Visiting Ecuador’s Amazon Jungle is one of life’s great adventures. This vital yet fragile environment is among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Earth, home to thousands of species of plants, trees, insects, reptiles, fish, birds and mammals.
The best way to truly immerse in this extraordinary landscape is to stay in an ecolodge deep within the rainforest. There, you’ll have the opportunity to search out the shy and elusive wildlife of the jungle in the company of expert nature guides who know where to look.
We spent 4 days at the remote and beautiful Sacha Lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Even as one of the region’s more accessible jungle lodges, the journey from Quito to Sacha takes some eight hours and involves a plane, a speedboat, a boardwalk through the forest and a canoe ride. It’s an adventure just to get there!
Each day of our stay, we would set out in the early morning, in the late afternoon, and again at night to discover the unique plants and wildlife of the Amazon jungle. Our guides were Indigenous locals whose lives and livelihoods have been intertwined with the rainforest for generations. Their knowledge of the jungle, and their ability to spot its residents – even the tiniest or best camouflaged – was profound.
Our time in this precious environment was brief, but it left its mark and made us all the more determined to fight for its future. Visiting the Amazon rainforest is an experience unlike any other; we hope you get to discover its wonder too.
For now, here’s a collection of our favourite photos from our time in the Ecuadorian Amazon to give you a taste of what to expect of a visit to this lush and vibrant jungle world.
Visiting Ecuador’s Amazon jungle, you’ll find shades of green you didn’t know existed.And meet bizarre looking birds like this one, known locally as ‘Stinky Turkey’.In the early mornings at Sacha Lodge, you can get above the canopy as the sun rises, an ideal time for spotting birds, monkeys and sloths.Daily wildlife wanders with nature guides will reveal well-camouflaged wildlife, like these tiny bats. Can you see them?You’ll have close-ups with some of the jungle’s thousands of insect species.And discover that even the sticks have legs.Back at the lodge, you can try your hand at fishing for piranha.…..really tiny piranha.Always have your binoculars at the ready. Birds abound!In fact, 600 species of bird have been recorded in the reserve around Sacha Lodge alone (this is a Greater Ani, if you’re wondering).Seriously, there are birds everywhere! You’ll visit the places they love, like this clay salt lick in Yusuní nature reserve.But sometimes the wildlife will come to the lodge and visit you.You’ll learn where the wildlife hides away on rainforest walks.And your guides will introduce you to the jungle’s giants.As well as to its tiniest residents, like this teeny, tiny frog.You’ll find yourself sharing the water with all manner of creatures, like these yellow headed caracaras.And easily while away hours spotting animals in the treetops.Sometimes you’ll get close to the wildlife (in this case, a hook billed kite).Sometimes really close (Sacha Lodge’s Butterfly House is perfect for close encounters)!Often though, you’ll be wildlife spotting from a distance or through binoculars. But if you’re lucky, you’ll glimpse some spectacular locals, like this vibrant Aracari.The action doesn’t stop at sundown. At night, walks in the jungle reveal the colourful critters that come out to play.And you’ll set off on twilight paddles into the dark water creeks off the lagoon in search of caimans and bats.When you’re not pacing the jungle or paddling the waterways though, you can chill out on a hammock back at your jungle cabin and watch the wildlife right on your own doorstep.
Want to know more about staying in a lodge in the Amazon jungle of Ecuador? Check out our post about the experience.
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