Posted on June 12, 2019
By Anouk Jansens, Marketing Intern
To me, the Amazon Jungle always seemed like something otherworldly and completely out of my reach. Something that I saw on National Geographic or in documentaries about South America. So when it was time to start my six-month adventure in Ecuador and I realized that I had to take the opportunity to visit this amazing piece of nature, you can imagine my excitement.
All packed up, my friend Kyra and I went to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve for four days, located in the northeast of Ecuador. After a long bus ride (a faster way to get to the nearby town is by plane) we arrived at the small village Tarapoa, from where we continued our journey by boat to reach the lodge that would be our place of residence for the upcoming days, three hours later. The lodge is based quite deep in the jungle, which makes the surroundings very quiet and relaxing.
After my first night falling asleep to the sounds of the jungle it was time to rise and shine, to lift up my mosquito net and get the day started with a delicious breakfast of fresh yuca bread, jam, eggs and juice. We took a cup of coffee with us on the boat that took us for a trip to spot some tropical birds and monkeys. The mono ardilla, better known as the squirrel monkey, is the most common monkey to see; we indeed saw many of them. These little monkeys are awfully cute and usually travel in bigger groups of 20 to 50 at a time.
Apart from monkeys, colorful birds, anacondas, caimans and many beautiful butterflies, the jungle also hides animals that are a bit harder to find, making them all the more special. I am talking about sloths, pink river dolphins and pocket monkeys, for example. These monkeys were given their name because of, you guessed it, their small size – they could really fit in your pocket! To answer your next burning question: yes, sloths really do move as slow as you think they do. I was lucky enough to spot all three of these special animals and it was an experience I will never forget.
On our second and third day we went on a night walk to search for some interesting species of insects. I’m not going to lie; I am a bit afraid of insects so this was not my favourite part. However, after seeing wolf spiders, tarantulas and huge grasshoppers, those daddy longlegs that I find in my house are not that scary at all anymore.
A part of the tour that I did thoroughly enjoy was the visit to the local community that lives in the Amazon. Here, we learned how to harvest, peel and prepare yuca (a starchy root) so that in the end we had delicious self-made yuca bread. After a tasty lunch all of us were quite tired and a little overheated. Since the climate in the jungle is very warm and humid, the entire group was very happy to go for a swim in ‘Laguna Grande’, a beautiful lagoon where you can enjoy the cool water after a long hot day. This is also the best place to enjoy a stunning sunset from the comfort of your canoe.
Unfortunately, on the fourth day it was already time to return to Quito. My jungle experience was extraordinary and something I will look back upon as a happy memory!
If you would like to have some more information about Amazon Rainforest, please do not hesitate to contact us!
Read our last blog about the escape to Bucaramanga in Colombia here.