La Selva Amazon Lodge

Great place! A very, very nice place! Beautiful lodge and surroundings, great food and staff! But absolutely best are the g... read moreA very, very nice place! Beautiful lodge and surroundings, great food and staff! But absolutely best are the guides!!! Our naturalist guide, Robby, and our native guide, Sixto, were outstanding! Very professional, yet extremely warm and funny, felt like family. Robby was teaching us in a very interesting and interactive way that kept the whole family spellbound. And just an example of how the staff really care; on the day we left, the housekeeping found out that our son had left his sunglasses behind. To give them back to him, they sent a guy in a canoe, paddling really fast for like 30 minutes to catch up with us before entering the motorized canoe! More read less

So good! This was the best trip!

We shopped around a lot for our trip to the Amazon, and this was one of the pricier... read moreThis was the best trip!

We shopped around a lot for our trip to the Amazon, and this was one of the pricier options, but so worth it in the end.

From pick up at the airport to drop-off, this was a great experience. Both our native guide and eco-guide were excellent and very knowledgeable, and our tour group ended up being at our dinner table, chatting and sharing stories well beyond dinner time and after other groups had left.

We saw a lot of wildlife, swam with the piranhas, ate delicious food, took great hikes, and really enjoyed our time.

Also to note, we were at the lodge over American Thanksgiving and they make a full Thanksgiving dinner that night! More read less

Unbelievable Experience Start to Finish It takes impeccable service for me to take the time to write a review, and the service at LaSelva Lodge exceed... read moreIt takes impeccable service for me to take the time to write a review, and the service at LaSelva Lodge exceeded my expectations across the board. We came here on our honeymoon, as visiting the Amazon jungle has always been on my bucket list, and from the moment you arrive you are fully immersed. It's beautiful, clean, amazing food, beautiful comfortable rooms, amazing forest walks and canoe rides, friendly and helpful staff, plus they give you the ability to customize your trip and cater to your specific wants/needs. I've honestly never had a better experience on a vacation. Our naturalist guide was Julio Rojas and our local guide was Tio Jose. The two of them together were fantastic at spotting birds and finding wildlife in the jungle. I'm an avid outdoorsman and very comfortable in the forest and Julio picked up on that immediately and took us deep into the jungle to give us a 'full dose' (our full dose included a hot lunch on the canoe, chicken with a cranberry sauce, but still... lol). They never took the easy way out, and both were invested in us having the experience we paid for. Both men are close to 60 years old and they took my wife and I, 31 and 32 on a strenuous 4-5 mile hike, up hill off trail, in the heat and humidity without flinching. They took the time to get to know us and find... It takes impeccable service for me to take the time to write a review, and the service at LaSelva Lodge exceeded my expectations across the board. We came here on our honeymoon, as visiting the Amazon jungle has always been on my bucket list, and from the moment you arrive you are fully immersed. It's beautiful, clean, amazing food, beautiful comfortable rooms, amazing forest walks and canoe rides, friendly and helpful staff, plus they give you the ability to customize your trip and cater to your specific wants/needs. I've honestly never had a better experience on a vacation.
Our naturalist guide was Julio Rojas and our local guide was Tio Jose. The two of them together were fantastic at spotting birds and finding wildlife in the jungle. I'm an avid outdoorsman and very comfortable in the forest and Julio picked up on that immediately and took us deep into the jungle to give us a 'full dose' (our full dose included a hot lunch on the canoe, chicken with a cranberry sauce, but still... lol). They never took the easy way out, and both were invested in us having the experience we paid for. Both men are close to 60 years old and they took my wife and I, 31 and 32 on a strenuous 4-5 mile hike, up hill off trail, in the heat and humidity without flinching. They took the time to get to know us and find out what we were there to see and experience, and they made that the focus of our outings.. Most guests are probably older and more into birdwatching than we were, and I'm sure it's extremely rare for them to have guests that want a full dose, but they did it anyways. You can tell Julio and Jose really love their jobs and they deserved more of a tip then we could ever have given them. The faint sounds that Tio can pick up in the jungle are absolutely incredible and the love that Julio has for the forest, including plants/ animals and local people, is contagious. Hats off to both of them for making our trip of a lifetime truly a trip of a lifetime. Simply amazing! More read less

Wonderful lodge I ended up here after multiple changes to my itinerary so I was not sure what to expect - I was incredibly imp... read moreI ended up here after multiple changes to my itinerary so I was not sure what to expect - I was incredibly impressed. The lodge aligns flights with the Coca pick up and canoes so that is great - would have been great if my agent told me if the changes but it all worked out. You are checked in at Quito and greeted at Coca and ushered onto a bus and then eventually onto a motorised canoe for a 2 hour journey down the river. It is then a 20 minute paddle canoe to the lake where the lodge is perched! It is a gorgeous place with a fantastic layout from the dining area and the jetties to the rooms. I was in room 14 which I could not fault except for the noisy people upstairs - get a room with no one above you is my tip if you want peace. My guides - Dan and Henry were lovely. So patient and helpful at all times. We did everything that I had hoped to do and my dream of seeing a sloth was met thanks to some other guides who knew I was hoping to see one. The food is magnificent and the bar has everything you could want. We went out for a whole day one day and the box lunch was roasted chicken and veggies! No crappy sandwich. There are early starts but you can rest... I ended up here after multiple changes to my itinerary so I was not sure what to expect - I was incredibly impressed. The lodge aligns flights with the Coca pick up and canoes so that is great - would have been great if my agent told me if the changes but it all worked out. You are checked in at Quito and greeted at Coca and ushered onto a bus and then eventually onto a motorised canoe for a 2 hour journey down the river. It is then a 20 minute paddle canoe to the lake where the lodge is perched! It is a gorgeous place with a fantastic layout from the dining area and the jetties to the rooms. I was in room 14 which I could not fault except for the noisy people upstairs - get a room with no one above you is my tip if you want peace. My guides - Dan and Henry were lovely. So patient and helpful at all times. We did everything that I had hoped to do and my dream of seeing a sloth was met thanks to some other guides who knew I was hoping to see one. The food is magnificent and the bar has everything you could want. We went out for a whole day one day and the box lunch was roasted chicken and veggies! No crappy sandwich. There are early starts but you can rest in the middle of the day before going out again. All of the staff were super friendly and I would totally recommend La Selva Lodge. The return journey was as painless as the way in. A great place to stay. More read less

An amazing place to stay in the Amazon We absolutely loved our stay at La Selva Ecolodge. Everything went smoothly, beginning with the pickup from ou... read moreWe absolutely loved our stay at La Selva Ecolodge. Everything went smoothly, beginning with the pickup from our hotel in Quito. Someone met us at the Quito airport to help us board the plane, and someone else met us at the Coca airport to transport us to the property.
My daughters and I shared a two-bedroom family suite, which gave us ample room and was quite comfortable. Meals were excellent (you eat at communal tables), and the service there was topnotch.
The highlight, though, was the excursions. From hiking in the jungle to visiting a local tribe, from fishing for piranhas to birdwatching, we loved everything we did. Both our guide and his naturalist assistant (a local) were superb at finding animals and explaining what we saw. We stayed at the lodge for three nights which felt perfect, although a four-night stay would have allowed additional hikes.
I should also mention that before we even arrived, the head office staff were incredibly helpful and kind, answering all my questions almost immediately. They also organized a two-day visit to Otavalo for us, which was amazing.
I've been back home for just a few days and I miss it already! I highly recommend La Selva and would return in a heartbeat. More read less

Unbelievably Magical Experience The staff are beyond accommodating, knowledgeable and fun. This was an experience unlike anything I've ever do... read moreThe staff are beyond accommodating, knowledgeable and fun. This was an experience unlike anything I've ever done before. You will leave with unforgettable memories and probably a few new friends. The lodge emphasizes environmental awareness and care, encouraging sustainable behavior and tourism read less