LA SELVA JUNGLE LODGE
Located just outside the Yasuní National Park and within the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, La Selva Lodge is perfect for travellers seeking their ideal Amazon experience — whether they are six or sixty. A luxury resort in the heart of the rainforest, everyone will find something to love.
IN THE HEART OF THE ECUADORIAN RAINFOREST:
Our lodge is located on the north bank of the Napo River, which eventually flows eastward and joins the mighty Amazon on its way to the Atlantic Ocean. It takes about five hours to travel from your hotel in Quito to your jungle suite, by plane, motorized canoe, by foot, and arriving in a silent paddle canoe.
SWEET DREAMS IN THE MIDST OF THE JUNGLE:
La Selva Amazon Ecolodge has 19 spacious suites, including three Scenic Suites with views of Lake Garzacocha and four roomy Family Suites. The Scenic and Superior Suites include exclusive rainforest showers, private balconies, and panoramic views, while the Family Suites include extra-spacious bathrooms, hammocks and a hot tub on a private porch. The design of the rooms at La Selva is inspired by the architecture of the native people’s homes. The airy, shady layout keeps things cool even in the hottest hours of the day.
At La Selva Lodge, we are deeply committed to sustainable ecotourism and keeping our impact on the environment to a minimum. Therefore, we do not have air conditioners in the rooms. There are, however, large windows and a ceiling fan which keeps the air in the suites circulating. If you need a hairdryer, ask for one in the front desk.
SERVICES
Staff
The friendly staff form the backbone experience, and are always available to cater to any special needs you may have.
Birdwatching
Bird life is exceptionally diverse at La Selva and one of the highlights of La selva Lodge — even if you’re not a serious birder, you’ll soon become a bird-lover of some 600+ species.
Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi with a passcode all around the lodge and rooms.
Electricity
Throughout the Lodge, 24-hour electricity is provided by a distant, nearly inaudible generator.
Boots & Ponchos
Clean and disinfected bubber boots and rain ponchos are available for all guests at the Lodge, free of charge.
Water
Purified, safe drinking water is available at multiple points around the Lodge – there’s no need to bring your own bottled water.
Wildlife Viewing
You don't have to be an expert! With the help of the specialist naturalist and native guides, you’ll soon be spotting parrots, monkeys, toucans, caimans, frogs, and much, much more.
Restaurant, Lounge & Bar
From dawn to dusk, you can always count on a member of staff to help you with whatever you need in terms of food and beverages. Our bar is fully stocked with local and international beers, liquors, and gins. Feel free to start a tab and pay the night before you leave.
AMAZON PROGRAM
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
$1570
Per Person
CHECK AVAILABILITY
After a 30-minute commercial flight to Puerto Francisco de Orellana “El Coca,” our representative will take you to our office, located along the Napo River pier, in a private vehicle.
The next two hours will be spent in a motorized canoe heading downriver, beginning an unforgettable experience in the Amazon rainforest. We will provide you with a box lunch and extra drinks for this part of the trip.
At the end of the motorized canoe ride, you will be dropped off at La Selva’s main dock where the final leg of the trip to the lodge will be completed in a paddle canoe. The only thing you must take care of during this part of the trip is your carry-on and camera equipment, all other luggage will be transported by La Selva staff.
The manager will be waiting to greet you with a refreshing beverage, snacks, and a short briefing about your stay at La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat.
Intro to the Rainforest
After some rest and time to unpack, one of the Naturalist Guides will give you some basic information about the tropical rainforest, the Amazon, and how La Selva operates.
The idea is to begin your activities armed with general knowledge of the amazing place you have just arrived at.
Matapalo Charapa Trail
This trail was given the Spanish name of the famous Strangler fig (Ficus sp), one of many remarkable trees that you can find on this short walk.
Mahogany trees over 400 years old can be seen, and your guides will share their knowledge of the flora and fauna seen along the trail with you.
Due to the time of day, there is soft natural light shining through the canopy, and diurnal and nocturnal animals are beginning their daily transitional activities.
Night Canoe Ride
Garza Cocha lagoon is a great place to search for caimans, bats, owls, and night mammals with the help of a spotlight the guides will use. There are also great opportunities for stargazing if the night sky is clear!
Snacks
At the bar, you can find snacks and order cocktails from the bartender. There is also a non-alcoholic beverage station where you can help yourself to limitless tea and coffee!
Dinner
Find your seat and get comfortable while our waiters serve you each course.
Breakfast.
Observation Tower & Mandi Cocha
After a 15-minute’ walk, the observation tower comes into sight, soaring an impressive 120 ft above the forest floor. Your Naturalist and Native guides, with the help of a sighting scope, will show you colorful birds enjoying the canopy and maybe even certain primates. After another 30-minute walk from the tower, we reach Mandi Cocha.
This small lake has different vegetation and landscapes displaying the beauty of the flooded forest. With a little bit of luck, our guests might spot the famous giant otters that make their home nearby. This endangered species is difficult to find, but during this visit there’s a chance we might see them!
Lunch
Garza Cocha Lake
This lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This is one of several opportunities to spot several different species of monkeys and birds. Sometimes, huge groups of squirrel monkeys join families of capuchin monkeys to look for food. Howler monkeys also like to spend the late afternoon around the lake.
The hoatzin, a large unique bird found only in pristine Amazon environments, is very easy to spot.
Night Walk
All you need is a flashlight and your camera to see the jungle come alive at night. Amphibians, insects, reptiles, birds, and nocturnal mammals may be seen wherever your guides take you.
Dinner
Wake up call
Breakfast
Parrot Clay Lick and Pilchi Community
After an early breakfast, you will make your way back to the Napo River and take a motorized canoe ride to the clay lick, one of the most fascinating displays of the wild world. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather here to eat the mineral-rich soil, an important part of their diet. Binoculars are essential to capture the moment.
At the Indigenous community of Pilchi, you will learn how the first nations of the Amazon lived thousands of years ago, including their traditional dress, food, cooking methods, and the many ways they utilize the resources of the forest in their daily lives. As part of the visit, you will also have the opportunity to visit the local school and see how education is a vital part of the community’s culture today. It’s a truly unique, fascinating, and fun experience!
Please note: School visits are paused from June to September due to the summer break.
Don’t be shy to ask them questions, and be brave to try some of the traditional drinks and food! they love to share their ancestral knowledge and spread awareness about their culture and where they live.
Lunch
Coto Trail
This is a fantastic walk that goes from the lodge to the edge of the Garza Cocha Lake. In the afternoon, the soft rays of sunlight make this walk an amazing experience and the perfect opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this amazing forest.
Your guide will point out and explain all of the fascinating creatures that you come across, and our native guide will show you some of the medicinal plants that they have had for thousands of years. A canoe ride back to the lodge will provide you with the opportunity to see Caymans, bats, and other nocturnal wildlife in and around the lake, giving this activity a fantastic ending!
Departure Briefing
Our manager will provide you with all the necessary information about your departure procedure for the next morning and our bartender is going to offer you a delicious farewell cocktail.
Dinner
Wake Up Call
Breakfast
Departure to Coca according to your briefing the night before, you will have an early wake-up call, breakfast, and departure from the lodge.
The lodge staff will assist you with your checked luggage, and the motorized canoe ride will head upstream back to Coca, where our representatives will take you to the La Selva office to use the restrooms.
After a short break, they will take you to the airport and help you with your boarding passes and checked luggage.
FAMILY PROGRAM
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
$1570
Pep Person
CHECK AVAILABILITY
great for family fun!
Monkeys, parrots, piranhas and snakes. Need we say more?
Kids, parents, brothers, sisters, granddads, grannies, cousins, nephews, nieces, and any other sort of relatives are welcome at La Selva Amazon Lodge! We’ve been creating memorable family moments for over a quarter century and we take great pride in being the most kid-friendly lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon.
FOR A FAMILY OF 3 (2 ADULTS + 1 CHILD UNDER 12 YEARS OLD)
HIGHLIGHTS
The jungle is a great place to be a kid! At La Selva Lodge you can kayak around the lake as you look for monkeys, climb up into our canopy tower to look for birds and swing on vines like Tarzan!
Kids get to do all of the regular great La Selva fun stuff, like hike in the jungle, ride the canoes around the lake and look for wildlife with trained, English-speaking guides.
But because we love them so much, kids get some extras, too!
– Special kit for adventurers
– Crayons for drawing pictures of their day
– Excursions with specially trained guides
– Magnifying glasses to see tiny wildlife close-up
Your kids are a bit finicky, you say? No problem! Our chefs have a lot of experience whipping up kid-friendly meals and snacks.
We love our naturalist guides. They speak multiple languages, including English, Spanish and Parrot. They can spot frogs on the trail that look just like leaves until someone points them out. They can tell which species of monkey is overhead just by hearing it move through the trees. What could be cooler than a naturalist guide?
Kids who want to participate will be given a list of things to do, including learning bird calls, finding food in the jungle, and paddling the canoes. Those who are found worthy will receive a great honor: they’ll be an official La Selva Lodge Junior Naturalist Guide!
To preserve their safety and make it a good experience for our little passengers we have established the following policies:
– We do not accept any children under the age of 3 under any circumstances.
– A private guide is mandatory when one or more children are between the ages of 3 and 6.
– An obligatory release must be signed before guests travel where the parents will be entirely responsible for their children when visiting La Selva between the ages of 3 and 6.
BIRDWATCHING
4 DAYS / 3 NIGHTS
Special Price
Under Request
CHECK AVAILABILITY
Birdwatching in the Amazon Rainforest is a bucket-list adventure for many birdwatchers, and there is no better place in the Amazon to see them than La Selva Lodge, located in the heart of the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve.
After all, there are more species of birds in Ecuador alone than in all of North America combined, and a large percentage of those birds make the Amazon their home. You’re sure to see dozens of species of birds…just on the canoe trip from the town of Coca down the Napo River to get to the lodge on your first day!
We love having birdwatchers at the lodge, and here are just a few things we do to make your birdwatching experience unforgettable:
– Native guides from local communities: they may not speak much English, but they know the local names of all of the birds, and better yet, where to find them!
– Early breakfasts
– An observation tower high in the rainforest canopy Quiet, hand-paddled canoes for seeing birds on the lagoon and the creeks that lead in and out of it.
– Private, specialized birdwatching guides upon request with an additional fee.
Why La Selva Lodge? Here are just a few of the many, many highlights of birding with us:
– It’s the place where the Long-tailed Potoo was first seen
– It’s also the place where the Ochre Striped Ant-pitta and the Cocha Antshrike were first documented;
– The world capital of the spectacular Zig-zag Heron.
– The Yasuní Biosphere Reserve is home to hundreds of species of birds, from tiny hummingbirds to massive Harpy Eagles
– Our guests regularly see dazzling species such as macaws, toucans, and tanagers
AMAZON PROGRAM
5 DAYS / 4 NIGHTS
$1930
Per Person
CHECK AVAILABILITY
After a 30-minute commercial flight to Puerto Francisco de Orellana “El Coca”, our representative will take you to our office located along the Napo River pier in a private vehicle.
The next two hours will be spent in a motorized canoe heading downriver on what will be the beginning of an unforgettable experience in the Amazon rainforest.
We will provide you a box lunch and extra drinks for this part of the trip.
At the end of the motorized canoe ride, you will be dropped off at La Selva’s main dock where the final leg of the trip to the lodge will be completed in a paddle canoe.
The only thing you must take care of during this part of the trip is your carry-on and camera equipment, all other luggage will be transported by La Selva staff.
The manager will be waiting to greet you with a refreshing beverage, snacks and a short briefing about your stay at La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat.
Intro to the Rainforest
After some rest and time to unpack, one of the Naturalist Guides will give you some basic information about the tropical rainforest, the Amazon, and how La Selva operates.
The idea is to begin your activities armed with general knowledge of the amazing place you have just arrived to.
Matapalo Charapa Trail
This trail was given the Spanish name of the famous Strangler fig (Ficus sp), one of many remarkable trees that you can find on this short walk.
Mahogany trees over 400 years old can be seen, and your guides will share their knowledge of the flora and fauna seen along the trail with you.
Due to the time of day, there is soft natural light shining through the canopy, and the diurnal and nocturnal animals are beginning their daily transitional activities.
Night Canoe Ride
Garza Cocha lagoon is a great place to search for caimans, bats, owls, and night mammals with the help of a spotlight the guides will use.
There are also excellent opportunities for stargazing if the night sky is clear!
Snacks
At the bar you can find snacks and order cocktails from the bartender. There is also a non-alcoholic beverage station where you can help yourself to limitless tea and coffee!
Dinner
Find your seat and get comfortable while our waiters serve each course.
Full day of activities
Wake Up Call
Breakfast
Observation Tower & Mandi Cocha
After a 15-minute walk, the observation tower comes into sight, soaring an impressive 120 ft above the forest floor. Your Naturalist and Native guides, with the help of a sighting scope, will show to you colorful birds enjoying the canopy and maybe even certain primates. After another 30-minute walk from the tower, we reach Mandi Cocha.
This small lake boasts different vegetation and landscapes, displaying the beauty of the flooded forest. With a little bit of luck, our guests might spot the famous giant otters that make their home nearby. This endangered species is difficult to find, but during this visit there’s a chance we might see them!
Lunch
Garza Cocha Lagoon
This lake is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Ecuadorian Amazon. This is one of several opportunities to spot several different species of monkeys and birds. Sometimes, huge groups of squirrel monkeys join families of capuchin monkeys to look for food. Howler monkeys also like to spend the late afternoon around the lake.
The hoatzin, a large unique bird found only in pristine Amazon environments, is very easy to spot.
Night Walk
All you need is a flashlight and your camera to see the jungle come alive at night. Amphibians, insects, reptiles, birds, and nocturnal mammals may be seen wherever your guides take you.
Dinner
Full day of activities
Wake Up Call
Breakfast
Parrot Clay Lick and Pilchi Community
After an early breakfast, you will make your way back to the Napo River and take a motorized canoe ride to the clay lick, one of the most fascinating displays of the wild world. Hundreds of parrots and parakeets gather here to eat the mineral rich soil, an important part of their diet. Binoculars are essential to really capture the moment.
At the indigenous community of Pilchi you will learn about how the first nations of the Amazon lived dating back thousands of years, including how they dress, what they eat, how they cook, and the many ways they use what the forest provides in their daily lives – a truly unique, fascinating and fun experience!
Don’t be shy to ask them questions, and be brave to try some of the traditional drinks and food! they love to share their ancestral knowledge and spread awareness about their culture and where they live.
Lunch
Coto Trail
This is a fantastic walk that takes from the lodge to the edge of the Garza Cocha Lagoon. In the afternoon, the light from the sun makes of this walk and amazing experience and the perfect opportunity to enjoy of the beauty of this amazing forest.
Your naturalist is going to explain to you about all the creatures that you find and our native guide will show to you some of the medicinal plants that they have been using from hundreds and even thousands of years. A canoe ride back to the lodge makes a fantastic ending for this activity.
Dinner
Full day of activities
Wake Up Call
Breakfast
Yasuní National Park
The Yasuní National Park is the largest protected area in Ecuador. On this adventure, we’ll visit a different clay lick where scarlet macaws and other species of parrots congregate to drink the sodium-rich water. You might even see mammals such as deer, wild pigs and even tapirs who come to drink water here!
Afterward, there’s a nice walk through this incredible forest where you might find other species of primates that are unique to this area. The Yasuní National Park is also the home of the last uncontacted indigenous tribe of our country – but as they’re uncontacted, we won’t see them!
Lunch
Morete Yaku
The main creek that feeds into the Garza Cocha Lake is a beautiful place to paddle through. You will see the difference between the Terra Firme forest and the swamp forest also known as moretal. Morete is one of the dominant species of plants in this ecosystem.
This extremely tall palm is very important to many different species of animals and also for the indigenous communities that use its fruit as an important source of energy.
Departure Briefing
Our manager will provide you with all of the necessary information about the departure procedure for the next morning, and our bartender will offer you a delicious farewell cocktail.
Wake Up Call
Breakfast
Departure for Coca
according to your briefing the night before – you will have an early wake up call, breakfast and departure from the lodge.
The lodge staff will assist you with your checked luggage and the motorized canoe ride will head upstream back to Coca, where our representatives will take you to the La Selva office to use the restrooms there.
After a short break, they will take you to the airport and help you with your boarding passes and checked luggage.
FAQ
INCLUDES:
- River transportation Coca - La Selva Lodge - Coca.
- Accommodation in la Selva Lodge.
- Community guide and naturalist bilingual guide.
- Activity daily briefing.
- Welcome and farewell cocktail.
- All meals.
- Purified water from dispenser.
- American coffee, herbal tea and snacks at the coffee station.
- Supplied expedition gear: water container and small backpack.
- Rain coat and rubber boots provided during your stay.
- Yoga sessions.
- Use of Kayaks.
DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- Air ticket Quito – Coca – Quito $256 USD per person. La Selva will reserve, book, and issue the flight tickets. (In case they are issued directly, a penalty fee of USD 50 per person applies) (subject to change).
- SPA services and treatments
- Soft beverages: juices, sodas, sparkling water, etc.
- Alcoholic Beverages
- Tips for guide and staff
- Travel and health insurance
- Souvenirs
- Personal Expenses
- Any other item not specified above
- Passport
- Binoculars
- Flashlight and batteries
- Camera, memory and flash
- Insect repellent
- Sun protection (cream / sunglasses / hat or cap)
- Light long pants and long-sleeved shirts for walks
- Shorts, short sleeve shirts and swimsuit for the Lodge
- Comfortable shoes and extra socks
- Small day backpack
- Plastic bags to protect cameras, binoculars, batteries, etc... from rain
- La Selva will reserve, book, and issue the flight tickets. (In case they are issued directly, a penalty fee of USD 50 per person applies) (subject to change).
- Luggage weight limit: 23 kg per passenger. Carry-on weight limit: 10 kg per passenger (Economy class). It is recommended to be at the airport 2 hours before departure time.
- Rates are subject to change in case of additional taxes, fuel increases or For Sunday operation, please contact us in order to arrange special transportation accordingly: From 1 to 8 pax surcharge of $300 per group applies (subject to change). From 9 pax onwards no additional cost applies.
- 25% discount per child (#1) out of the rates, when traveling with one adult. Children must be under 12 years old at the time of traveling.
- For Christmas and New Year ́s Eve departures,a 10% surcharge applies. Special conditions apply
- Single supplement is 50%
