Cuyabeno 4-Day Jungle and Community Tour
Our best seller: pink dolphin waters, lagoon paddling and a full day with the Siona of Tarabeaya
- Our best-selling Amazon tour
- Siona community and shaman day
- Pink dolphin sightings possible
- Full board included
- No experience needed
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Duration4 days / 3 nights
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DifficultyEasy
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DeparturePuente Cuyabeno (Cuyabeno River Bridge), reached by overnight bus from Quito the night before the tour
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Departure daysMondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
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LanguagesEnglish and Spanish
Tour overview
This is the tour our travellers choose most, and the one we recommend first. Four days is the point where Cuyabeno stops being a quick visit and starts being an experience.
You get everything the short programme offers, plus an afternoon paddling a traditional canoe across the lagoons where pink dolphins surface, and a full day with the Siona community of Tarabeaya, helping a family prepare casabe and sitting down with the shaman to hear how ceremonies work in the jungle.
We are not an agency reselling someone else’s lodge. Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge is ours, so the boat, the guide, the kitchen and the beds are all our responsibility, and there is no third party between you and the reserve.
Low level, no experience required. All meals, purified water, rubber boots and rain gear are included, and every excursion goes out with a bilingual naturalist guide.
Itinerary
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Day 1: Quito to Puente Cuyabeno and Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge
Travel from Quito the night before by public or private bus, around 10 hours, arriving at Puente Cuyabeno. Motorised canoe down the Cuyabeno River to our lodge. Lunch, then out to the Laguna Grande to swim and watch the sunset. Dinner at the lodge and an exciting night walk.
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Day 2: Hiking day and lagoon paddling
Breakfast, then a three-hour hike through primary forest to learn about the flora and fauna, especially the medicinal plants, frogs, insects and birds. Lunch at the camp and time to relax. In the afternoon we paddle a traditional canoe on the lagoons and rivers, where you can swim and watch the sunset. If conditions allow, this is where you may see pink dolphins. Return to the lodge for dinner.
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Day 3: Rowing day and Siona community of Tarabeaya
After breakfast we visit the Siona community of Tarabeaya. You help a local family prepare casabe, the traditional bread of the region, while your guide explains their culture and traditions. Lunch, then a visit to the shaman, who talks about the ceremonies of the jungle. Return to the lodge, dinner, and a night canoe expedition in search of caimans.
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Day 4: Cuyabeno to Lago Agrio and Quito
Early-morning birdwatching, then breakfast. We navigate back up the Cuyabeno River to El Puente with a box lunch on the way. Transfer at Puente Cuyabeno and return to Quito by public or shuttle bus, departing at 11:00 a.m.
What's included
Included
- Private canoe transport: Puente Cuyabeno to Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge and back
- Bilingual naturalist guide (English and Spanish)
- Accommodation in double or triple rooms with mosquito nets and private bathroom
- All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), plus purified water, coffee and tea
- Excursion gear: rain poncho, rubber boots, camping tents and life jackets
- All excursions listed in the itinerary
Not included
- Transport Quito to Puente Cuyabeno and back (bus or flight from Lago Agrio)
- Community visit USD 10 and shaman visit USD 5 per person
- Meals before and after the tour
- Tips
- Wi-Fi. An optional internet plan is available at the lodge for USD 15 per device per day
- Any other expense not specified in the itinerary
What to bring
- Long-sleeved shirts, 2 or more
- Comfortable trousers, 2 or more (no jeans)
- Shorts and T-shirts, 2 or more of each
- Socks, one pair per day
- Trainers and/or sandals
- Warm jacket and sweater
- Swimsuit
- Biodegradable or natural soap and shampoo
- Sunglasses and camera
- Small waterproof backpack
- Mosquito repellent and sunscreen
- Hat or cap
- Torch with spare batteries
- Binoculars (optional)
- Reusable water bottle and towel
- Personal first-aid kit
- Dry bags for gear, clothes and documents
- Original passport or ID card
Good to know
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Why is the 4-day tour your best seller?
Because it is the shortest programme that fits in everything: the Laguna Grande at sunset, a full hiking day in primary forest, an afternoon paddling the lagoons where pink dolphins appear, a night canoe trip after caimans, and a complete day with the Siona community and their shaman. The 3-day version has to leave the community day out.
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What happens on the community day?
We travel to Tarabeaya, a Siona community in the reserve. You help a local family prepare casabe, the traditional cassava bread, and your guide explains their culture and traditions. After lunch you meet the shaman, who explains how ceremonies work in the jungle. The community fee is USD 10 per person and the shaman USD 5 per person, paid separately.
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How fit do I need to be?
This is a low-level tour and no experience is required. The most demanding moments are a three-hour forest walk and an afternoon of paddling in a traditional canoe, both at a relaxed pace with your guide.
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Which days can I start the tour?
Departures run on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Because you travel from Quito on the overnight bus, you leave the city the evening before your day 1.
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What should I pack for the jungle?
Long sleeves and comfortable trousers rather than jeans, T-shirts and shorts, a swimsuit, sunscreen and mosquito repellent, a hat, a torch with spare batteries, a small waterproof backpack and dry bags for your documents. Rubber boots, rain poncho and life jacket are lent by the lodge, so you do not need to bring them.
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Is drinking water safe at the lodge?
Yes. Purified water is included throughout the tour, along with coffee and tea and all your meals. Bring a reusable bottle to refill for the excursions.
Book this tour
Tell us your dates and we will confirm availability within 24 hours.
Write to us and we will hold your places while you decide.
More tours in Cuyabeno Reserve
- Departures every day
- 6-hour paddling expedition
- Confirmed from 2 passengers
- Full board included
- Full canoeing day included
- Siona community and shaman
- Flooded forest exploration
- Night caiman expeditions
- All meals included
- Bilingual naturalist guide
- We own the lodge
- Boots and rain gear provided