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

Family trip My family had an amazing time during our 4 day stay at La Selva. It was a beautiful setting, with great food ... read moreMy family had an amazing time during our 4 day stay at La Selva. It was a beautiful setting, with great food and accommodations. The staff couldn’t be more friendly and attentive. Our naturalist guide Julio Rojas was excellent. There was a range of ages and physical abilities in our family group and Julio did a great job tailoring our walks, canoe rides and other activities based on this. He is incredibly knowledgeable, and very friendly. Julio’s passion and enthusiasm for the Amazonian ecosystem is infectious, as is his obvious love of his job as a guide. We highly recommend La Selva!!
S Olney and family read less

Amazing service and care during difficult time! The best guides! We were so fortunate to have experienced 2 nights of our stay when the country shut down for coronavirus. It... read moreWe were so fortunate to have experienced 2 nights of our stay when the country shut down for coronavirus. It is just a magical place. We were greeted at Coca airport and then 2 hours down the Napo River transferring to a little canoe for half an hour into the private lagoon of La Selva. Lovely box lunch as we travel was greatly appreciated.
Accommodations were beautiful with a large room and balcony. The oversize fan kept us quite comfortable at night. I appreciated the L'Occitane products.
The food was marvelous and I really enjoyed that we ate with our guide Paul. He was so knowledgeable about animals and plants in the jungle.
We enjoyed two evening canoe rides , one hike to observation tower and then we were given the information that Ecuador was closing its border to incoming flights effective the next day. We were advised to find flights home tomorrow from Quito. La Selva and Paul did so much to help us navigate this difficult situation. The concern to help us return home in light of the fact that their jobs would be on hold for at least 30 days was phenomenal.
Yoga is offered 4 times a day and I was able to enjoy a class. Great instructor! I was also able to have a lovely massage in the jungle.
I hope we will be able to visit again. More read less

An Amazing Rainforest Adventure We enjoyed our boat rides on the Napa River going to and from La Selva. The motorized canoe is steady and tra... read moreWe enjoyed our boat rides on the Napa River going to and from La Selva. The motorized canoe is steady and travels fast. It is piloted by a skilled driver who knows exactly where the sandbars are both above and below the water. On our way to the resort we saw dark clouds and a wall of rain ahead. The boat stopped and we were given heavy ponchos that covered us completely. The rest of our luggage had already been placed in heavy plastic bags so nothing got wet. Don’t worry about the weather ~ the staff will take care of you. Our trip back was sunny and smooth. Both times we saw amazing trees and spoonbills & egrets fishing on the sandbars. We also saw barges of heavy equipment used by the oil companies that have mineral rights in places along the river. The resort fits perfectly into its surroundings. The lodge holds a reception area, an open-air restaurant & bar, and an observation platform. There were no mosquitoes or other insects to bother us around the lake. We only needed to put on insect repellent when we went into the jungle. Large fans kept us cool and we always had access to water coolers and tea and coffee. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The food was plentiful and delicious. It included a huge breakfast buffet each morning and then three course meals or buffets at lunch... We enjoyed our boat rides on the Napa River going to and from La Selva. The motorized canoe is steady and travels fast. It is piloted by a skilled driver who knows exactly where the sandbars are both above and below the water. On our way to the resort we saw dark clouds and a wall of rain ahead. The boat stopped and we were given heavy ponchos that covered us completely. The rest of our luggage had already been placed in heavy plastic bags so nothing got wet. Don’t worry about the weather ~ the staff will take care of you. Our trip back was sunny and smooth. Both times we saw amazing trees and spoonbills & egrets fishing on the sandbars. We also saw barges of heavy equipment used by the oil companies that have mineral rights in places along the river.

The resort fits perfectly into its surroundings. The lodge holds a reception area, an open-air restaurant & bar, and an observation platform. There were no mosquitoes or other insects to bother us around the lake. We only needed to put on insect repellent when we went into the jungle. Large fans kept us cool and we always had access to water coolers and tea and coffee. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. The food was plentiful and delicious. It included a huge breakfast buffet each morning and then three course meals or buffets at lunch and dinner. The staff took allergies and food preferences into account. At breakfast and dinner we sat with our small group (5) and our interpretative guide. This allowed us to plan our day and talk about what we had seen. The tiny gift shop has an excellent booklet on birds and common mammals that are seen around the lodge.

Our room was lovely. It was fully screened and had a private balcony and a modern washroom. The overhead fan did a great job of keeping us cool at night. While it is hot and humid in the daytime we actually appreciated the comforter over night.

The quality of the interpretive naturalist guides and the local guides make the programs at La Selva world class. Omar and Darwin were our guides. This partnership provides a great balance. Omar had an encyclopedic knowledge of the flora and fauna and Darwin had incredibly sharp eyes and the local expertise needed to help us spot wildlife. The programs start early in the morning, provide you with free time during the heat of the day, and then resume in the late afternoon. This pattern matches the activity of wildlife. We went on day & night hikes, canoe rides, visited a local Kichwa village and climbed the 35 m observation tower. Free time can be spent catching piranha, practicing yoga, relaxing at the spa, socializing with other guests, kayaking around the lake, or napping.

In our four days at La Selva we saw 55 different species of birds well enough for us to identify them on our own and 19 species of animals. We didn’t even try to keep track of the number of species of insects and plants. We could easily have doubled the length of our stay and continued to have new experiences. More read less

Great Five Star Resort in Amazon Rainforest Tour guys are knowledgeable, great people, excellent service, delicious meal, professional massage person and ... read moreTour guys are knowledgeable, great people, excellent service, delicious meal, professional massage person and Yoga instructor. We’ve seen a lot interesting animals during our stay. Would highly recommend this to any. My 7 years old daughter and 82 years old grandpa are all enjoyed this wonderful trip. read less

Great stay! Abundant wildlife and birds We stayed 4 nights, going out on wildlife walks or by canoe twice a day. It is a rain forest, so no surprise w... read moreWe stayed 4 nights, going out on wildlife walks or by canoe twice a day. It is a rain forest, so no surprise we had some rain. Staff provided clean dry ponchos when they were needed, and carried them when they weren’t needed. We had a great guide, Paul, who really knows the birds and other animals in the area, and how to spot them. Darwin paddled the canoe and also spotted wildlife. He kept the canoe very steady so we could watch through our binoculars or take pictures. Between the two we were able to see more wildlife than we expected. Bird watching from the tower was great! Also we ate very well, and had plenty of time to relax at the lodge. A lovely visit, and a great introduction to our first visit to Ecuador read less