The Reserva Producción Faunística Cuyabeno, more commonly known internationally as Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, is one of Northern Ecuador's little-known gems. In the Oriente, Ecuador's section of the Amazon Basin, this is a bastion of wildlife that gets little attention besides the more famous Yasuní National Park, but the 2330 square mile reserve has wildlife a-plenty, and also the Cofán people who live here in the south of the reserve.
Around 250 miles east of Quito, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is remote. You have to enter the reserve on a guided tour. A tour will involve bumpy 4x4 travel and extended boat travel, often by canoe, and you will likely stay on lodges located within the reserve. Lago Agrio is the base for most trips, with packages generally including travel to/from Lago Agrio but rarely from Quito. Lago Agrio can be reached by plane or by bus, but from there it is essential to be part of a tour group. Tours are usually arranged in Quito but can also be arranged in Lago Agrio.
By Plane and Private Transfer
Duration: 5-6 hours
The easiest, quickest and most expensive way to get from Quito to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is this. Two flights from Monday to Friday and one flight on Sunday currently connect Quito and Lago Agrio. These flights are operated by TAME and take around 55 minutes. However, because of flight timings it is not always possible to begin the trip to Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve the same day; some tour operators will connect with the morning plane and some will begin the tour the following morning, meaning an overnight stay in Lago Agrio.
In Lago Agrio, you will either meet your tour operator for the next leg of the trip by private transfer at the airport, or stay overnight in Lago Agrio and meet your tour operator the following morning.
Transport from Lago Agrio to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve lodges takes around four hours, although individual lodges do usually specify the exact travel time on their websites.
The duration quoted above does not include an overnight stay in Lago Agrio en route.
By Bus and Private Transfer
Duration: 12-13 hours
This is the cheapest, slowest and least expensive way to get between Quito and the reserve. The main reason travelers take this option is to save money on the higher prices for the tours offered in Quito by purchasing the very same tour in Lago Agrio instead.
Bus travel time from Quito's Terminal Terrestre Quitumbe bus station to Lago Agrio is around eight hours, and there are regular departures almost every hour during the day and often at night (some buses terminate in Lago Agrio and some will be continuing to Coca).
In Lago Agrio, you will then have to purchase your tour. Lago Agrio tour agencies are not quite as user-friendly as Quito tour agencies and many staff may not speak English. Plan on arriving on a bus in the early afternoon, leaving you sufficient time to check out tour options. You will then be able to depart on the tour to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve the following morning.
See the above option for more on traveling from Lago Agrio to the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve.
The duration quoted above does not include an overnight stay in Lago Agrio en route.
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