La Selva Jungle Lodge

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 travelling alone (who always get single bungalows at no extra charge).

+1 604-323-1141

Itinerary / Highlights

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.

Other Details

Accommodation Details

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.