Editor Pick
La Selva Jungle Lodge
- September 13, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
traveler4444 from Charlottesville, Virginia
My brother and I had an absolutely amazing time at La Selva Jungle Lodge.
The jungle is an incredible place, and the services offered by La Selva allowed us to take full advantage of the beauty and excitement of the rainforest. Although the ride to the lodge takes the morning to get down the Napo river, the isolation is well worth the trip: groups of monkeys pass over and around the guest lodging daily, 3 meter fish inhabit the lake just out front, and so many brightly plumed birds fly and perch close to the lodge that I can’t remember half of their names, only that they were awesome to see. An observation platform built on a giant kapok tree provides a birds-eye view of the forest, and allows you to get great views of the animals that live far off the ground.
Without our guides, we would not have been able to appreciate all the spectacular animals and wild sounds jungle had to offer, and the guides at La Selva were excellent. Not only extremely knowledgeable, organized, and deft at explaining our surroundings, they showed such enthusiasm for the land and the animals that it would have been very hard not to love everything that we saw. We especially enjoyed just relaxing with our guides at the end of the day in the cool bar that overlooks the lake, hearing stories and getting excited for the next day. Most striking for us though, was the admiration the guides had for the jungle and their desire to protect this refuge of amazing primeval nature.
To add icing to the cake, the guest services were superior. We were very happy with the boat loads of delicious food shipped in and prepared by the chef each day, and the guest rooms that were cleaned every afternoon. Furthermore, as I have an unfortunate bad back, I was particularly thankful for the firm comfortable mattress that greeted me every evening. A generator provides power to the guestrooms, bar, and kitchen, there is running warm water for showers, and there are outlets to charge digital cameras and anything else.
Overall, we felt extremely satisfied with our visit to the rainforest, and strongly encourage everyone to visit. Though we are in our twenties, there were also families with young kids and retired couples, all of whom thoroughly enjoyed their experiences, and would give the same recommendation. Pack your sunscreen, bug repellent, and camera and you too will get to see birds all colors of the rainbow, poisonous frogs, playful monkeys, and perhaps a human-size giant river otter. Unfortunately, I spent so much time being enthralled by the jungle that I forgot to take enough pictures; hopefully that means I’ll make it back someday soon.
From journal Adventure in the Jungle