Tapir Lodge
Tapir Lodge, one of two lodges in the Cuyabeno Reserve (there are also half a dozen or more camps and other visitor outposts, in addition to several villages), sits right on the Cuyabeno River. The Tapir Lodge, operated by gracious hosts Kurt and Magdalene Beate, is of fairly new construction, built in 1999. From Quito, one accesses the lodge in a rigorous day of travel: via jet from Quito to the oil town of Lago Agrio, a three-hour bus ride on dirt roads from Lago Agrio to the put-in on the Cuyabeno, and then a two- to three-hour ride via motorized dugout canoe to the lodge itself. The remote lodge depends on solar power for its electricity. Most water is drawn right from the river, although drinking water is shipped in. Three generous meals are supplied daily. More information on the lodge is available at www.tapirlodge.com
Most visitors stay in the four-story tower to the left. Each story features a room with two twin beds plus an adjoining bathroom. Access to the lodge is via dugout canoe.
Mosquito netting shrouds each of the beds at the lodge. Because the Cuyabeno is a "blackwater"river, mosquitoes do not thrive here, and at the lodge they are not a problem (although they can be thick in other localized areas in the Amazon rainforest). Any visitors to this area, however, are advised to take malaria medication before and after visiting.
Our ever-intrepid boatman, Tomas, guided our dugout canoe up and down the Cuyabeno River during our week-long stay, occasionally piloting the long narrow vessel over and through brush and tree obstructions.
A member of the Siona tribe, Tomas comes from the nearby village of Puerto Bolivar. The lodge works in conjunction with the villagers, providing employment for some of them.
Always accompanying us on our excursions, our English-speaking guide Paul Merinos shared his sizable repertoire of bird and other jungle lore.
The Cuyabeno River is our highway as we motor through the jungle, on the lookout for exotic birds, sloths, anacondas and monkeys. Sunblock, hats and long-sleeved garb are necessary for fair-skinned northerners who want to ward off the fierce equatorial sun. Humidity was about 95%, leading to fogged glasses, laundry that took days to dry, corroded batteries and paper that turned limp.
Every afternoon, comfortable hammocks both in the main part of the lodge and in the tower beckoned each of us for a siesta.
Heaps of fresh fruit and strong coffee and tea, followed by eggs, cheese and toast, greeted us each morning at the lodge. Mostly locally grown mangoes, papayas, bananas, pineapple. Not only colorful, all the fruit here was intensely flavored, especially the babaco (a tree fruit in the papaya family).
Mornings are a special time at the lodge. At first light the noise began with the raucous calls of the russet-backed ora pendula; this member of the oriole family builds elaborate hanging nests in a colony just above the lodge. Often in the distance we could hear the loud calls of the yellow-handed titi monkeys as they argued over their territories.
Above: raindrops from a night-time thundershower evaporate quickly in the heat. Left: our dugout canoe quietly awaits another day's adventures.
Dugout Adventures
Right: During our departure from the Tapir Lodge, water levels on the Cuyabeno River had dropped considerably because of the lack of rainfall. In several instances, fallen trees blocked the way. Here we push our way through thick branches.
Below: Beryl Webster and Ronn Patterson are ready with binoculars and cameras for whatever wildlife shows itself. Often we saw monkeys and colorful birds.
