There is a place in the lungs of the earth that breathes adventure and discovery in the same breaths that also put sustainability first. The best Ecuador Amazon lodge is Yacuma Ecolodge in Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest. It’s a place that changes people, whether they come here on a transformational travel experience or not.

Ecuador is a country of incredible biodiversity – I mean, you have the founding place of evolution on one side, and literally the lungs of the earth on the other, along with steaming volcanoes and cloud forests in between. This small country certainly packs a punch. Roughly five hours from Quito, Yacuma Ecolodge is the best Amazon ecolodge in Ecuador. Why? Well, from the moment you arrive, you’ll be drinking juices made of local plants and fruits, eating food from local ingredients, and whether you intend on it or not, you’ll be supporting indigenous tourism that is thriving in this community thanks to some smart Ecuadorian locals who have hearts of gold.

WATCH: Yacuma Ecolodge story. Click unmute on the video below to listen… 

1. The property + cabiñas at Yacuma Amazon Lodge

Yacuma Ecolodge in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest is an all-inclusive package. They welcome guests with countless activities, three, three-course meals a day, beautiful bungalows with vaulted ceilings and private balconies with solar-heated showers, and non-stop entertainment of over 140 bird species out your front door. This place is alive.

2. Guided jungle day hikes with Yacuma Ecolodge

At this Ecuador Amazon lodge, English speaking local guides take you on tours tailored to you. And when I say tour, it’s not your flag-waving, corny group travel type of tour, it’s for you. The only flag you’ll see waving is the natural one made of leaves in the in your new Amazon-made hat that will be woven for you in while during your hike at one of the many informative stops.

A day hike through the jungle will reveal tons of wildlife, bird species, and things you probably didn’t even know existed. If you’re a plant geek, you’ll definitely nerd out like my friend did, spotting plants she has domestically at home in Canada. If you’re a talker like me, you’ll be speechless by the sounds of this place. In every direction – a new call, a new sound, a new moment of discovery. But if you think the day sounds are something, just wait until you go on a night walk.

3. Guided night walks

Dare I say it, the jungle at night becomes even more alive! It’s as though it knows humans hate dark and aren’t naturally cut out for it, so they take advantage of a less competitive time of day. It’s hard to comprehend the sheer volume and decibel level of the place at night, but not to worry – you’ll have plenty of time to take it in not only on your walk, but when you have the chance to fall asleep to the natural lullaby of Ecuador’s Amazon Rainforest.

On the Yacuma Ecolodge night walks, expect to find the jungle’s most colourful and also creepiest creatures. Bright green tree frogs, praying mantis’s, insects of which I do not know the names of but can tell you they had the coolest colours and sounds, and of course, tarantulas. The lodge has a resident tarantula who lives on the solar panel post. She’s got it pretty good here, and comes out to say hi in the evening. Lean, mean (actually she’s friendly), eight-legged bug-eating machine. I’m not scared of spiders, but I do get the heebie-jeebies when I see a fuzzy tarantula of that size! A notable sound that I’ll never forget on our night walk, was an ocelot mating call – the wineyest, loudest, most profound catcall you’ve ever heard. If we hadn’t heard or seen anything else on that hike (which we certainly did!) that was worth every step and mosquito bite.

Ocelot mating call: 

4. Tubing in the Amazon

TUBING! Who doesn’t love a good tube down a river? The Amazon is hot – not surprising, right? The two other guests on our trip were new to this activity, but as a seasoned tubing vet, I was in my element. (I grew up with a river flowing through my town that we would spend our summers tubing down). The boat will bring you out to the flowing Napo River where you can hop in a tire tube and float down! Tip: bring beers 😉

5. Piranha fishing

Don’t worry, there isn’t any people-eating piranhas to worry about, but you can go fishing for them! Then the chef will cook it up for you at dinner – how much more Amazon can you get?!

6. Learning about the culture and communities

Yacuma Ecolodge is an Ecuador Amazon lodge that works as a joint project with the local Kichwa Indigenous Community of Chontayacu. Since the beginning, it’s been a resource for employment, education, and understanding. Always working in collaboration, Yacuma has been built and ran by the community, for the community, with the help of EcoAndes. Through this project, they’ve been able to do things like build a school for the community (which they employed the teacher for as well until the Ministry of Education recognized it, as well as still supply the school to this day for the children), education on agriculture, empower, and educate from children to grandparents. All of this to say, the community welcomes guests with open arms and is very keen to show their culture and way of life.

Learn about flora and fauna en route to one of Yacuma’s founding families’ house where you’ll make local food, pottery, learn about their culture, and drink alcohol made from the area. You can also visit the school and hang out with the kids! They love seeing and meeting people visiting their area.

7. Lounging around

With so much to do in this area, don’t forget to make time to chill and hang out. Hammocks near the river and loungers on your cabin balcony are calling for relaxing and making time to take it all in.

For the best in gear to bring on an adventure like this, check out the Eco Escape Travel gear section!