Advice for your trip 🙂 La selva is great- but here’s some advice to have the best stay possible: -invest in a good pair of binocular... read moreLa selva is great- but here’s some advice to have the best stay possible: -invest in a good pair of binoculars - I didn’t do this, brought a junky pair and was kicking myself. Seriously, spend a lot of money for a good pair. -the 2 hour ride down the Napo River is not that pleasant , so just prepare yourself and you’ll be fine, bring a jacket. - do 5 days 4 nights, BUT, don’t let them pull what they pulled on 2 members of our group (see below - request Omar and Enrique , they’re the best! A few things la selva could improve: - we had 5 people in our group and they told us on day 2 that the next day we would have 5 more - meaning we would have had 10. The agent told me no more than 8 in a group, so if this had happened (3 of the 5 cancelled) I would have been pretty pissed. Make sure of the group size before you go and make sure it’s adhered to- 10 would have been a lot less enjoyable -we did 3 nights and 4 days. At first I was sad we were leaving the night before our departure and wished we had sprung for the extra night, but then I found out that they were doing the same exact thing they did on day 2 for those that were staying 4... La selva is great- but here’s some advice to have the best stay possible:

-invest in a good pair of binoculars - I didn’t do this, brought a junky pair and was kicking myself. Seriously, spend a lot of money for a good pair.

-the 2 hour ride down the Napo River is not that pleasant , so just prepare yourself and you’ll be fine, bring a jacket.

- do 5 days 4 nights, BUT, don’t let them pull what they pulled on 2 members of our group (see below

- request Omar and Enrique , they’re the best!

A few things la selva could improve:

- we had 5 people in our group and they told us on day 2 that the next day we would have 5 more - meaning we would have had 10. The agent told me no more than 8 in a group, so if this had happened (3 of the 5 cancelled) I would have been pretty pissed. Make sure of the group size before you go and make sure it’s adhered to- 10 would have been a lot less enjoyable

-we did 3 nights and 4 days. At first I was sad we were leaving the night before our departure and wished we had sprung for the extra night, but then I found out that they were doing the same exact thing they did on day 2 for those that were staying 4 nights - so they essentially had to repeat one day. If I had this happen to us I would be pretty peeved, so make sure you ask about this first and ensure that it won’t happen

-the travel agency they use is slow to answer , but it’s not the end of the world

-La Selva: please put the sign to not flush toilet paper in front of the bowl when you’re sitting - not to the side - I can’t count the number of times I fished toilet paper out of the bowl because I forgot. Yuck . Small change and a big reward.

- the tipping process is insane. They should incorporate it into the price. It makes the last day awkward and adds unnecessary stress. Just add a certain % automatically to the bill and if someone has poor service they can ask for it be removed - this is the process in a lot of places and it’s a lot less stressful and awkward.

All that said - la selva is wonderful. The staff is great, the whole place is amazing and the activities are a blast.. definitely go- just take my advice above 🙂 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

Experience of a Lifetime! Kudos to the fantastic staff at La Selva who made our excursion into the Amazon such a rewarding and fun exper... read moreKudos to the fantastic staff at La Selva who made our excursion into the Amazon such a rewarding and fun experience. We spent three nights and hated to leave.

Pickup at the Coca airport and boat travel to the lodge (2 1/2 hours by motor canoe and another 45 minutes by paddled canoe) were handled flawlessly. It was also a nice distance—long enough to settle in to the feel of the jungle and to enjoy the remoteness of the experience without the longer, more draining approaches we later heard other visitors had to make to other lodges.

Our naturalist and native guides were PHENOMENAL! Ask for Rodrigo and Mendardo aka Chicuki. Their sightings and skills were magnificent, and they were patient with us, extremely helpful and fun.

The restaurant and bar fare was delicious. Juan took great care of us there. With so much to see —the birdwatching, even on the property!—I hated to spare an entire hour for a massage, but was glad I indulged in a 30-minute one in their open air spa with the sounds of rain and jungle in the background. It beat any one-hour massage I’ve had elsewhere.

I wish I could name everyone, as Miguel has clearly put together a professional, attentive staff.

By all means, GO! Yes the humidity is taxing, but the bugs are not. Take quick-dry clothes and knee socks for their rubber boots and prepare for the adventure of a lifetime. read less

Great experience in the Amazon La Selva was a wonderful home in the Amazon for 5 days. The location is beautiful, the accommodations were ve... read moreLa Selva was a wonderful home in the Amazon for 5 days. The location is beautiful, the accommodations were very nice and the food beautifully prepared and delicious. Even the bar tender gets 5 stars. The staff was wonderfully accommodating and very friendly. As we spent many hours with our naturalist guide, Julio, and native guide, Medaldro, I want to thank both of them. Julio was a delight; very knowledgeable and lots of fun! Five Stars read less

Nice place Amazon La Selva Lodge: Very nice stay. Better food & internet than most Quito & Lima hotels that I hav... read moreAmazon La Selva Lodge: Very nice stay. Better food & internet than most Quito & Lima hotels that I have stayed over last month, despite being in the Amazons. Helpful staff. Good knowledgeable guide. Fabulous Observation Tower over trees’ canopy. I did not have massage but those who had were very satisfied. Nice ambiance in the hotel. Nice rooms. No air conditioning, but adequate fans. Again, very nice meals. During hikes, few animals/birds/reptiles to see, but again, that is Amazon. 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