The Cuyabeno Reserve
The next 4 days are devoted to the observation of flora and fauna.
Birds are smaller than those in Central America and harder to find. Moreover the forest is very dense and very high blocking the observation despite our binoculars
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Neve recognizes all the cries and songs of birds and he has on his smartphone various recordings that allows him to communicate with them
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2nd day:
Meeting with "The Siona Indian Community" a large ethnic group on the reserve.
During this visit we learn their customs, traditions and way of life. Then we participate in the elaboration of Yucca bread.
After lunch, on the way back we stop at a shaman who teaches us his role in the community and the teaching that he followed for several years.
Back to the lake for sunset and swim for some (except us!!!) before dinner.
During the breaks at the lodge we meet our French friends over a beer.
Day 3:
Hike in the forest for 4 hours. We explore and study the tropical ecosystem complex.
It is the discovery of the great varieties of plants, trees and fauna that compose it.
After the return and lunch at the lodge, the afternoon is dedicated to a navigation on the lake in search of other birds or animals.
We have the chance to meet pink dolphins ... Then sunset on the lake.
The night will be horrible; a group of Czechs arrived and celebrated a birthday until 1:30 in the morning.
We are dealing with alcoholics, uncontrollable and aggressive.
Marc intervenes as well as Franck but the manager is non-existent.
4th day.
The 6 people in our group have chosen a 4-day stay and are leaving us today.
We complain to the manager and Marc announces that he refuses to stay the last night in his establishment.
Franck contacts their travel agency in Quito and we contact the head of the lodge in Quito to also request our change of establishment. Talks are going on on both sides and we are getting satisfaction.
The atmosphere is heavy at breakfast and our traveling companions also complain to the manager.
In the meantime we visit the lagoon of Canangueno by canoe until lunch time.
On our return, the manager found us two rooms in another lodgeThe move is done in the early afternoon and we settle at the "Cayman Lodge".
After a restorative nap, Neve brings us for another hike where we find a stele indicating the passage of the equator.
Back in our new lodge for an aperitif dedicated to Franck ... And yes today is his birthday.
The dinner is excellent; Marc had ordered a special menu in honor of Franck.
Day 5:
Departure at 7:30 am for Marc and Franck who will be driving to Nono ... a long 10-hour journey.
We leave at 9 o'clock with Neve for a 2 hour trip up the river, then a trip by crazy minibus (we are swinging from left to right) to Lago Agrio and finally a taxi to reach El Coca where we booked a hotel for two nights.
The Cuyabeno Reserve
Day 1:
The lodge sends us a taxi to reach "Puerto Cuyabeno" in two hours ... Our driver turns out to be a crazy driver.
On arrival our guide Neve is waiting for us. After lunch we take a motored canoe down the river to the lake. Throughout the course Neve, seated at the front, looks left or right at the banks of the river.
We see our first species of birds, insects and monkeys despite a cloudy sky making observation more difficult.
We immediately realize that our guide is passionate about the Ecuadorian Amazon. If we don’t see the " animal" he takes out his cell phone and shows us a photo while giving us his characteristics.
We travel with 6 other people who will be our companions during our stay.
On arrival, a "Caiman" is at the landing .... Welcome to the Amazon jungle!!!
We discover our lodge and after our installation in our bungalow, first briefing on the program and recommendations.
Then, before dinner, tour on the lake to watch the sunset. Afterwards, a "night walk" around the lodge.
A second group of 8 people arrives later including Marc and Franck two French men on holiday for 15 days.
Lago Ayora
To reach the Cuyabeno reserve there are only two solutions:
* by road from Quito by public bus the day before the begining of the tour at 23:30 for a 9 hour journey.
or by taxi or uber .
* by plane from Quito for a 40 minute flight to El Coca and then taxi to Lago Ayora.
We opt for the second solution by leaving the day before, the night trip in a bus is no longer our age!!!
There are only two airlines that make the trip with one flight a day in the morning.
Arriving at El coca, we take a taxi to Lago Ayora where we stay one night before our departure for our lodge.
The city has no interest, it is only a stage town before the reserve of Cuyabena.
Siona Lodge
Le Siona Lodge est situé dans la spectaculaire réserve naturelle de Cuyabeno, une région extrêmement riche en faune et en flore.
Il bénéficie d'un emplacement privilégié sur un lac d'eau douce (Laguna Grande), avec une vue sur celui-ci depuis une terrasse aménagée.
Le lodge vise à minimiser l'impact environnemental de notre visite en utilisant l'électricité de 18 h à 22 h et en éliminant de manière responsable les déchets générés par les visites touristiques.
Il est composé de bungalows de deux chambres plutôt spartiates avec des balcons, des hamacs et des chaises longues.
Un défaut majeur : les cloisons sont fines ... en deux mots ceux sont plutôt des dortoirs !!!
On ne vient pas dans ce lodge pour sa gastronomie ... Ce sont des repas très simples et souvent sans goût.
Amazon
Discovering the protected and remote areas of the Amazon is certainly an unforgettable adventure in our life.
The Ecuadorian Amazon is quite unknown but certainly the most authentic and preserved region of the entire continent. One reason for this is that it begins on the foothills of the Andes, with the birth of the rivers that will flow into the Amazon. In other words, these courses are very impractical by ships of high tonnage, which allowed to save it for many years. The second reason is that the country has pursued a policy of protection whose effects are still visible today. The third reason is that in many areas communities have made the choice to no longer hunt in the vicinity of living areas, which has allowed animals to come together without fear.
The Amazon forest ecosystem offers a wide variety of flora and fauna. There are different kinds of palm trees, orchids, trees, climbing plants as well as exotic animals such as crocodiles, river turtles, monkeys and a variety of birds such as macaws, toucans, hoatzins and many others who do not show up easily to observe them.
Quito
We are happy to find our camper and our bed .... No swell, everything is quiet.
We stay at the campsite all day to prepare our trip to the Amazon.
On the program: laundry, storage, preparation of the suitcase (a list was given to us).
Good. Everything works ... except the battery of the motor which is discharged!!! We will see when we return if we need to change it or not.
On tonight’s menu: two excellent pizzas and two crepes filled with red fruits.
ROAD BOOK 131
MAVROS ODYSSEE