A wonderful rustic lodge situated on the banks of a lagoon which forms part of a flooded forest in the Cuyabeno nature reserve, this is a truly special location offering visitors a unique chance to sample life in the depths of the Ecuadorean amazonic region. It's an eight-hour drive from Quito (or a short flight and three hours by minibus) followed by three hours in a motorised canoe to arrive but the trip is well worth it and the journey itself affords incredible scenery and the chance to see anacondas, many different species of monkey, alligators and myriad butterflies in their natural habitat. It's also a must for bird watchers.
The guides are highly knowledgable about the biodiversity of the region and there are also local guides from the nearby Siona indigenous community.
Activities include day and night walks, piranha fishing, a visit to an indigenous village to make cassava bread (you dig up the root and then help them prepare it - from the ground to the table in under an hour and absolutely delicious!) as well as swimming in the lagoon with fresh water dolphins. The cabins are comfortable and the food simple but fresh.
The real find is that there are no mosquitoes! The flooded forest and the subsequent rotting vegetation below the waterline means the ph of the water is slightly acidic and so mosquito larva cannot survive. The cabins are therefore open and cool, and really give you the feeling of being in the jungle.
Swimming in the lagoon while watching the sunet remains one of the highlights of my time in Ecuador. I can't recommend it highly enough.

www.neotropicturis.com,
Cuyabeno Nature Reserve
Oficina Neotropic Turis
Pinto E4-360 y Amazonas
Quito, Ecuador
Tel.: +593.2.2521212

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Situated about two hours east of the capital Quito, high in the Andes just before you come down the eastern slopes to the Amazon, this hotel is built around a series of thermal springs.

The scenery is breath-taking and you can bathe in boiling hot water before taking an invigorating plunge in an ice-cold mountain stream. The complex is open to non-residents of the hotel but the real romance comes from the cabins which have their own private thermal pools on the doorstep.
You can eat at the hotel's excellent restaurant and then retire for an intimate midnight swim under the stars.
The surrounding gardens, full of endemic plant species and hummingbirds, add to the atmosphere and make this an unforgettable option for a romantic weekend.

www.termaspapallacta.com/espanol/index.htm

Google map: tinyurl.com/ydggzxe

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