beer, wines and cocktails ! There in the bar you can have a refreshing drink and talk about your travel experiences with other travelers!
Activities at Tapir Lodge include bird watching, canoeing, caiman watching, sport fishing, rainforest treks, nighttime hikes, cultural exchanges with indigenous communities, and camping excursions.
4 NIGHTS / 5 DAYS
1.- Quito – Lago Agrio – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno. The meeting point is “ ENTRANCE OF THE RESERVE CUYABENO” between 11:00 am – 11:30 am, with one representative of the Lodge. From there, you will take a canoe ride down the Cuyabeno River to get to the lodge, approximately 2 hours. The lunch is served at the Lodge around 2pm.
In the afternoon you will start the activity at 4 pm, to visit the Laguna Grande to look for some wildlife. Around 5:30pm you will go to the Lagoon to swim and to see the sunset, which is one of the highlights of the tour. At 6 pm you will go on an exciting night walk, during the walk you can expect to see lots of insects, spiders, tarantulas; also, to listen the jungle at night which is so incredible. The dinner is served at 8pm. After dinner the guide will get a short briefing of the Cuyabeno reserve and the itinerary for the next day. Rest.
Meals included: lunch box and dinner
2.- Laguna Grande. After breakfast, we trek into the primary rainforest to learn about medicinal plants and the biological flora and fauna. After lunch, you can relax by the river or enjoy a siesta in one of our hammocks. The afternoon activities include swimming in the lagoon, and Caiman spotting. We conclude the evening with a fabulous sunset and a delicious meal.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
3.- Cuyabeno River. Today we will hike in a different part of the forest. This includes the opportunity to see the biggest trees in the Amazon Rainforest and different ecosystems. We also visit an Indigenous Community, where our naturalist guide will explain the culture and traditions of the native people, here we will prepare traditional food after that we will enjoy a delicious lunch. We will conclude the day by experiencing the beautiful sunset at the lagoon and take the opportunity to spot more wildlife, before you have dinner.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
4.- Our 4-day program takes the opportunity to paddle in an ecological canoe to experience jungle life at a slower pace. – The schedule gives you greater opportunities to indulge in the magic of the jungle and offers the opportunity to see the elusive wildlife not already spotted.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
5.-El Puente-Lago Agrio-Quito. We will watch the birds and animals in the tranquility of the early morning. After the bird watching we will watch the sunrise over the jungle canopies. After breakfast, we journey up the Cuyabeno River to El Puente, taking our last look at the jungle animals, flora and fauna.
You will arrive to the entrance of the reserve around 11:30 am , where the tour ends , from there you can take the tourist bus to Quito or Lago Agrio.
Meals included: breakfast
3 NIGHTS / 4 DAYS
1.- Quito – Lago Agrio – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno. The meeting point is “ ENTRANCE OF THE RESERVE CUYABENO” between 11:00 am – 11:30 am, with one representative of the Lodge. From there, you will take a canoe ride down the Cuyabeno River to get to the lodge, approximately 2 hours. The lunch is served at the Lodge around 2pm.
In the afternoon you will start the activity at 4 pm, to visit the Laguna Grande to look for some wildlife. Around 5:30pm you will go to the Lagoon to swim and to see the sunset, which is one of the highlights of the tour. At 6 pm you will go on an exciting night walk, during the walk you can expect to see lots of insects, spiders, tarantulas; also, to listen the jungle at night which is so incredible. The dinner is served at 8pm. After dinner the guide will get a short briefing of the Cuyabeno reserve and the itinerary for the next day. Rest.
Meals included: lunch box and dinner
2.- Laguna Grande. After breakfast, we trek into the primary rainforest to learn about medicinal plants and the biological flora and fauna. After lunch, you can relax by the river or enjoy a siesta in one of our hammocks. The afternoon activities include swimming in the lagoon, and Caiman spotting. We conclude the evening with a fabulous sunset and a delicious meal.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
3.- Cuyabeno River. Today we will hike in a different part of the forest. This includes the opportunity to see the biggest trees in the Amazon Rainforest and different ecosystems. We also visit an Indigenous Community, where our naturalist guide will explain the culture and traditions of the native people, here we will prepare traditional food after that we will enjoy a delicious lunch. We will conclude the day by experiencing the beautiful sunset at the lagoon and take the opportunity to spot more wildlife, before you have dinner.
Meals included: breakfast, lunch, dinner
4.-El Puente-Lago Agrio-Quito. We will watch the birds and animals in the tranquility of the early morning. After the bird watching we will watch the sunrise over the jungle canopies. After breakfast, we journey up the Cuyabeno River to El Puente, taking our last look at the jungle animals, flora and fauna.
You will arrive to the entrance of the reserve around 11:30 am , where the tour ends , from there you can take the tourist bus to Quito or Lago Agrio.
Meals included: breakfast
WHAT TO BRING:
Long sleeved cotton t-shirts 2, insect repellent, 2 long trousers, zip-lock bags to keep clothes equipment dry, 2 shorts, binoculars (optional), 2 t-shirts, torch (flashlight) with extra batteries, 2 pair of socks, sun block, sport shoes, sandals or flip flops, insect repellent, wind breaker jacket, first aid kit, shampoo and soap, hat or cap, bathing suit, plastic water bottle, four pairs of underwear, sunglasses, professional camera, passport copy, small backpack.
Tour | Prices | Flights UIO-OCC | Tourist bus |
4 DAYS | $490 | $300 | $80 round trip |
5 DAYS | $590 | $300 | $80 |
The price includes:
- Canoe rides
- Meals as mentioned in the program
- Water, coffee, tea
- Daily excursion program
- Naturalist bilinguals guide (English or German).
- Rubber boots (only until size 44) and raincoats for the tour.
The price does not include:
- Tips and personal expenses
- Anything that has not been included in the program
- Tourist bus Quito – Entrance reserve – Quito $100
- Indigenous village and shaman $20
Option 1 : Flight Quito Lago Agrio – Quito
NO AVAILABLE, only flights from Quito to Coca.
Bus ride Quito – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno
There are several options to travel to the meeting point. You can take a bus ride from Quito to Lago Agrio – entrance Reserve Cuyabeno which takes about 10 hours.
OPTION 2: Tourist bus ride Quito – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno
We book the tickets for the shared bus ride included in the package.
Quito – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno
Departure: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
Meeting point: 22:00 pm in Guayunga Hostel in Quito.
Address: Antepara and Los Ríos St. Quito.
Price: $40 one way
Route : Entrance Reserve – Quito
Departures: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Meeting point: Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno at 11:00 am
Price: $40 one way
BAÑOS – LAGO AGRIO – BAÑOS
If you are in Baños you can take the public bus, the bus ride last 8 hours.
Departure: 22:45 pm, from the station in Baños.
Price: $17 one way
OPTION 3: Public bus ride Quito – Lago Agrio – Quito – Entrance Reserve Cuyabeno
We can recommend you the bus company Banos. The buses departure from the north bus station Carcelen or Quitumbe in the south, almost every hour. You can purchase the tickets in the bus station of Carcelén or Quitumbe.
The meeting point is at the “ENTRANCE RESERVE CUYABENO” at 11:00 am
