After eight hours in the bus from Quito, a long stopover at Lago Agrio, another two hours by minivan and another 2,5 hours by boat we finally made it to the Caiman Lodge for a three day stay at the end of our trip to Ecuador. Tucked away far in the Amazon of Ecuador – almost near the border of Colombia – we were ready for our next outdoor adventure, even though we had skipped a night.
Our days in the jungle were totally wild and that was absolutely due to our guide David; by far the best, open-minded tourleader I’ve ever had (and we’ve done quite some guided tours the last years here in Costa Rica). Though he had been doing his job for decades, he still seemed fascinated by everything he could find in the jungle and with his contagious laughter his was able to cheer up the group at any time.
We did a great deal of things in a short amount of time: a night hike searching for spiders, boat rides spotting wildlife (mainly monkeys and birds), searching for snakes and caiman in the evening, swimming with pink dolphins, swinging the rope like Tarzan and crawling through the mud while finding our way in the rainforest.
There are a lot of other lodges around Lago Agrio and Coca, and though I’m sure they all have their cons and pros, we were rather pleased with the service of the Caiman Lodge – the cheapest option in the area, three days for $250,- and four days for $290,-, excluding transportation (another $20,- back and forth).
Click on the pictures to see what our trip looked like and if you have any questions about staying in the Ecuadorian Amazon, let me know!
The start of our trip to the Caiman Lodge, you really don't wanna fall in that muddy waterThe big tower of the lodge, both for sleeping and watching the surroundings and the stars at the top floorA 'hidden lake' where we went on one of the evening boat toursThis is an insect. Yes really, totally golden. According to David if you see those fellows in the jungle it means that the environment is in a healthy conditionThe very cute house parrot. He was always eager to join the visitors during breakfast and dinner A 'hidden' lake; it took the captain some effort to get there, but this place was very tranquil and sereneThe lake at sunsetThis grasshopper we say during the night tour was leaving its former body, really magnificent to watchAnother spider during the night tour, great in use to freak you out in the darkDavid made sure we could all spend some time in front of the boat, really great while following the bends in the riverIts quite difficult to capture the pink river dolphins on camera, but remarkable they certainly are. Think you can do better? Show me!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERARelease your inner Jane or Tarzan; actually not a easy as it looksA banana spider, a mini ChewbaccaThe rest of the lodge seen from the platformOur guide beneath the vinesThe group on the road. Some arms almost got lost in the making of this pictureNapo Saki on the go, a very furry monkeyA trogon during the boat rideSwimming in the lake. The pink river dolphins and anaconda's weren't even that far away, say what?!A little boa constrictor during the night boat tourLook at that fat belly!What you see is what you get; a very Woolly MonkeyAnother spider during the night walk in its webTime to go home again
Apart from the Galapagos Islands, personally I found the area around Cotopaxi the most beautiful of Ecuador. The landscape has something special and the light in there is different too,
You’re probably eager to go to Otovalo because of its market. And indeed, the oldest, biggest and most famous indian market of entire Latin America is exceptionally fun to visit
Last May we went ten full days to the Galapagos Islands, an indescribable trip that fulfilled childhood dreams and emptied a big part of the bucket list. The wildlife we
Marjon
August 7, 2017 at 3:07 pm
Amazing