I arrived in Cuyabeno, the gateway to the Ecuadorian Amazon, after a gruelling night bus from Quito. The bus didn’t have a toilet on board so stopped every 2-3 hours on the journey, where the lights would blaze on and the driver would ceremoniously announce our bathroom break over the microphone, as if we couldn’t figure it out ourselves.
I would imagine the Amazon needs no introduction, even to the biggest of geographical plebs. It is the world’s largest tropical rainforest, covering about 5.5 million square kilometres. It spans across eight countries in South America: Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, and Suriname. A very brief bit of research told me that Ecuador was a unique place to see the rainforest, away from the tourist hordes in Manaus, Brazil and Iquitos, Peru, two of the main Amazon hotspots.
I booked my tour through the Secret Garden hostel, faced with a choice between a budget tour and a nicer, pricier option. I opted for the slightly more expensive tour, which was indeed lovely but came with the downside of a more “luxurious” clientele, far from the youthful backpacker crowd I was accustomed to and preferred. My group comprised an American family of four, two Dutch sisters in their 40s, and a very elderly, frail, French couple who seemed they could meet their maker at any point.
Upon arriving in Cuyabeno, we made a short stop for breakfast and then took a 3 hour motorised canoe jounrey deep into the Amazon until we got to our lodge. Our guide was great and pointed out so many different animals on the route.
My Amazon animal wishlist before the tour was as follows:
- Anaconda: The king of the Amazon, surely? Whilst we saw many different types of snakes both in the water and on land the elusive Anaconda managed to evade us on this trip :(. A good excuse to come back.
- Black Caiman: If the Anaconda is the king of the land then the caiman surely owns the water. We were lucky enough to see many throughout the 4 days, including a huge one on the way back on the final day. Our guide would point out their glistening eyes slightly emerged from the water during our night canoe rides, an eerie sight.
- Tarantula: A common sight in the Amazon. The scary but harmless spider was amazing to see.
- Piranha: Previously, Amazon tours offered piranha fishing, but this practice is becoming much less common after fishing hooks were being digested by dolphins and subsequently killing them, our guide explained to us.
- Pink Dolphins: The amazing freshwater pink dolphins of the Amazon were a highlight.
The accomodation and food were fantastic, compensating for being the only young bloke amongst a group of fossils. Our guide was very knowledgeable and passionate and I saw so much wildlife. One of the highlights was a day trip to a nearby Amazonian community where they hosted us for lunch and showed us their way of life. I must admit, I was half-expecting naked Amazonian warriors to greet us with spears, but this fantasy was shattered when a girl emerged from her hut with an iPhone lol.
All in all a massive bucket list place ticked off for me and a super enjoyable time.
A long bus ride back to Quito awaited me at the end of 4 days before my flight to Lima!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/im3yuepefXBS1B218
