La Selva Lodge
Ecuador
Duration:4 days
La Selva jungle and rainforest lodge is in Ecuador's Primary Rainforest. Ecuador's Amazon Rainforest is a tropical garden of colourful blossoms, billowing ferns and giant trees providing a green sanctuary to rare and exotic wildlife with intriguing insects, unique species of birds and butterflies and magical sceneries. The rain stimulates the Amazon rainforest’s luxuriant growth and drenches the visitor who comes to see the spectacle. In other words the Amazon Rainforest is LA SELVA Jungle Lodge reason of existence.
La Selva Jungle lodge boasts 17 thatched-roofed cabins, and a spacious dining room, aslo with a cone-shaped roof. The lodges of La Selva Jungle Lodge come of a native design: rustic, authentic and comfortable. The lodges can be described as private bungalows that are dry, cozy and immaculately clean. They are made entirely of secondary rainforest materials and are designed to blend with Ecuador's Jungle. Each lodge has a private bathroom, a hammock and a mosquito netting in each bed.
La Selva Jungle Lodge has unexpected amenities such as hot water. Everything at La Selva Jungle Lodge is sanitary beyond your wildest expectations. Other gathering spots at La Selva include an open-air bar and lounge area with a wrap-around view of the lake. You can sneak a siesta (spanish for nap) in the hammock hut, or spend some lazing about and reviewing photos of the day on your digitial camera.
Day 1
Quito - La Selva Lodge
Visitors fly from Quito to Coca, where you will be met at the airport and provided with transport to La Selva Lodge. LD
Day 2-3
La Selva Lodge
The first excursion will be organised, as fast as they want and they will be ready to choose one of the innumerable possibilities that we are glad to detail for you:
Walk to Silverio's House:
Cross Garzacocha Lake. Two and a half to three hour walk on a purposely underdeveloped trail which has some physical challenge. Half of the walk takes place in primary forest and the other half passes the huts of our indigenous neighbors along the Napo River.
MANDICOCHA TRAIL:
An easy trail close to the hotel which is usually filled with wildlife no matter what hour of the day you do it. The excursion can last as long as you want.
MANDICOCHA-MANDIYACU:
A 3 to 4 hour trip. Follow the Mandicocha trail until you reach Mandicocha Lake which has a completely different ecosystem than Lake Garzacocha (where the hotel is located). Board paddle canoes for a one and half hour glide down Mandiyacu stream. One easily sees the myriad of wildlife that presents itself along the shores of the stream. Arriving at the Napo River, board a motorized canoe for the trip back to LA SELVA.
EL SALADO:
It's a two-hour excursion often combined with a picnic lunch and trips across the Napo River (see following). Visit a site where with a little luck, parrots, parakeets and macaws can be seen by the thousands.
HIGH FOREST TRAIL:
The duration can vary between 3 to 5 hours. Cross the Napo River and arrive at a challenging mountainous trail which offers yet another ecosystem. It is a chance to see birds and other wildlife nowhere else seen. Also a chance to eat lemon ants.
PILCHE TRAIL:
Cross Garzacocha Lake then one hour or more of walking. See and enormous colony of leafcutter ants and whatever wildlife may come your way.
NIGHT EXCURSIONS:
Canoe or walking trips after dark to view nocturnal animals such as caiman, monkeys, insect, owls. Sample the LA SELVA nightlife.
135 FOOT OBSERVATION TOWER:
Not far from the lodge you can spend many hours observing birds flying by at eye-level, wildlife of all kinds, and yes, a bird's-eye view of it all.
BUTTERFLY FARM:
Available every afternoon. Close to the lodge, watch and photograph butterflies at close range. With any luck, witness the miracle of metamorphosis.
PEDRO'S TRAIL:
Two versions available. Cross Garzacocha Lake, walk through virgin forest, and arrive at the tower: 4 hours. Short version: pass Butterfly farm and join trail in the middle (two hours).
CHAWAMANGO'S TRAIL:
Head east at Mandicocha trailhead and walk parallel tot eh lake. Arrive at Napo River. Return by elevated walkway and cross Garzacocha by canoe, 3 hours.
LITTLE CHAWAMANGO:
Short trip by foot around the edge of Lake Garzacocha. Return by canoe to the lodge.
RUTH'S TRAIL:
Across Mandicocha, it goes on and on and on. Good place to look for Jaguars (Named after owner's mother).
At 7:00 o'clock, Dinner. There are Night Excursions (caiman hunt, search for owls, frogs, insect excursion, etc) in case guests are interested available every night. All the excursions will be organized day by day with your guide and the group.BLD
Day 4
La Selva Lodge - Coca - Quito
Transport will be provided to the airport in Coca, where you will take the flight back to Quito. B
