Amazon Add-on Tour – La Selva Lodge

Activity Level

Easy

Activity

Wildlife Holidays

Overview

Explore the Ecuadorian Amazon by canoe and trail, with wildlife encounters and a stay at a forest lodge

Discover the Amazon, staying at a lakeside jungle lodge that can only be reached by boat. Travelling by canoe and on foot, we explore a network of trails, lakes and waterways, encountering wildlife from parrots at clay licks to monkeys in the canopy. Time in the forest is balanced with a visit to a local community, offering insight into life in this environment. With access to observation towers, night walks and expert guidance throughout, this is a well-rounded introduction to the Amazon’s ecosystems and cultures.

Key Information

Trip Code: XTNLASELVA
Countries: Ecuador

What's Included

Accommodation: 3 nights at Yarina Lodge, 1 night in Quito
All breakfasts, four lunches and four dinners
Travel by minibus and boat, plus internal flights from/to Quito
All activities at Yarina Lodge

Don't Forget To

Request a single room if required, purchase travel insurance and arrange any visas and vaccinations. Speak to your sales representative for Dates & Prices and please be aware that a compulsory sole traveller supplement applies to this itinerary.

Highlights

Watch parrots gather at a clay lick along the Napo River

Explore forest trails, lakes and waterways with expert naturalist guides

Visit a local Amazon community to learn about daily life and traditions

Itinerary

First Destination: Quito
Next Destination: Quito

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Meals included:None

First Destination: Quito
Next Destination: Quito

Begin at Quito airport, where a representative from La Selva meets you in the National Departure area to assist with check-in and give you a quick briefing.

After flying east to Coca, you take a short road transfer to the river, where you continue (2hr 30min) by motorised canoe along the Napo River.

This first stretch into the Amazon offers a sense of scale, with your guide pointing out birdlife along the banks. You’ll also enjoy a box lunch and drinks as you cruise into the wild. A final canoe ride (approximately 30 minutes) brings you to La Selva Lodge.

After settling in, head onto the Matapalo Charapa Trail with a naturalist guide, where towering trees and dense vegetation introduce the structure of the rainforest.

As night falls, we return to Garza Cocha Lake for a canoe ride, scanning for caiman and other nocturnal species, before returning to the lodge for a gourmet dinner.

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Lunch, Dinner

A short hike leads you to the observation tower, rising 120ft (36m) above the forest floor. From here, you can look across the canopy, with a guide identifying bird species and movement in the treetops – sometimes monkeys travelling between branches. Continue on foot to Mandi Cocha, a floodplain lake where wildlife gathers at the water’s edge.

In the afternoon, explore Garza Cocha Lake by canoe, moving quietly through channels where squirrel monkeys and capuchin are often seen, alongside the distinctive hoatzin bird.

After the sun sets, return to the forest with torches (flashlights). The night walk reveals a different side of the ecosystem, with insects, amphibians and reptiles active after dark.

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel (approximately 1hr 30min) by motorised canoe back towards the Napo River to visit a parrot clay lick, where flocks gather to feed on mineral-rich soil. Your guide explains this behaviour while helping to identify the different species present.

Later, visit the Pilchi community, where you gain insight into daily life in the Amazon. Through conversation and demonstrations, you learn about traditional practices, food preparation and the relationship between people and forest.

Back near the lodge, you hike the Coto Trail, where your guide highlights medicinal plants and smaller forest species often missed at first glance. The walk ends with a dusk canoe ride, when wildlife activity increases once more.

Before dinner, the lodge manager will brief you on tomorrow’s departure procedures. Celebrate your final night with a special farewell cocktail prepared by our bartender.

Accommodation:La Selva Lodge
Meals included:Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You’ve explored the Amazon by canoe and on foot, watched wildlife from the canopy and waterways, and spent time with a local community, but now it’s time to begin your return journey.

Retrace your route by paddle canoe and motorboat to Coca (approximately 2hr 30min), followed by a 30-minute flight back to Quito.

Dates & Prices

Accommodation

La Selva Lodge

Set beside Garza Cocha Lake, La Selva Lodge places you deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon, with direct access to forest trails and waterways. Cabins are spread through the forest, each with private bathrooms and balconies that look onto the surrounding vegetation.

Communal areas overlook the lake, offering opportunities to watch wildlife between excursions. With expert naturalist guides and a location within a protected reserve, the lodge provides a strong base for exploring the Amazon in depth.

Essential Information

This trip is graded Activity Level 1 (Easy). For more information on our trip gradings, visit the Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip, please contact us.

Itinerary: This add-on tour runs on a shared basis with non-Exodus guests.

Flexibility: This sample itinerary may vary depending on weather, group interests, safety considerations, and seasonal changes. Your guides will tailor each day to create the best possible experience.

Ecuador

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Ecuador. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/americas/ecuador
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/ecuador
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ecuador/entry-requirements
USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Ecuador.html

Meals at La Selva Lodge combine Ecuadorian flavours with international dishes, using fresh ingredients sourced locally where possible. Expect a mix of fish, tropical fruits and regional specialities alongside familiar options.

Breakfasts are timed to suit early excursions, while lunches and dinners are relaxed, often shared as a group.

There’s also time to unwind with a drink at the bar or a coffee overlooking the lake, as the sounds of the forest continue around you.

It will be hot with high humidity in the Amazon Rainforest. There is a possibility of rain at any time, but not to the extent of spoiling your enjoyment. The driest time in the jungle (in terms of rainfall levels, not number of rainy days) is October to January.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.