Start of our four day tour to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in the Amazon rainforest. At 10:00 flight with TAME from Quito to Lago Agrio, which is the centre of the Ecuadorian oil industry. Private transportation to "El Puente", the entrance to Cuyabeno Reserve, on the way we'll enjoy a tasty lunch. Canoe ride down the Cuyabeno River for about two hours, admiring the wide variety of Flora and Fauna. We arrive at the lodge around dusk at 6pm. Room occupation, dinner and overnight in our Tapir Lodge. Our program includes full board.

After breakfast we're off on a 3-hour trip to explore the primary forest, our guide will show us some of the local flora and fauna in the area and at the nearby lake "Laguna Grande". The sorrounding area of this beatiful lake offers the opportunity to admire a great variety of very ancient trees, long lianas, giant palms, bromeliads, and orchids. We'll also hope to catch sight and hear lots of birds such as woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, and toucans; and with luck we'll come across two or three species of monkeys. Lunch will be back at the lodge, followed by a short resting period.

Today we will visit Alberto, a Cofan Shaman and his family in their small settlement. We will learn about how to use plants for medical reasons and about the Shamans' rituals for healing. Furthermore we will make jungle trek to "Terrafirme" and we have the opportunity to see the ruby poison dart frog (Epipedobates bilinguis) as well as macaws and toucans. On the way back to the Lodge we visit the small indian community of the Siona-Secoya. We will learn much about how they are living and we will visit their school. Lunch on the way. In the late afternoon, we return to Tapir Lodge. In the evening we will search for caimans with the help of our flashlights.

Early breakfast. Bird watching and a final taste of the glorious natural surroundings before making our way back to "El Puente", and then drive back to Lago Agrio to catch the flight to Quito.