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La Selva Jungle Lodge
Amazon
Ecuador
La Selva Lodge is in a picturesque setting on the edge of a lake in the heart of primary forest, two hours by motorized canoe from Coca down the Napo River. It’s an eco-lodge, paying particular attention to environmental sustainability and working with as many local people as possible. It won the World Congress on Tourism and the Environment award years before many other lodges were even giving responsible tourism a thought.
You are as far away from civilization as you can possibly be and a gourmet meal will arrive at your table with only the freshest ingredients. The food of La Selva Jungle Lodge is a major events. The lodge will fill you with wildlife sightings, hammocks will fill you with a stolen siesta and the bar will fill you with tropical delights, Pepe, the barman will be patient to teach you to pronounce. La Selva is one of the friendliest Amazon Jungle Lodge, a boutique, dedicated to fulfilling even the childhood fantasies of our far-flung guests. Swimming in the lake which borders the lodge is a popular anytime activity and you can fish in it too- for piranhas ! (Not to worry our piranhas are very friendly to guests.)
There are many activities to enjoy - guided walks are lead by a local native guide as well as an English speaking naturalist which gives an interesting perspective on the forest and its traditional usage. As well as walks along the extensive trails, there are river excursions in a dugout canoe, night excursions (walking or by canoe) to view nocturnal wildlife, and a 35 meter high viewing tower, which gives an unparalleled view across the primary rainforest canopy.
The lodge is a top spot for keen birdwatchers with over 500 species having been recorded in the area. These include some rarities like the zigzag heron, as well as toucans and trogons, jacamars and tanagers, antbirds, hummingbirds and macaws as well as around 20 other species of parrots. There are kayaks available for guest use, and those wishing to cool off after a rainforest hike can swim to a balsa raft in the middle of Garzacocha Lake.
There is a butterfly breeding farm 5 minutes from the lodge which provides the unusual opportunity to see and photograph a spectacular range of Amazonian butterfly species. There is also the Neotropical Field Research Institute, which is a research facility for biologists, so there is often the chance to speak to researchers and learn about the current studies.
In 2009 giant otters have again been seen in the lake, which is excellent news!
La Selva works closely with their local Quichua community and help with a variety of projects, both environmental and community-orientated. For example, one of the latest is that they have bought pigs, which they fatten on the scraps from the lodge, then they give the pigs to the community. As well as giving the obvious (ie good nutrition for the community), it means that hunting the rainforest wildlife has been diminished. It is thought that this is one of the factors in the return of the giant otters.
We generally accept no more than 40 guests and divide them into groups of 8 per guide. It is the perfect spot for family vacations, student groups, and women traveling alone (who always get single bungalows at no extra charge).
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Meeting:
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Coca
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Airport:
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Coca / Quito
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Transfer:
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Quito-Coca-Quito
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Riders:
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Min
1 riders
Max
10 riders
(per riding group)
Max Capacity
40
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Trip Rating
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Rates and Dates for 2010
Rates include:
Transportation in the Amazon, accommodation, meals, excursions, a bilingual (English) naturalist guide, and a native assistant.
| A | 2010 | 5 day trip | 5d / 4n | $855 |
| Single supplement | $260 |
| Children under 12 yrs discount | ($255) |
| Extra night at the Lodge | $190 |
| Extra night - overnight jungle camping | $250 |
| Entrance fee to Yasuni National Park | $25 |
| B | 2010 | 4 day trip | 4d / 3n | $725 |
| Single supplement | $220 |
| Children under 12 yrs discount | ($210) |
| Entrance fee to Yasuni National Park | $25 |
| Extra night at the Lodge | $190 |
| Extra night - overnight jungle camping | $250 |
Transfer Option:
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2010
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Transfer from Coca is included
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$0
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2010
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Flight Quito - Coca - Quito pp
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$150
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Arrival is possible any day of the week.
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Rates do not include:
Bar bill, personal expenses and tips. Laundry service. Entrance fee Yasuni National Park
Guests may take out the kayaks to explore the lake on their own anytime they wish. Try your hand at piranha fishing from the dock where we supply the droplines and the attire is usually just a bathing suit and sandals.
Above all we call ourselves the friendly Amazon Jungle Lodge where many of our native kich-wa Indian staff began as young boys building the lodge in 1986 and still work for us today offering each new guest something that we believe should be a standard component of ecotourism: the instant acceptance into their family and the chance to share in their revelations about the forest.
We have an expedition to suit every person. La Selva Eco Lodge knows that every guest has their own expectations when they come to take part in an adventure at an Amazon jungle lodge.
La Selva Eco Lodge brings you as close to nature as possible. You will find a lake, animal wildlife (monkeys, turtles, caiman, owls, etc.), virgin rainforest, a tower next to a giant tree, a butterfly farm, rivers and much more! As well, we have made trails suited specifically for your interests.
Depending on what you like, you will find, day adventures, night adventures, physical challenges, long walking, jungle adventures, science, ecotourism, or anthropological visits. Just let us know and we will arrange a native or naturalist guide to accompany you on your jungle adventure. We generally accept no more than 40 guests and divide them into groups of 8 per guide.
Through more than twenty years of refinement, the lodge has achieved a oneness with the environment. For this reason, La Selva won the Ecotourism Award.
Walk by a Native's House: Cross Garzacocha Lake. This adventure takes you on a two and a half to three hour walk on a purposely, underdeveloped trail which will offer some physical challenge
Mandicocha Trail: You will find this trail not so physically challenging but close to the Lodge which is filled with wildlife, no matter what hour of the day you take the Mandicocha Trail expedition.
The Campout Night
Leave the lodge after lunch with camera, change of clothes, everything you need for a one night camp out. Hike to a campsite about 1 hour or more where everything has been prepared, tents, latrine, cold water shower for your overnight stay. Settle in. Then return to madicocha lake and explore by canoe the upper mandiyacu stream. After dinner , a gourmet safari event, return to the lake for a nighttime exploration of Mandicocha lake, because of its distance from the lodge, rarely seen at night. Sleep with the jungle in full orchestration and arise to a hearty breakfast, early, to take full advantage of this depth in the forest to explore our most distant trail from the lodge. Return to the lodge for lunch.
(extra charge / 4 couple limit (two person tents)
Butterfly Farm
Our Butterfly Farm was designed to present an ecologically sound, sustainable alternative way to help preserve Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. It is another step in the Lodge's ongoing effort to find viable ways (besides ecotourism) to help save Ecuador's priceless Amazon Jungle.
Many of the people who visit these places (as many as 30,000 per day at Cypress Gardens) are inspired to visit the marvelous Amazon Basin. At the very least, La Selva knows that it makes people think about what they have got before it is gone. Even if it is only for an instant, we feel that it has accomplished something of great value: awareness.
There are more than 50 butterfly exhibition houses in Canada, the United States and Europe. As for the guests of La Selva, they have the opportunity to see this miracle of nature and with luck they may even witness the marvel of metamorphosis.
Our Farm is perhaps the best photo opportunity that the lodge has to offer.
We breed butterflies – we do not catch them in the forest – and sell them alive as pupa all over the world.
The Butterfly Farm was the first professional enterprise of its type in South America, the only one in the world located in the primary rainforest.
La Selva produces as many as 20,000 butterflies per year from egg to caterpillar to pupae for exportation.
We sends pupae to such diverse locations as a zoo in Holland, a castle in France, and Cypress Gardens in Florida where they fly in enclosed botanical gardens, spreading the message of beauty and the importance of the Amazon jungle with every beat of their wings and providing another example of ecotourism for our guests.
Birding
Bird Watching is a different kind of adventure travel and relished on a level the uninitiated can’t possibly imagine. We cater to these passionate, highly focused , avian sleuths.
Our friendly Amazon jungle lodge offers birders the possibility of sleeping amidst their quarry with perhaps the highest bird species list in the neotropics, just waiting for them and providing wondrous sights and sounds for the average non-birder guest.
For those with that special passion, those who know no time, no hunger, no exhaustion in pursuit of that special passion, we offer something unique in the entire world: Free birding!
Simply make known your wishes in advance. Pay our regular guest fees then upon arrival be ready for the birding experience of a lifetime with our native birding guides: The same ones who have lead the famous expensive birding Amazon jungle tours for, in some cases, twenty years.
Come to the place where the long-tailed potoo was first ever seen, the ochre striped ant-pitta and the cocha antshrike were first documented. The world capital of the zig-zag heron.
Here is a sample itinerary:
Day 1 Guests should be at the airport of Quito one hour before the departure time, they will be met by our Representative, who will hand out boarding passes, check suitcases and will give them all the assistance they may require. The private airline that we use may be ICARO, VIP,AEROGAL or TAME all flying modern planes for the 25 minutes it takes to fly from Quito to Coca (Our Amazon Jungle bordertown destination).
A 15 minute transfer in a Chiva (open bus) from the airport in Coca to a private dock follows. A motorized canoe will be waiting for the group to take them down the River Napo (2 _ hours). During the ride downriver a box lunch prepared in the morning will be ready for each guest.
Upon Arrival at the LA SELVA dock, our staff will carry your luggage (carry on, as well as camera gear, is guest’s responsibility.) A complimentary welcome cocktail greets guests in the bar along with the Naturalist guides and an introduction to the facilities and activities.. The first excursion will be organized, as fast as our travelers want and they will be ready to choose one of the innumerable possibilities.
Day 2 Early wake up call at 6:00 am, breakfast at 6:30 am. Departure for the excursion 7:10 am:
The Lunch will be served 1:00 o’clock. Afternoon: Leisure time until 4:00 pm that is your departure to the next adventure At 7:00 o’clock, Dinner Night Excursion.
Day 3 Early wake up call at 6:00 am, breakfast at 6:30 am. Departure for the excursion 7:10 am:
The Lunch will be served 1:00 o’clock. Afternoon: Leisure time until 4:00 pm that is your departure to the next adventure or we have prepared as an optional activity, fishing, canoeing, going to the observation tower or simply relaxing with your guide and discussing the lodge’s ecotourism efforts. At 7:00 o’clock, Dinner Night Excursion.
Day 4 Early wake up call at 6:00 am, breakfast at 6:30 am. Departure for the excursion 7:10 am:
The Lunch will be served 1:00 o’clock. Afternoon: Leisure time until 4:00 pm that is your departure to the next adventure or we have prepared as an optional activity, fishing, canoeing, going to the observation tower or simply relaxing. At 7:00 o’clock, Dinner Night Excursion.
Day 5 Last day: Early wake up to catch the flight back to Quito. Arrival to Quito around noon time.
Meeting:
Coca
Airport:
Coca / Quito
Transfer:
Quito-Coca-Quito
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Tack:
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Horses:
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Pace:
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Level:
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(2
to
3
out of 5)
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Riders:
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Min
1 riders
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Max
10 riders
(per riding group)
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Max Capacity
40
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Passport and Visa Requirements:
Passport valid for at least six months required by all nationals referred to in the chart.Passport NotePassports must be carried at all times. Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart ab. more
Here are some things that will help prepare you for the trip. Some items you will be able to use during your visit, as well as, in your spare time at home.
The cheapest waterproof camera will work if you don't think you will have much use for it after your visit to La Selva.
The Amazon Jungle offers opportunities for cultural exchange, photography, adventure, fishing, hiking, relaxation, bird watching and wildlife spotting.
The climate of tropical rainforests is usually warm and humid but never as unbearable as all the bad movies you have seen about it.
Thanks to biodiversity and top-notch guides, there is a good chance that you will see interesting animal species when visiting in the Amazon Jungle so again a cheap pair of waterproof binoculars could be just right for you.
You will certainly find many different plants in the rainforest you might want to bring a cheap magnifying glass.
A notebook of recycled paper to document your thoughts and observations about your adventure travel and ecotourism experiences in a friendly Amazon jungle lodge would be a good choice.
If you are interested in hearing birds of Eastern Ecuador, you can get Voices of New World Parrots (CD), Sounds of Neotropical Rainforest Mammals (CD) (Best Choice)
In the Book Department we recommend check Amazon’s South America category and browse for anything specific that might interest you and although expensive: The Birds of Ecuador 2 Volume Set, a two volume set written by Robert Ridgely and illustrated by Paul Greenfield, both frequent visitors to La Selva especially when compiling the Amazonian section of the book, is an exquisite masterwork, 14 years in the making, worthy of your library long past its useful days as a field guide while you visit us.
La Selva is .2 degrees below and so the stars are different from the ones seen by those of you who live in the Northern hemisphere. In the Astronomy section a very inexpensive guide, The Southern Night Sky will guide you to the Southern Cross and much, much more.
Sorry, no video is currently available for this tour.
*Important Notice: The following ratings have been submitted by guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Hidden Trails, its partners or employees.
Every care is taken to ensure accuracy but Hidden Trails is not liable for any errors or omissions.
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There are quaint, traditional wood and thatch cabins with electricity and fans (except at night), comfortable beds, mosquito nets, fresh towels, wonderful food (including some excellent coffee), marvellous staff, knowledgeable guides, cold beer (brought in by boat) and even (if you must) a cocktail menu. Add to this a truly haunting location on the edge of a beautiful lake, copious wildlife and the ever present sounds of the largest jungle on the planet and you have a truly unmissable place!! This is in the middle of the jungle, so do not expect 5-star accommodations with all the fixings, but it is clean, comfortable, and surrounded by absolute beauty.
The food is La Selva Jungle Lodge's pride. We blend the finest ingredients Ecuador has to offer with French, North American and Ecuadorian cooking skills.
Expect to try most of these fruits: uvillas, guayabas, guanabanas, naranjillas, morete, obos, taxo, granadilla and tomate de arbol.
Vegetarian and special diets are available upon request.
On top of everything, La Selva Jungle Lodge bakes its own bread and serves its own freshly made pasta.
All Service for us is Custom Service:
We see the job of adventure travel and ecotourism as taking care of every detail that might affect your stay.so that providence has more room to play.
We offer the mundane: laundry service.
Upgrades
Enhance your stay at La Selva with one or more of the following inexpensive but thrilling,romantic or adventurous additions to our regular offerings:
1) THE CANOPY BREAKFAST
(Price: ~$25 per person / Maximum 6 People)
For a real thrill have your breakfast 45 meters (135 feet) high above the forest in our canopy tower at dawn. The tower is one of the most coveted spots at the lodge because of the wildlife sightings and perspectives from there. So bring your camera and the lodge's chefs will bring the delicious food and impeccable service.
2) CANDLELIGHT DOCKSIDE DINNER
(Price: ~$80 per couple)
This is an extremely romantic candlelit dockside dinner for two on our lake alone except for you private attentive waiter and a single table. La Selva will light up the entire dock with a trail of candles that leads to your table. Complimentary Cocktails and Wine.
Above all we call ourselves the friendly Amazon Jungle Lodge where many of our native kich-wa Indian staff began as young boys building the lodge in 1986 and still work for us today offering each new guest something that we believe should be a standard component of ecotourism: the instant acceptance into their family and the chance to share in their revelations about the forest.
Out of a staff of fifty on the lodge site,from those once very young, now mature men we have ten second generation employees. The sons of the original boys who came to build an Amazon Jungle Lodge now work for us alongside their fathers bringing the same message of native spirit and openness that is the hallmark of our brand of ecotourism.
Some, with great effort have or are learning English to become naturalist guides and fully communicate the life of the Amazon Jungle from their special perspective.
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Tack:
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Horses:
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Pace:
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--
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Level:
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(2
to
3
out of 5)
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Riders:
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Min
1 riders
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Max
10 riders
(per riding group)
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Max Capacity
40
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Passports
Passport valid for at least six months required by all nationals referred to in the chart.
Passport Note
Passports must be carried at all times.
Visas
Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days.
Note: (a) A measles vaccination certificate is required by all nationals travelling from Germany and Italy and must be shown on arrival. (b) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Visa Note
Extensions of a further 90 days are available through the local immigration authorities.
| Passport Required? |
| British |
Yes |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
Yes |
| Visa Required? |
| British |
No |
| Australian |
No |
| Canadian |
No |
| USA |
No |
| Other EU |
No |
| Return Ticket Required? |
| British |
Yes |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
Yes |
This information is not being updated on a regular basis. Hidden Trails does not
take any responsibility for the accuracy of the above information. Please, consult
the embassy or consulate for updated info.
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