ECUADOR PART TWO - Amazon Rainforest - Waita Lodge
December 20, 2022
DAY 11
We woke up around 1:30 am and met in front of the hotel. We rode in a tall van with around 8 seats total. Our driver was from Quito.
We watched as we ascended a mountain. City gave way to cliffs as we crossed the Andes. Gareth fell asleep and I watched our trip. Initially the road was smooth. That was until we turned onto Route E20. This is where our trip took a turn. We endured 4 hours of endless potholes. The road was scarred with washouts and poor repairs from landslides. Everyone was in a rush to get off of this steep road that, at its highest, was around 14,000 feet above sea level. A few potholes sent us soaring out of our seats as our driver cursed under his breath. We finally reached flat land around 4 hours later as we entered the Orellana Province.
The rest of the journey was smooth. We stopped for breakfast and ate with our driver. My stomach was unsettled from the ride and I rushed to the bathroom to throw up. We continued on for another 3 hours and finally reached our meeting point, Hotel D’Mario. The hotel was in the center of the bustling border town of Lago Agrio (its official name is Neuvo Loja. This town is located about 20 mins from the border of Columbia. There is not a heavy security presence at this border crossing. It is a known smuggling route.)
*Pro tip- to avoid a long drive across the Andes, fly into Coca and take a 30 minute taxi ride to Lago Agrio. It is cheaper, safer, and easier.*
Our time in Lago Agrio was short. We were late. We were quickly loaded into a pickup truck with other guests of the lodge. We spent the next portion of our two hour drive chatting and getting to know them.
Two hours and a few dirt roads later we arrived at Tierras Orientales. We took a quick lunch break while our luggage was loaded onto a motorized canoe. This would be our means of transportation for the next week. We used the restroom in a poorly maintained bathroom (you had to scoop a bucket of water and dump it in the toilet to flush it). We gave our leftovers to begging dogs. Eventually we were loaded onto the canoe and we began our down river journey deep into the Oriente.
This part of the trip seemed more like an adventure than travel. Our guide stopped often and spotted animals and birds. We chatted with the people around us and awed at the beauty and power of the rushing Rio Aguarico. Along the way we saw the scarred land that had been farmed for palm oil. We saw the oil companies and their settlements.
Eventually we turned into the Cuyabeno Reserve. We immediately spotted one pink river dolphin hanging out near the mouth of the river. We watched respectfully for a period of time before continuing on. (We did extensive research on where to see the endangered Pink River Dolphins. Cuyabeno had the best track record for consistently spotting the dolphins. It lived up to its reputation, as we spotted the river dolphins numerous times.)
We arrived at our lodge around sunset. The lodge was tucked away in a hidden lagoon, just off of the main Cuyabeno River.
We settled into our new open-air cabins and met for dinner. We spent the night chatting , drinking, and getting to know our new friends. There was a mutual understanding that we were off the grid and only had each other for the next few days. Everyone was in their 20’s and 30’s and got along flawlessly.
Day 12
We woke up around 5:30 am to the song of Andres (our guide’s) voice telling us to wake up. We all puttered into the canoe for our first adventure. We were going to see a parrot clay lick. We took our time traveling up the river, stopping often to spot wildlife. We saw dolphins again and went to the clay lick. There were only a few birds at the lick because of a fallen tree from a storm that came through a few nights ago. The birds need to eat dry clay. They were digging a new hole around 100 feet away.
We had breakfast at 8 am and had some time to rest. We split into two groups for a hike through the forest. The lodge supplied us with boots. We sprayed bug spray on and hiked for around 3 hours. We stopped often and learned about local plant life. We saw many frogs and lizards. We even ate lemon ants!
We ate lunch and then went on another canoe ride. We saw a Common Potoo sitting on her nest and saw the prehistoric Huatson. We heard marching wasps and so much more. We watched the sunset from the canoe on our way back to the lodge.
After dinner we went on a night hike. Our guides informed us that hiking at night is VERY different than hiking during the day. We were to go very slowly through the jungle and not stray off the path. If you like spiders, this is the hike for you. We saw THOUSANDS of spiders. There were spiders on the ground, spiders in trees, spiders wandering, and spiders in webs. We also saw various insects, frogs, and even a scorpion. I was very itchy after this hike and took a shower before dinner.
*The mosquitoes are only in the dense rainforest. I wore long pants tucked into rain boots, a long sleeve shirt, and bug spray when entering the forest. I did not get bit by a single mosquito.
Day 13
We woke up early and went on a canoe ride searching for wildlife. We found birds and monkeys. We ate breakfast and spent some time resting. We loaded up into the canoe around 10 am to go piranha fishing.
Now piranha fishing is not easy. You splash the top of the water to call the piranhas. The splashing is like a dinner bell. The blood also attracts them. They do not bite the hook. The nip at the meat that is on the hook. When you feel the nipping, you yank the pole as quickly as you can to the side and hope the hook catches the fish. We spent hours feeding the piranhas raw chicken. Our guides sacrificed a small piranha when we ran out of chicken. I did not catch a piranha, but I did come close.
We went back to the lodge after only catching around 5 piranha. Someone suggested a swim and the group agreed. Everyone met at the main river and went in. I was weary about getting in because our guide was not swimming with us. I asked him why we couldn’t swim in the lagoon and he said there were electric eels in the lagoon but not in the main river. I accepted that answer and jumped in. The eels became an inside joke for anyone that strayed too far from the dock. “Don’t go too far, there’s eels over there”.
We ate lunch and I spent the afternoon in a hammock reading. We reconvened for an evening hike through the jungle. We hiked for a few hours and watched the sunset. Seeing the forest change from day to night was whimsical.
We ate dinner - piranha. (side note - the kitchen staff managed to clean a pirhana jaw off and gave it to me. I was able to bring it back with me to the USA and currently have it in my house).We also ate another large catfish that was caught earlier in the day. The chef made a cake and spirits were high. Gareth and I had some cheap rum and brought it out to share for Gareth’s birthday the next day. This was the last night our entire group would be together before some people departed the next morning. Everyone, even our guides, spent the night drinking and chatting.
Our guides opened up about their difficulties protecting the rainforest. There is a huge lack of government support. The indigenous people tend to support the oil companies because of the money they bring. The oil companies are attempting to breach the preserve and explore for oil (which involves using dynamite to blow up the river banks, which is devastating to local wildlife). Their first hand experience was eye opening as to what devastation the rainforest is facing. Waita is trying to change the narrative by promoting ecotourism as a money source instead of oil. So far it is working and Cuyabeno is protected. Fun fact: Waita means to feel connected to nature. It lives up to its name.
Day 14
This was our last full day in the reserve. We woke up later in the morning and ate breakfast. The people that were staying an additional night piled into the canoe and went up river. We all scurried onto paddle boards and inflatable canoes. We spent the morning floating back down the river towards the lodge. Our group decided to play human “Pooh Sticks”. We all lined up and let the current carry us down river. We admired the silence and power of the river and rainforest.
Everyone agreed to go for a swim when we returned. The sun this day was HOT. We played in the river, tossing a tennis ball around in a circle for around an hour. Our guide Carlos watched us. Our silent guardian Angel.
We ate lunch and rested. Some of us chatted, some of us read, edited photos, and played games. A Quechua woman visited our camp with handmade jewelry. We were able to buy souvenirs and support a good cause. Profit protects.
Around 4:30 pm we all piled into the canoe with a case of beers. We visited a canopy tower. The tower was over 80 feet tall. We looked for birds over the canopy and watched as the sun dropped.
Our next stop was a sandbar in the middle of the main Rio Aguarico. We watched the sunset while drinking beers and chatting. The sunset was stunning and peaceful.
We searched for caiman on the way back to our lodge. You shine a light across the water. Their eyes reflect the light and you see the caiman. We had one good sighting but saw three in total. Compared to alligators, caiman are small. I instantly felt more at peace about swimming in the river.
The chef made Gareth a personal cake for his birthday and we sang happy birthday. He celebrated 26 years around the sun in the awe-inspiring jungle.
Day 15
This is the day we had been dreading. This was our departure day. We went on one last early morning canoe ride to a parrot clay lick. We had an amazing sighting of many species of parrots and parakeets.
After breakfast we said our goodbyes to the staff and checked out. We paid for our beers and tipped the guides, the canoe driver, and the lodge staff. We set out on our 4 hour canoe ride up river. We stopped every so often. Carlos spotted his first ever Black Skimmer along the way.
We all ate lunch and piled into a stuffy van. There was a running bet about how many notifications I would have when we came back online. We anxiously drove back up the dirt road toward the larger town. Eventually we got a signal. Gareth and I were the only Americans in the van. Everyone else was European. Someone received a notification that the queen died and the van erupted in unrest. Questions flew around about how she died and how much time off everyone would get. Very unique way to find out the queen of England had passed.
After an hour drive, we arrived at a bus stop and said goodbye to our new friends and Carlos. We continued onto Lago Agrio and met our driver. We took the 8 hour drive back to Quito without stopping. We arrived at our hotel around 11 pm and ordered room service.
Day 16
We woke up at 3:30 am and made our way to the airport. The Quito airport is relatively small and easy to navigate. We were exhausted and eager to get home. We went to Miami and then Charlotte before finally flying into Charleston around 6 pm. After two days of travel we were glad to be home. The longing for planning our next trip has set in. Who knows where we will go next. Wherever we go, it is sure to be an adventure.