Luxury in the Amazon La Selva was beautiful and set in such a lovely spot. The naturalists, local guides and staff were patient an... read moreLa Selva was beautiful and set in such a lovely spot. The naturalists, local guides and staff were patient and knowledgeable. The staff fed us gourmet meals and pampered in the spa. Overall a great experience. read less

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

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

Stunning eco lodge right by a lovely lagoon We spent a few days in La Selva Lodge and we had an amazing experience. The rooms are beautiful, the service i... read moreWe spent a few days in La Selva Lodge and we had an amazing experience. The rooms are beautiful, the service is so attentive and welcoming, the food is delicious and the excursions are far beyond fun and interesting! You can swim directly in front of the lodge in the lagoon & enjoy some kayaking around. They have relaxing yoga classes right on the dock! Absolutely to recommend La Selva Lodge. read less

A Beautiful and memorable experience, our four nights at La Selva Our first trip to a jungle rainforest. Highly recommend La Selva. The pickup from Coca Airport and the transpo... read moreOur first trip to a jungle rainforest. Highly recommend La Selva. The pickup from Coca Airport and the transport to La Selva was effortless and the boat trip enjoyable. Nice orientation by Miguel. Our Naturalist guide was Daniel Hicks and Sergio was our local guide. Both were excellent and diligent at spotting the wildlife. Especially enjoyed dining with Daniel at the end of the day to recap our excursions. Daniel was excellent at helping people with iPhone-type cameras to take photos using his spotting scope. Both guides worked well together. Both the day and night hikes were informative and highly enjoyable. The canoe rides in the lakes and streams were very relaxed and picturesque. The range and diversity of wildlife is amazing. I've not seen this mentioned in other reviews, but my Panasonic had a 600mm lens and was just sufficient for many long long shots of birds and animals embedded in trees. We also carried headlamps as mentioned in La Selva literature, but actually ended up not using them because they attracted too many insects. The lodge as has been mentioned is located on a beautiful and tranquil lake. The lodge has rustic charm and housekeeping and dining services were excellent. We booked our stay directly through La Selva. My only criticism is that several couples traveling on the TAME flights, from Quito to Coca and return, were seated with other people, when it seems a little more effort... Our first trip to a jungle rainforest. Highly recommend La Selva. The pickup from Coca Airport and the transport to La Selva was effortless and the boat trip enjoyable. Nice orientation by Miguel. Our Naturalist guide was Daniel Hicks and Sergio was our local guide. Both were excellent and diligent at spotting the wildlife. Especially enjoyed dining with Daniel at the end of the day to recap our excursions. Daniel was excellent at helping people with iPhone-type cameras to take photos using his spotting scope. Both guides worked well together. Both the day and night hikes were informative and highly enjoyable. The canoe rides in the lakes and streams were very relaxed and picturesque. The range and diversity of wildlife is amazing.

I've not seen this mentioned in other reviews, but my Panasonic had a 600mm lens and was just sufficient for many long long shots of birds and animals embedded in trees. We also carried headlamps as mentioned in La Selva literature, but actually ended up not using them because they attracted too many insects.

The lodge as has been mentioned is located on a beautiful and tranquil lake. The lodge has rustic charm and housekeeping and dining services were excellent.

We booked our stay directly through La Selva. My only criticism is that several couples traveling on the TAME flights, from Quito to Coca and return, were seated with other people, when it seems a little more effort by the booking company could have seated couples together. More read less

Ecuadorian Amazon experience at first rate lodge 4 night stay at La Selva. Room-excellent with great bathroom products
Arrangements to get here-smooth and str... read more4 night stay at La Selva. Room-excellent with great bathroom products
Arrangements to get here-smooth and streamlined and great boat rides-makes it really feel like an adventure from the start
food-amazing and they go above and beyond to respond to dietary requirements if you have any
Pisco sour-excellent, with Laos many cocktails and wine
Snacks-welcome back drinks from excursions -excellent
All staff-excellent
The most amazing thing is the the rainforest and the guides-we has Rodriguez and Ramon- they had an incredible ability to find animals, birds, monkeys, bugs, mammals in the jungle. They could do monkey and bird calls to entice them out. They even took a photo of a TOucan for me through a telescope
Rain is not a problem as when it rains they carry and instantly provide industrial strength ponchos as well as gumboots
The canoe rides at day and night are an amazing way to experience, see and hear the changing mood of the jungle across the day read less