When we first arrived in Ecuador, we had no idea that it was such an biodiverse country. Expecting mostly mountains and volcanoes, we were surprised to learn Ecuador also has beaches, cloud forests, páramo, jungles, wetlands, and more. It might be a surprise to some that Ecuador also claims part of the Amazon rainforest!
If you are on a budget, you might think it’s impossible to make this once-in-a-lifetime visit to the Amazon rainforest – due to its remoteness, getting to and from the rainforest is most of the struggle and a large part of the cost. Especially if you are visiting from Brazil, you’ll likely spend 1000s just to reach the rainforest, not to mention what you’ll be paying to stay there afterwards.
However, you can get almost all the way to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador on an overnight bus from Quito for just $16. From there, a motorized canoe will take you the rest of the way into a natural paradise, where you will be able to see an incredible amount of different plants and animals.
We spent 5 days and 4 nights in the Amazon rainforest for less than $400 per person – all included. We had an amazing time, saw a ton of animals, and ate a lot of good vegan food.
If you want to visit the Amazon Rainforest on a budget, Ecuador is one of your best options. Keep reading to see how to get to the rainforest from Quito, where to stay, and a cost breakdown of our trip.
Where to visit the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador
Day trips to the Amazon
Though the Amazon rainforest is extremely remote, there are a few different options if you want to visit. If you don’t have a lot of time or are working with a limited budget, it’s actually possible to visit the Amazon on a 1-2 day tour from Tena, Ecuador. Check out our Tena article for more information, but you can expect to pay about $75 for a full trip to the rainforest.
Longer Trips
If you want to have time to be fully immersed in the Amazon, we recommend spending at least a few days there. The most common plan for visitors to the Amazon is to stay in an all-inclusive lodge – the lodges transport you along the river deep into the rainforest and include all meals, excursions, and accommodation needs. In Ecuador, there are two National Parks in the Amazon Rainforest that have lodges for visitors – Cuyabeno and Yasuni.
While doing research, we noticed that Yasuni was a little harder to get to and did not include as many budget-friendly lodges, so we decided to go to Cuyabeno instead. While Yasuni rates slightly higher for biodiversity, the rivers through which you travel in Cuyabeno are narrower, therefore allowing you to spot more animals as you journey over the water. Both parks offer impressive biodiversity and the opportunity to see a ton of different plants and animals, so you can’t go wrong either way.
What animals can you see at Cuyabeno?
During our five days in Cuyabeno we saw: six different kinds of monkey (so many monkeys!), sloths, pink and gray dolphins, an anaconda, several snakes, caimans, a ton of birds including parrots and toucans, various frogs and toads, tarantulas, butterflies, and several other types of insect.
General Amazon Tips – When to visit, safety concerns, and more
Amazon Diseases
You might be wondering if you will need to get a yellow fever shot or take malaria pills when visiting the Ecuadorian Amazon. Being completely honest – we did not get a yellow fever vaccine before going to the rainforest, nor did we take malaria pills. The lodge staff assured us that there were no cases of either in the area when we asked. The Amazon is huge, and different areas have different flora and fauna and therefore different risks associated. According to research we did, talking to people who had come from the Ecuadorian Amazon, and consulting with the staff of the lodge we were visiting, we concluded that there is a risk of malaria and yellow fever in the Ecuadorian Amazon, but a very low one.
Of course, do what you need to make yourself feel safe! We didn’t want to take malaria pills because of reports of heavy side-effects. We did, however, cover up and use strong bug spray. Just note that the yellow fever vaccine is not required to enter the Ecuadorian Amazon, though some websites might tell you otherwise. If you do want to get a yellow fever vaccination in Quito before you visit the Amazon, the Centro de salud No 1 in the historical center of Quito offers vaccines to foreigners before 2pm on weekdays (location here).
When to visit the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest
The climate of the rainforest in Ecuador is hot, humid, and rainy. While it rains in the rainforest almost every single day (shocking!), there is nevertheless a rainy season and a dry season. When to visit depends on what you want to do or see there. The dry season is usually from around December – March. In the dry season, river navigation will take a lot longer due to low water levels – our guide told us that the 2.5 hour boat ride to the lodge could take up to five hours in the dry season! However, if you are a caiman lover, it might be best to visit in the dry season – you can spot dozens of this alligator-like reptile in the dry season, while you might see only a few in the rainy season.
So, when is the best time to visit the Amazon? We visited in early November, and we are happy we visited out of the dry season – we appreciated easy river navigation since many of the daily activities involved being on the water, and while it definitely rained while we were there, we also had plenty of sun and good weather.
Which Amazon lodge to choose?
There are over a dozen lodges in Cuyabeno. While prices and amenities will vary slightly, all lodges will offer meals, transportation to and from the lodge, and all activities (rubber boots included for rainforest walks). Possible extras will be for alcoholic beverages, community visits, renting binoculars, and tips.
We booked with Nicky Lodge due to its good reviews, good price, website mention of the possibility to receive vegetarian/vegan food, and readiness of the liaison to answer all of our questions over Whatsapp before booking. They have various options for the type of tour and duration. Of course, tours of a shorter duration will save you some money (for example, they offer a tour that lasts 3 days and 2 nights). We wanted to see as much as possible in the Amazon, so we booked a 5 day, 4 night stay for $290 per person. We also tipped about $10 per person per night, which we split between giving directly to our guide and putting in a tip box for the rest of the staff. See the end of the article for a complete cost breakdown of our trip.
Vegan food at Nicky Lodge
At Nicky Lodge, three full meals a day plus various snacks are included. Did Nicky live up to their claims of vegan food? Can vegans survive and eat well at an Amazon lodge? Great news – we thought the food served at Nicky Lodge was fresh, delicious, and abundant. We never worried about any of our food not being vegan – if they had a food option on the table that wasn’t vegan, they would inform us, so we saw that the staff had a very good understanding of veganism.
We also got the opportunity to try vegan versions of many typical Ecuadorian foods, such as tigrillo, pan de yuca, and sopa de plátano. It might be a good idea to bring some protein bars or other high protein food – when we went, most of the vegan meals did not include a specific protein, just more vegetables in place of meat. We added this to our comments as we left the lodge, so they might have since changed up some of their offerings. Let us know if you go!
One final thing that we liked about Nicky Lodge was that meals were communal – you ate with your guide and the group that you did activities with. We had a lot of opportunity to meet people and socialize, which we really enjoyed.
We really enjoyed our stay at Nicky Lodge – our guide was extremely knowledgeable, the accommodation was beautiful, and the food was delicious. If you want to browse other lodges before making a decision, some other lodges located in Cuyabeno are Waita Lodge, Dolphin Lodge, Toucan Lodge, and Piranha Lodge.
What does a typical day in the Amazon look like?
While the structure varied slightly, each day in the Amazon included a variety of different activities that allowed us to get into the rainforest, learn more about our surroundings, and spot plants and animals. During every activity, our guide was looking out for animals to show us and had a ton of information about the different flora and fauna.
One activity offered was hikes through the rainforest around the lodge – some took place during the day, and some were at night. We also took motorized canoe trips along the river in the morning, afternoon, or around sunset to spot animals. One of our favorite activities was swimming in the lagoon at sunset. One day we were also able to paddle in a canoe ourselves. In five days we rotated through each activity several times, but we never got bored – we went to different places at different times of day and saw different animals and plants every time, we felt like our time was really well spent.
Community Visit
Our itinerary also included a visit to an indigenous community. At first, we felt really weird about the idea of doing this part of the trip – we were worried about being a group of foreigners coming in to gawk at locals living their daily lives. On the other hand, one main reason people travel is as a way to learn more about faraway places, meet new people, expand our worldview, and learn about cultures and ways of life different from our own. Is there a way to balance these two conflicting ideas?
After doing a lot of research, a lot of talking to people who had also done this particular trip, and a lot of thinking, we decided to go to the community visit. If done correctly, this kind of tourism can be positive for indigenous communities – they can educate others about their way of life, maintain their culture, and earn money necessary for their communities to survive. Many of the guides working in Amazon lodges have come from communities indigenous to the Amazon, so if you are feeling uncomfortable, you can also talk to your guide and ask for their honest opinion.
A few tips: be considerate – don’t just use this visit as a photo opportunity. Show interest, have meaningful interactions, and be respectful of their space. Don’t photograph people without asking (really would consider not photographing people at all), and consider purchasing some of the items they are selling to visitors.
How to get to Cuyabeno to start your Amazon Journey
Cuyabeno bridge (Puente de Cuyabeno) is the launch point for every lodge located in Cuyabeno National Park. From there, you will take a motorized canoe to your lodge.
There are two ways to get to Puente de Cuyabeno:
- Taking a private tourist bus – this bus will leave from a few points near the center of Quito and might be able to pick you up from your lodging. It leaves at about 23:00 and will arrive at the bridge around 8:00 the following morning. You will be able to arrange this bus through the lodge. The private tourist bus costs $30 each way.
- Taking a public bus – this is the more budget-friendly option, as the bus will cost about $16 each way. It is a little longer and more of a process, read below for the how-tos.
How to get to the Puente de Cuyabeno on public transport
The bus to Cuyabeno leaves from one of the main bus stations in Quito, the Terminal Terrestre de Quitumbe, which is actually located slightly outside of the city. Getting there will take 35-45 minutes from the center in a taxi and will cost around $10-$12 (the taxi cost is worth considering if you are going alone, in which case it might make more sense to take the more convenient tourist bus).
Look for the company Cooperativa de Transporte Putumayo and tell them you need to get to el Puente de Cuyabeno. The schedule you should look for is the route Quito-Puerto el Carmen (the final destination on the route, you will get off before this). At the time of writing, the online bus schedule says there is a bus at 20:45, but there is not! Overnight buses are (at time of writing) at 18:45 and 21:30 – you should definitely take the 21:30 bus to avoid arriving at the Puente de Cuyabeno at 5:00 am.
We took the bus at 21:30 and arrived just after 8:00 am. When we got there, none of the tourist buses had arrived yet and we were alone! It took us a little to figure out that you must wait in the covered area just down the stairs from where the public bus drops you off (on the right as you arrive). Nicky Lodge and possibly others (but not all) have a breakfast included that will be prepared in the kitchen here. Vegans will need to talk directly to the staff at the restaurant for this meal – don’t worry because at the lodge itself they will already be ready for you following the dietary restrictions you indicate upon booking. There is also a small store front attached to buy snacks.
Getting from the bridge to the lodge
Soon after, the tourist buses will start arriving and the restaurant/waiting area will fill up. It is pretty unorganized, so pay attention starting around 10:00. Canoes will start arriving from the different lodges and announcing their departure to the various lodges. They will put your luggage in the canoe covered by a plastic tarp so it won’t get wet from splashing or rain. Keep out your phone/camera, bugspray, hat, sunglasses, water, poncho/rain gear, and a drybag for devices in case it rains. The canoe ride is about 2-3 hours depending on which lodge you are going to and how much time is spent looking at animals on the way.
We hadn’t figured out the bus schedule for the way back to Quito and didn’t know when the public bus would pass by, so we reserved seats on a tourist bus through the lodge and paid the driver directly when we returned to the Puente de Cuyabeno.
Cost breakdown for 5 days in the Amazon for Two People
(Coming from Quito)
-Taxi to Terminal Terrestre de Quitumbe: $9.72
-Two bus tickets to the Puente de Cuyabeno: $32
-Five days, four nights at Nicky Lodge: $580
-Tips for guide and staff: $80
-Two tickets for the tourist bus back to Quito: $60
Total cost: $761,72.
This breaks down to just over $380 per person, for five days all inclusive! You will be hard pressed to find a more budget friendly way to see the Amazon Rainforest. Let us know if there are any more budget breakdowns you’d like us to do in future posts, or if you have any questions about our Amazon trip.