What to Expect When Visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

Are you wondering what to expect from a visit to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador? Don’t worry, before our visit we were curious too. So, in this fun post we’ll discuss all the important things, so you can feel as prepared as possible when you book your once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

We personally visited Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in Ecuador, however, we believe that on most Amazon Rainforest tours you’d have a very similar experience. So you should still find this post useful whether you visit the Amazon in Peru, Brazil or any of the other countries the rainforest extends into.

If you’d like to see us visiting the Amazon Rainforest, then check out our dedicated Amazon video on our YouTube Channel. For more Ecuador videos check out our Ecuador Playlist.

About the Amazon Rainforest

Covering a staggering 2.5 million sq miles across South America, the Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforest in the world. Spanning nine countries, it’s often referred to as the “Lungs of the Earth” because it produces more than 20% of the world’s oxygen.

The rainforest is home to thousands of different species, from snakes and spiders, to monkeys and even dolphins. This makes the Amazon one of the world’s richest and most-varied ecosystems. More than 400 different indigenous groups also call the rainforest home.

Unfortunately, as we’re all aware, the Amazon faces many threats such as deforestation for agricultural expansion, illegal and often unsustainable natural resource extraction, and of course climate change.

What to Expect When Visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

Here are a few things to bear in mind before booking your trip to the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador:

1. You’ll Be Quite Far from Everything

When you look at the map, you’ll see that you actually won’t be going super deep into the jungle. In fact, there are plenty of lodges and quite a few communities living in this part of the rainforest. The truly remote parts of the Amazon are either off-limits or pretty impossible to get to.

However, even though you won’t be too deep in the jungle it’ll still take a long time to reach your lodge from Quito. You’ll be more than far enough from your typical city noise and light pollution; which has both pros and cons.

You’ll soon get used to the new environment and will appreciate just how amazing nature is. Even if all the creatures will terrify you a little at first! If something does go wrong, it takes a long time to get to the closest hospital.

2. There Won’t be Internet or Phone Signal

If you want to unplug for a few days, then a trip to the Amazon Rainforest will be perfect for you. There won’t be any phone signal or Wi-Fi, so you can be fully present in the moment.

Top Tip. It’s always good to let your loved ones at home know how long you’ll be away, so they don’t worry about you. Also, your lodge will have radios so they can communicate with the ‘outside world’ in case of an emergency.

Your free time in the jungle will be spent having a good chat with other tourists, playing some games and just recharging. Honestly, being away from social media and all those notifications is the best feeling ever. (Although it can be hard sometimes when you can’t Google the answer to some burning questions that come up during your conversations.)

3. You Probably Won’t Have Hot Water

It will depend on your lodge, but it’s unlikely you’ll get a warm shower during your stay. Some of the more luxurious lodges will offer a lot more comfort. However, if you’re on a tighter budget, you might have to compromise on a few things, like a hot shower.

Thanks to the humidity, you probably won’t even want a hot one. Plus, a cold shower has its benefits.

4. You’ll be in a Canoe a lot

Almost all the activities will start and end with a canoe ride in the Amazon Rainforest. This is because your lodge is normally located on the banks of the river, so in order to go anywhere you’ll have to use the canoe.

Riding in a canoe up and down the river is actually a fantastic experience. The river is normally calm and glassy and you’ll feel very close to nature. Depending on the activity, you may be traveling for some time. For example, just getting from Cuyabeno Bridge to your lodge can take between 1 to 2 hours.

Sometimes you’ll land so you can walk along a few trails. However, for the most part, you’ll be in a canoe getting from A to B, as well as using it to return to your lodge.

5. You’ll Get Wet and Muddy

Well, it’s called a rainforest for a reason!

So, the chances of you getting wet at some point during your stay are pretty high. Of course, if you visit in the dry season you probably won’t get soaked every day. Rain normally comes and goes very quickly but when it does come it usually absolutely chucks it down!

You’re in the rainforest, so you’d want to experience the rain, wouldn’t you? The difference here is ‘how’ you get to experience it. Watching the rain from the lodge can actually be a very soothing, almost romantic experience. On the other hand, getting absolutely drenched when you’re in the canoe is definitely less pleasant. Although, it is memorable.

6. Rain Ponchos and Wellies Will Become Your Go-to Outfit

This is your typical ‘how I imagined I’d look in the Amazon Rainforest vs. how I actually looked ‘ scenario.

First of all, it’s always good practice to cover your skin, even if it’s super humid. Long sleeve tops and bottoms will protect you from bites, stings and scratches.

You’re in a rainforest, so you’ll likely need to wear some waterproofs too. Normally your lodge will give you a heavy-duty poncho that will provide some protection against the rain. They’re pretty long so you’ll be covered from top-to-toe. You should still wear something appropriate underneath though.

Now it’s no secret that the rain can make the trails incredibly muddy. Therefore, wellies will be your most worn footwear during your stay, especially when you head out on an excursion that involves hiking.

You can try to look a bit more ‘stylish’ for those social media posts, but honestly, after the first day, you’ll care less about your appearance and more about the experience. (At least in our opinion.)

Top Tip. If you’re a bit shorter like me, bring a few hair ties, so you don’t have to drag the bottom of your poncho in the mud when hiking.

7. Wildlife is Everywhere…Even if You Don’t See It

The Amazon is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, so you’ll be surrounded by plenty of life. Even if you don’t see every little creature, you’ll definitely be able to hear them.

Sometimes you don’t even have to leave your room because the wildlife comes to you. You may have to chase a lively tree frog from your room or be awoken by the sound of bats sleeping above you in the ceiling (we speak from personal experience!)

Don’t forget to always use the mosquito nets when sleeping to avoid mosquito bites.

8. There’s No Guarantee of What Wildlife You’ll See

You’ll definitely see wildlife during your visit. However, there’s no guarantee what you’re going to spot. Wildlife is unpredictable, and whilst an anaconda could very well be chilling in the trees or swim past your canoe, there’s also a chance that you won’t see one at all during your visit.

The jungle has different seasons and some animals are more common than others at different times of the year.

For this reason, we believe that it’s important to go on the tour with low expectations. That way anything you do see is a bonus! Visiting the Amazon Rainforest is a fantastic experience and you will have the time of your life seeing this unique place on Earth no matter what wildlife you get to see.

9. The Guides are Fantastic at Spotting Wildlife

Everyone working in the Amazon Rainforest is very skilled at spotting wildlife. Your guide will always canvass the trees and the river when you’re out in the canoe. It’ll become second nature to you too, even if you only spot your hundredth ‘Stinky Turkey’ (Hoatzin).

At night, you’ll likely be cruising in a canoe surrounded by nothing but darkness. You’ll notice that your guide will only flash his light occasionally to spot wildlife. We have no clue how they do it, but they’re able to spot so much regardless of whether its daylight or dark.

This is also when we appreciated just how skilled our canoe driver was who knew where all the turns and tree branches were located in pitch darkness. Visiting the Amazon Rainforest without these skilled people would’ve been impossible.

10. Malaria Isn’t the Only Disease You Should Be Worried About

You’ll probably read about a wide variety of diseases you can get if you’re visiting the Amazon Rainforest. One of them is malaria. Ecuador’s malaria map actually shows a low risk of malaria for most of the country. We still recommend consulting with your GP if you wish to take tablets.

Now, protection against mosquito bites is still very important because of other diseases. Sometimes the risk of Zika and Dengue fever, both transmitted to humans by mosquito bites, are not emphasized enough.

Another one to consider is Yellow Fever. CDC and NaTHNaC say that a Yellow Fever vaccination is recommended if you’re travelling to Morona-Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Sucumbios and Zamora-Chinchipe, and the province west of the cordillera, Esmeraldas. This includes the Amazon Rainforest.

And let’s not forget that you can also get parasites, ticks and other insect bites, as well as rashes from plants.

This is not to scare you, but to make sure you’re a bit more prepared. You most likely won’t spend long enough in the jungle to get anything at all.

Make sure to always have travel insurance, because you just never know what could happen during your trip. We personally use SafetyWing which offers a high level of coverage at a more affordable price than most other insurers.

11. You’ll Enjoy Falling Asleep to the Sound of Nature

Visiting the Amazon Rainforest might not be as peaceful as you would think. There are thousands of species living there, so expect the nights to be quite noisy. It’s nothing compared to the sound of the busy cities though. If you’re anything like us, you’ll enjoy falling asleep to nature’s symphony.

It’s still something that we miss sometimes living in busy cities with the constant traffic noise.

Top Tip. Bring earplugs if you normally can’t sleep in a noisy environment.

12. You’ll be Both Sad and Eager to Return to Home Comforts

You’ll quickly get used to living a simple life and falling asleep to the sound of nature. We’ll bet that, at the end of your trip, a part of you will want to go on another excursion to see even more wildlife.

Simultaneously, you probably won’t be able to wait for a hot shower (if you didn’t have any) and some internet access once back in civilization. We also weren’t too mad about the drop in humidity either.

Final Thoughts on Visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador

In many ways visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Ecuador exceeded our expectations. It was definitely one of the most memorable tours we’ve ever signed up for. Seeing wildlife we’ve only ever seen in documentaries and doing activities we never thought we’d ever be able to do was something we’ll forever be grateful for. Even just being far from the city noise and completely disconnecting was amazing and well needed.

Have you ever been to the Amazon Rainforest? If so, what was your experience? If not, would you want to visit the jungle in the future? Let us know in the comments below.