How to Choose the Best Ecuador Amazon Tour

Covering the eastern portion of Ecuador, the Amazon rainforest is bursting with biodiversity, culture, and incredible animals. While the Galapagos often gets most of the attention, the Amazon in Ecuador is an amazing place to visit. There are multiple Ecuador Amazon tour options for exploring the low lying rainforest, and to really enjoy the Amazon, you should plan to spend at least 3 days in one of the Ecuador amazon lodges.

In this article you can find complete details on choosing from the different Amazon tours in Ecuador as well as how to get to the Amazon in Ecuador, what to expect on your Ecuador Amazon trip, and general information to help plan your trip.

We spent months researching the different Amazon tours in Ecuador and ended up booking 3 days at the Green Forest Ecolodge at the end of our 10 day itinerary in Ecuador. If we had more time we would have liked one more day in the Ecuador Amazon. You can see more details at the end of this post of our experience at this Amazon ecolodge.

If you want to jump to searching for an Amazon tour, check out some of the best options on Viator, Get your Guide or Trip Advisor. These sites are great for reading reviews, just keep in mind that not every traveler has the same expectations.

Looking for more information on planning a trip to Ecuador, check out: 10 Day Ecuador Itinerary.

There are Affiliate links from Amazon and other sites in this post. If you make a purchase through one of these posts, I will get a small commission.

Overview of the Amazon Ecuador

The Amazon Rainforest covers 40% of South America and can be found in 8 countries. The portion of the Amazon in Ecuador is small but incredibly diverse with over 200 mammals, 120 reptiles, 600 birds, 70,000 species of insects, as well as fish, trees, and more. Portions of this incredible rainforest in Ecuador maintain old growth forests while other areas have been cleared but are still home to a diverse new growth rainforest ecosystem.

If visiting the Amazon is on your bucket list, Ecuador is one of the best countries to base your visit. Not only is the rainforest here beautiful and diverse, but there are enough facilities to support small scale eco-tourism. The map below shows the National Parks and Reserves that where you can find the Amazon Rainforest.

You can see that most of the Amazon region of Ecuador is in the far northeast corner near the border of Columbia and Peru. While there are some Ecuador Amazon eco lodge options outside these parks, most of these are not truly within in old growth Amazon rainforest.

There are several Amazon tours you can take from towns like Banos. You can see these tours described below and there are some great options. They are also much easier to get to, but you won’t be deep within one of the National Parks compared to some of the other tour options. We ultimately decided to travel further to get further into the Amazon.

What to Consider When Choosing an Ecuador Amazon Tour

There are many tour companies offering single day and multi-day Amazon Ecuador tours. Below you can find information to help you choose the best tour and lodge for your visit. You can also find a few important things to know to help you plan you visit. You can also find a packing list for spending time in the Amazon

How do you Get to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador?

The Amazon is located in the eastern portion of Ecuador in an area that is generally more remote with few large cities. Depending on what part of the Amazon you are visiting, you can either fly, take a bus or book transportation in a car or van.

See more about Ecuador Bus Travel.

Many of the best Amazon tours take place in Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve (leaving from Lago Agrio) or Yasuni National Park (leaving from Coca). Both of these destination are far away from the Quito. To get to these towns the best thing to do is to talk to your tour company/lodging. Buses and tranfers from Quito to Coca take about 8 hours. There are several bus companies that run this route – we took Transportes Baños. We found these buses very comfortable. You can also take an overnight bus from either Quito or Banos that arrive in the morning for your tour.

We originally wanted to book our bus in advance and looked expensively for a bus schedule. There don’t really exist but you also don’t really need to worry – the best option is to go to the bus station and ask about the schedule there.

You can also fly to Coca on either Airlines Aerogal or TAME. Flights cost between $50-$100 and run periodically. Flights only take about 30 minutes.

Most of the tours in the Puyo Region include transportation from the town of Banos. Banos is a popular town to visit with lots of adventure activities and is easy to reach by public bus. Most of the Puyo tours will pick you up in Banos, but it’s important to check to make sure this is included.

When is the Best time to visit the Ecuador Amazon?

The weather in the Ecuador Amazon is generally consistent throughout the year (it is on the Equator!) with temperatures around 82 degrees F. While rain is common in the Amazon, the rainy season is typically December to May. Our guide described the dry season as being quite different with much lower water levels forcing some of the bigger animals to come out of the forest looking for water. Birds and fish are also more prevalent during the dry season. During the wet season, the rainforest become especially lush, but you may need to be prepared for heavy rain and mud.

Both the rainy and dry seasons can be great times to visit the Amazon in Ecuador.

How long do you Need on your Amazon Tour?

This is a tough question. If you have enough time, 4 days in the Amazon is the perfect amount of time. This gives you time to explore the rivers, do some hikes, see some animals, swim, relax, and possibly visit a local village. No matter where you are staying, getting into the Amazon for your visit often takes a long time so your first and last days will be mostly travel – although this travel is still a great chance to see some animals.

This means that if you spending 4 days in the Amazon you will have two full days.

If you only have 3 days in the Amazon you may end up cutting something out of the experiences or get less time to look for animals or visit a local village.

If you are very short on time, you’re best bet is to book a 1 day tour from Banos. This is a different experience, but still gets you out on a boat ride on the Amazon to explore the rainforest.

What’s Included on your Ecuador Jungle Tour?

The final thing to consider when planning your trip and choosing the best Ecuador Amazon eco lodge, is what is included on your tour. In general, most of the tours and lodges include: lodging, food, tours, and some rain gear (mainly ponchos and rain boots). Most of the eco-lodges do not include tips, alcoholic beverages, and transportation to the meeting point.

A few of the luxury options below do include pick up at hotels and offer a complete more inclusive experience. Be careful to read the details so that you know what is included in your tour.

5 Best Amazon Tours, Ecuador

Below is an overview of some of the best Amazon tours in Ecuador. Make sure you note what is included in the rainforest tour and note which tour works best for your situation and budget.

Green Forest Ecolodge

This is the tour that we did in Ecuador. You can book this tour in advance online or visit their office in Banos. The tour leaves from Lago Agrio and takes you into Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve for a 3, 4 or 5 day Amazon rainforest experience. Depending on the length of your tour, you will hike and search for wildlife on boat tours, visit the Lagoon for swimming and visit an indigenous village. This Amazon tour includes meals and transportation from Lago Agrio and you

The ecolodge has a series of rustic huts and you get a private bungalow or a room with shared bunks. Facilities are comfortable and basic and complete the feel of being in the Amazon. You can also use the paddleboard and relax in the hammocks.

Yasuni National Park 3 days 2 nights

This is the other tour we considered doing. The tour offers 3 days in the Amazon and will help you book transportation from Quito or Tena. This tour includes a visit to the Parrot salt lick as well as a tour of an indigenous village and tours of the rainforest to look for animals.

The lodging on this tour is comfortable and the food gets great reviews. This tour is slightly longer than the tour we had as you arrive back to the starting point later in the day but the cost is also slightly higher.

La Selva Eco-Lodge & Retreat

This is an incredible place to stay, but falls into the category of luxury resort in the Amazon. Located in Yasuni National Park with transportation from Coca this lodging includes meals like the other tours above as well as guided tours and nature viewing. This lodge get incredible views but was just out of our price range for our visit since we had other activities to enjoy during our time in Ecuador.

This resort also has a spa on site where you can relax and get massages or use the hot tub.

Manatee Amazon Explorer

This is a different Amazon experience compared to the other tours and lodging on this list. Instead of spending your time in the Amazon at a resort, the lodging for this tour is actually on a boat. Accommodations are more on the luxury side all while you cruise on the river in Yasuni Region. There are great activities included in the tour and excellent food – plus you get to spend your time on a boat!

Puyo Jungle Full-Day Amazon Tour

This is a one day tour from the town of Banos to Puyo. If you are already planning to spend time in the fun town of Banos, this tour is easy and involves much less driving compared to visiting Cuyabeno and Yasuni. Since this is a one day tour, you miss the experience of spending the night in the rainforest but you will still get a boat ride as well as a few other activities like swimming in a waterfall and a visit to an indigenous village. The day is very packed!

What to Pack for a Visit to the Ecuador Amazon Rainforest

There are a few things to keep in mind when packing for you Ecuador rainforest tour in the Amazon. The first thing is you will likely get wet and dirty. You should plan to bring some extra clothes or things that can be washed quickly. Second, there will be bugs. Plan to bring lightweight, long, and loose clothing for hiking. Finally, the best Ecuador Amazon lodges are remote, so you should plan to have everything you need during your visit.

Below you can find suggestions of what to pack for the Amazon.

Luggage: Leave behind you hard case suitcases and pack your gear in a a duffel bag or bag pack. Your luggage will be put on boats and tossed onto docks, so pack light and make sure your clothes and gear are all packed in waterproof bags. You should also have a small bag to carry on hikes with layers and bug spray.

We packed our gear in our larger days packs (see The Best Day Pack for Hiking).

• Rain Gear: Pack a lightweight raincoat. Most Amazon tour companies will have rain ponchos, but a raincoat is cooler for hikes or walking around your lodge. Since it’s hot, rain pants are optional, you can also have a pair of lightweight pair of trousers that can get wet.
• Short and Long Sleeved Shirts: bring quick drying shirts that are loose fitting.
• Shorts and Pants: Lightweight and quick drying shorts and a pair of loose fitting pants that are comfortable for hiking and boat rides.
• Undergarments and Sock
• Hat: Something that will help protect you from the sun.  See – Best Hiking Hat: Women, Men and Kids
• Sunglasses
• Shoes: Bring a good pair of hiking boots/shoes for getting around. Most of the lodges supply rainboots for the hike but you will also want a pair of sandals or flip flops. We love our Chacos.
• Waterproof Bags: you can pack in dry bags, or simply get large zip lock bags – pack these smaller bags in you pack.
• Flashlight/headlamp: In case of power outages or night hikes. This is the headlamp I carry.
• First Aid Kit – we always carry a small first aid kit when we travel. Make sure you have something for bug bites. This is almost exactly like the one we use.
• Electronics: phones, cameras, extra batteries, charging cables, etc.
• Sunscreen and Bug Spray
• Toiletries
• Binoculars

Our Experience on the Green Forest Ecolodge Amazon Tour in Ecuador

We spent about 10 days exploring Ecuador and visited the Amazon rainforest towards the end of our itinerary. After extensive research, we booked 3 days at the Green Forest Ecolodge. If you have the time, we recommend booking the 4 day tour.

Since we were coming from Banos, we took the overnight bus from Banos to Lago Agrio. The bus left around 10:45 and was run through Transportes Baños. The overnight bus was fairly comfortable and got us to LAgo Agrio by around 7 am.

From here you can walk into town to find something to eat. To get to the meeting point near the bridge, we took a taxi. After meeting up with our group, we got into a van and drove about 1.5 hours further east. The van was comfortable and our bags were strapped into the roof and covered with plastic in case of rain. When we reached the river there was a basic lunch waiting for us and we quickly boarded a motorized canoe for the ride into our lodge.

Each boat typically has a driver and a guide onboard, so this drive was also full of animal sightings. The ride into the lodge took about 2 hours and we saw monkeys, birds, a cayman, and pink river dolphins. We had 4 other people on our tour with us and it was fun getting to know them over the few days in the Amazon.

We arrived at the lodge in the midafternoon and got settled. The lodge included an open air dining room and common space with foosball, hammocks, chess, and some seats. Tea and drinking water are available all the time. A boardwalk leads to the cabins. You can stay in either private or shared cabins with bathrooms and bunks with mosquito netting.

Meals at the lodge are served family style and the food was good with options for vegetarians. We had chicken, meat and fish during our stay with a hearty breakfast each morning. Beer and wine are available for purchase. On the final day they packed us a bag lunch to eat on the way out of the Amazon.

During our time at Green Forest Ecolodge, we did several rainforest tours including a night hike where we saw lots of spiders, snakes, and a poison dart frog. We also did a day hike where we learned about how people have survived in the Amazon including how they used ant to make insect repellant, how to use leaves to determine if you have a fever, how to find water, and how to make a torch. Our guide was excellent and we learned a ton on this hike.

We also did a early morning boat ride looking for animals and spotted a sloth, monkeys and lots of birds.

The other tour is to one of the indigenous villages in the area. During this visit you will meet some of the people often including the Shaman and learn to shoot darts and how they make their food.

Each evening we finished our day by taking a boat ride out to the large lagoon. In the center of the lagoon boats from the other nearby lodges gather and you can swim. At first we were freaked out by this as the guide told us the caymans and anacondas stay near the edge, but after watching other swim the first night, we decided to jump in on the second evening and really enjoyed getting to cool off!

We loved our experience on this tour and the only thing we would have done differently is to add on one more day.

Common Questions about Visiting the Amazon in Ecuador

Is the Amazon Safe?

This was one of our biggest questions on visiting the Amazon. Unlike many other places we visited it felt unfamiliar with many animals that could kill you. While that is true, the tour company made a big point to ensure we were safe and simply having rain boots when hiking made a big difference. If you are concerned for safety, it’s worth reaching out to your tour operator.

Is Visiting the Amazon in Ecuador Worth It?

Absolutely! We loved our visit to the Amazon and only wished we had stayed longer. We loved being so remote, learning so much and seeing so many animals. It was truly a bucket list experience for us.

Have a Question? Drop a comment and I’ll continue to update this post.

Looking for more things to explore in Ecuador?

We loved our trip to Ecuador and the variety of place to explore. Whether you are spending 10 day or 3 months in Ecuador below you can see some of our favorite places to visit in addition to the amazon rainforest, Ecuador.

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