We spent almost two weeks exploring the Amazon Basin in Ecuador near Yasuní National Park and along the mighty Napo River, which is a major tributary to the Amazon. Start finding your Napo River Amazon adventure with this look inside the jungle luxury at La Selva Lodge.
La Selva Lodge provides jungle luxury and more in the Napo River Amazon Basin in Ecuador.
Jungle luxury in the Napo River Amazon Basin
La Selva Lodge was one of the first luxury jungle lodges in this part of the Amazon Basin and it still does a great job (a recent infusion of capital and renovations helped). Rooms and suites are elegant and well-appointed (some have jetted tubs) and there’s even a spa.
But Amazon adventures are front and center too with lots of boating, hiking, bird-watching, swimming and fishing options on offer all lead by a local guide along with a top-notch certified naturalist guide. There’s also a 115 foot (35 meter) canopy observation tower near the lodge which is a great place to get eye-to-eye with tree-dwellers including birds, monkeys, and more.
Eric catching (and releasing) piranha in the lagoon in front of La Selva Lodge in the Napo River Amazon Basin in Ecuador.
The lodge is located on Lake Garzacocha which is picturesque, a magnet for wildlife, and a great location for swimming with piranha or fishing for piranha (strictly catch and release). This is the first place we ever tried to catch a piranha and Eric was pretty good at it.
Just a few of the butterflies we saw around La Selva Lodge.
Pros: The flexibility to create personalized experiences (from family programs to honeymoon packages) and a wide range of high-end services and amenities mean this lodge appeals to a broad spectrum of travelers. For us, this was the smartest amenity of all: the Amazon is a humid place and your camera, smartphone, laptop, etc. can get ruined if that ambient moisture gets inside. Our room at La Selva Lodge had a homemade wooden dry box with an incandescent lightbulb inside. We just put our vulnerable electronics inside the box, switched on the lightbulb overnight, and everything stayed nice and dry.
One of the many hoatzin birds that enjoy the lagoon near the lodge.
Cons: While we can see how some purists might worry that all of the tempting touches at a luxury jungle lodge might turn it into more of a resort than a place to get out and experience the Amazon. However, staff and management at La Selva remain focused on getting people into the jungle in a wide range of ways that are as tempting as that patio hammock or an outdoor massage.
Curious jungle critters.
Continue planning your Amazon adventure in Ecuador with our post about an outstanding community tourism project in the Amazon, our Napo River Amazon Travel in Ecuador Know-How post (which covers how to get there, environmental issues, Amazon myths, and other important aspects of Amazon travel), our post about a riverboat adventure on the Napo River, and our post about 9 Great Big Amazon Travel Myths.
Here’s more about travel in Ecuador
Here’s more about Amazon Travel
Here’s more about Adventure Travel
I’ve never been to Ecuador in my life! The truth is that I read your blog and I changed my mind, I would love to travel and stay in one of those cabins to enjoy nature, maybe they are luxurious, but I would still be in contact with nature (if only a little), I have also read that the cuisine of Ecuador is something totally amazing, so I would also like to go to learn more about its cuisine! Thank you so much for your article it really serves to inspire people to want to keep getting to know more countries and more in that region of South America!
A perfect glimpse of Ecuadorian wilderness. Interesting snaps