Keen on booking a tour, even though we had only three and a half days left, we looked around to find an agency to book that tour. It was not easy, there are only a few agencies in the city, not even in the center and they have been closed on the weekend. We asked our recipient at the hotel, and he gave us the phone number of one of the agency's managers.
We ended up meeting him and finally booking a tour with CarpeDiem. Although, usually, the terms take at least four days and five nights, we managed to shorten the trip for three days and four nights. The tours are planned as follows:
We took a night bus from Quito for around 10 hours. Then, at the beginning of the Cuyabeno reserve, we changed into another bus that delivered us to the starting point of the riverboat ride. There is a small lodge, we took food and waited for our boat guide. He arrived pretty soon: a 13-year-old boy that is a true expert in riding the boat and sharing knowledge about the Amazon Rainforest.
Day 1
Taking this boat, riding into the forest for 3 hours to the Lodge; looking for birds and animals on the way; arriving there - lunchtime!; another boat ride, this time to the lake nearby to see the sunset; possibility to swim; going back; dinner time; free time.
The first day was fascinating. You're riding on the narrow river fully grown and surrounded by giant trees, wild trees, climbing over the river, falling into it, or leaning against the jungle. You hear exotic birds chirping, flying around. If you are lucky, you will see snakes, crocodiles, lots of birds, monkeys and so on. Surrounded by pure nature, wild creatures and protected by a small floating boat and a raincoat. Our guides have been very kind and patient with the animals and us. The food at our 'Tucan Lodge' was extra-ordinary good tasting. The room you get at the Lodge is a double bed, a shelve, your bathroom, and a balcony - lots of space, including mosquito net, light, and a hot shower - good service!
Day 2
Having early breakfast and starting to hike 3 hours through the rainforest; they give you rainboots and coats -> wear old clothes though, you will get wet and don't forget mosquito repellent, there are everywhere; getting back around 1 pm, lunchtime; some free time and then you can join the small workshop of how to make coffee and chocolate yourself for around 1.5 hours, the taste afterward is impressive; after a few minutes of break we went to another boat ride; going to the lake again - you can swim again if you want; it got dark on the way back, so you'll have a night ride what makes it even more exciting.
The hike was memorable and exhausting. Luckily they give you the complete equipment to be prepared for mosquitos, rain, cold, and water. We started hiking in the morning. The guide walks first, would stop every other time to show some animals or explain some facts about the forest. The bushes are thick, try not to touch every tree, be careful with your steps, it's slippery, and there are roots or falling trees on the ground. I didn't know where to look. First, there is so much to explore. It smells wet and exotic. You see ants as giant as I have never seen them like this before, giant spiders crawling around, massive trees, spiky trees, and enormous palms. The path didn't stay dry for a long time. After about an hour, we entered the Swamp area, entering deeper water. In the beginning, it was funny, and we would laugh about almost getting water into our boots. In the end, we almost swam, the water reached the hip height, and the whole down part was wet. Often there are hidden holes in the water, so some of us would slip and even fall entirely into the water. Or get hurt trying to grab a branch or something close by. You can definitely call it adventurous. The three hours felt long in the end. I couldn't wait to get to the Longe to get some food. We saw a massive spider as a special guest crossing our way on the last meters. Still, it's difficult seeing lots of animals; we saw many tiny ones like frogs, spiders, ants, insects, birds but sadly nothing else. Guess you have more chances on longer hikes or multiple hikes during your stay. After finishing the hike, we put on dry clothes and got hot tea - what a fantastic feeling.
Day 3
You can choose to sleep in the hammock overnight, a few minutes distance to the Lodge but wholly hidden in the bushes; after discussing this at breakfast, we went swimming in front of the Lodge, could spend some free time, had lunch; after that: another boat ride watching for birds and animals including fishing - mostly Piranhas! The guide would give us a rod and show us how to do it and also how those sharp-threatened animals look like - fascinating and scary at the same time. Finally, we came back for dinner and mostly spent the time eating and sitting together.
Sleeping in the hammock is a must-do! We would all do a night hike in the evening, carrying our hammock and sleeping things, building our 'tent' at the specific spot, and leaving you there. I took two blankets, warm clothes, and mosquito repellent. Still, it felt like the mosquitos were finding you all the time, and you could hear there 'tzzzzz' the whole night. Besides that, you are adventurously surrounded by lots of unknown noises of animals, the rain, the wind, pure and exciting nature. Simply going to pee is quite a challenge. Leaving your safe spot around 3 am in the morning is not an easygoing task. At around 6 am the guide picked me up, we could leave the hammock there and carry our belongings back to the Lodge to enjoy the tasty breakfast.
Day 4
The last boat tour for us is in the early morning, starting at 5 am to gasp the sunrise and the early birds. The other ones would have continued with a Kanu ride and more bird watching. Finally, we said goodbye and started our way back home. The boat took us the 3 hours back to the starting point and then with changing busses we went back to Quito. Another endless ride with a fantastic view, though. In the end, we reached around 11 pm in Quito, and we were too happy to get some sleep.
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