Into the Amazon

As part of our time in South America, my husband and I spent a few nights in the Ecuadorian rainforest on a tributary of the Amazon. The trip down was on a motorised canoe and the sheer width of the river amazed us – of course it’s the main mode of transport, so we passed by all sorts of boats; some taking children to school and others carrying heavy equipment for the logging industry.

Upon arrival at our dock we still had a short hike through the (unsurprisingly) damp undergrowth on a raised walkway before reaching the lagoon the lodge was on. It was a truly stunning setting and we eagerly jumped into canoes to be transported to our temporary home. As jungle lodges are usually relatively remote, you need to spend at least two or three nights and you can enjoy all of your meals on site. The thing that surprised me most was that, having travelled out of Quito on a plane for an hour and down (or up?) the river for an hour and a half, there was still WiFi!

Our rooms were beautiful, with a very luxurious shower and a balcony area. TV is most definitely not required when you can listen to the jungle around you. We soon had our first visitors – some cheeky spider monkeys – and enjoyed watching the weaver birds flying in and out of their unusual nests.

Jungle lodges will give you a programme of activities, including walks around the area, usually in the morning and evening when there is the most to see. We also had the opportunity to visit a parrot lick (the photo that looks like a load of green leaves – look again!) with a hopeful looking boa lurking in the branches above; we visited a canopy tower to watch toucans and other birds and we took kayaks out on a hunt for sloths (we found one, as you can see!). You can also swim in the lagoon if you don’t mind the resident piranhas – something I decided to do as a birthday treat. There’s also a huge fish called an Arapaima that can be found in the lagoon – they can get up to 3 metres long and yes, I swam with that too – we saw the fins occasionally and they were real beasts. I have no idea what they eat but slow English women clearly aren’t part of their diet.

As incredible as the wildlife was, one of the stand-out experiences was a visit to a local village, where everyone was preparing for a football match. It turned out that one of our guides came from the village and he proudly showed us around his old school and explained some of the farming techniques – now I know how a pineapple grows! In case you’re wondering, being vegetarian I had to pass up on the local delicacy but my husband gave the grubs a go (once cooked!!) – the verdict was ‘a bit like Danish bacon’.

Good job the food in the lodge was a bit more up my street – they even arranged a birthday cake for me, so I felt thoroughly spoilt. We also met some fantastic, interesting people from the US and Canada and it really made the stay feel very special – I wouldn’t hesitate to go back or to recommend this type of stay to clients.