Standard Activities

  • Each day, you will coordinate with your expeditions team to suit your desires and thirst for adventure

  • You can create your own program by selecting activities from our lists that fit your desires.

  • Your group will be assigned a personal guide to escort you throughout your stay at the Otorongo lodge making your adventure up to you.

  • We are very open-minded to anything that you may suggest and we would like to cover your general interests

Three toed sloth hanging from tree, image credit: Andres Novales

The opportunities are endless and the diversity is staggering.

Join us for non-invasive wildlife observation of Amazonian biodiversity.

Sloths, Pink Dolphins, Monkeys and much more

Wildlife observation in their habitat

Customize your activities based on physical capabilities, weather and interest.

  • Short and long daytime hikes

  • Nocturnal hikes and photo shoot searching for caimans, tarantulas, snakes and insects

  • Excursions by foot and boat to search for sloths, poison dart frogs, snakes, primates, birds and much more

  • Canoeing in flooded forest

  • Visit to a native community and learn their customs, purchase artesian necklaces and crafts

  • Piranha fishing

  • Bird watching

  • Boat ride to see pink and grey dolphins

  • Learn medicinal plants

  • Camping out deep in the jungle

  • Swimming in lakes and Amazon River

  • Fossil hunting

  • Hammock room siesta

  • Excursion to see giant water lilies

  • See the spectacular Amazon sunset and sunrise

  • Visit to a local sugar cane rum distillery

  • See massive Ceiba or Kapok trees

  • Boat trips to view the constellations and Milky-way galaxy

Adventurers, hiking and exploring the fossil creek wildlife reserve.

Plan daily excursions

Great piraña fishing on the river today! Guest John captured two white pirañas on his morning fishing trip.
Taking pictures from the boat, photography enthusiasts have the greatest time clicking away with their private expeditions team.
Birdwatching in the flooded forest, aside from birds, we see sloths, dolphins snakes monkeys and more!
Two guests lending a hand by planting acai palms in a degraded pasture purchased by otorongo for reforestation
Fisherman posing with catfish caught by a local
Group of students point out a three toed sloth that was hanging around in the gardens of the lodge
Professor Mark swinging in the lush vegetation that comes from the canopy

Sloth Watching

Piraña fishing

Pink Dolphin

Observation

Night Hikes

Canoeing

Explore

Exploring riverine ecosystems, we find the giant lily pad, today in a local style wooden boat,
Pink River dolphin observation from the Amazon River lodge. A pink dolphin breaches the surface of the river, exposing its bulbous head and pink ventral hue.
The worlds smallest monkey the pygmy marmoset can be found on the lodge grounds in their habitat. We hear them every day chittering and whistling as they forage in the trees nearby.
A favorite for all our guests, the three toed sloths are abundant and photogenic. The three toed sloth is hanging from a cecropia tree leaning over the Amazon river bank.
Red backed poison frogs are a must see while hiking around the lodge. We see them on hikes in the forest adjacent to the lodge. often we see the poison dart frogs jumping around the forest floor or climbing up the trees, even carrying their tadpoles
Very Rare birdwatching sighting the Maguari stork. Two Vagrant Maguari storks standing on a cultivated rice field. The Rice is planted on the exposed sand bars of the amazon river. This particular river island is directly in front of the city of Iqui
The Ecuador poison frog is also common in the forest around the Amazon River Lodge. We see these jungle jewels every day! They decorate the tropical forest floor filling in special niches found only here!
Burrowing owls occupy the sand bars during low water season. This particular burrowing owl is perched on the roots of an inverted cane grass buried in the beach . We don't see these birds in the high water season, so it is a mystery where they go.
Family enjoying the sunset over the Amazon River. The Bench at the confluence of Oran creek and Amazon River is a tremendous place to relax, soak in the sunset and watch dolphins and locals pass by!
Exotic birdwatching is a must do while visiting the Amazon Rainforest. This is a black spotted bare eye, a type of antbird that follows army ants through the forest .

Trekking, Camping

For the adventurous and physically fit

We offer trekking circuits that highlight the differences between Amazonian flora, fauna, and geography. The time allotted for these trails is generally more than needed due to the variability of guests' time and capabilities.

These are not simple programs. Persons with serious health issues should not go on this type of trip.

Adventurers will be far from any means of communication or fast evacuation. The only way out is by walking or getting carried out. This is why we only send the best of the best jungle guides on these trips.

Digital Detox in Fossil Creek Wildlife Reserve

  • -Camping conditions, no running water/electricity

  • -Revision of Camera Traps in wildlife corridors. (if deployed)

  • -Hiking deep in the reserve looking for tracks of jaguars, Tapirs, and anteaters

  • -Jungle survival skills, live off the land and small plantations

  • -Visitation of Native communities that protect the reserve

You will be following tapir trails that cut through the hills like highways. These hills have an altitude of 500-600 ft above sea level. We highlight two features rare to lowland Amazon which would be waterfalls and a pond located at the top of the hills where one can wait silently while many species of animals come to drink and bathe.

The waterfalls albeit small (7 ft tall) are unique in the sense that they have washed out years of prehistoric megafauna fossils from the Miocene era when the Amazon Basin was a giant inland lake/wetland complex.It is difficult to put together a rigid itinerary for theses types of trips, Weather and physical conditions can vary. Even ones' views of their physical fitness are tested when they enter the humid tropical forests of the Amazon.There are few ways to attack the trail, the longest being almost 40 km and spanning a week.

Reviews taken from Tripadvisor

Visiting the Primal Amazonian River and Forest

I would highly recommend Otorongo Amazon River Lodge to anyone who wants to experience the Amazon River and Forest in its primal state. They have private cabins at a very reasonable price, especially considering 3 meals a day (very flavorful local dishes) and your own private guide that lets you decide what to do for the day. Our guide, Eddie, was bilingual and a fantastic guide. He was able to answer all of our questions during our time there. He and Roger (our local boatman/guide/everyman) were able to find plants/animals/insects of interest everywhere we went, even while cutting through thick brush to create our own jungle path.

We especially liked the night hikes around the lodge and the longer treks into the jungle to spot birds and animals - the hoatzin were especially neat to see. And how many people can say that they got to swim in the Amazon River near fresh water dolphins? And at the end, we had the awesome opportunity to give back to the forest that shared so much with us by planting trees for future generations.

Michael -E- Arizona


Once in a Lifetime Amazon Experience

The staff is amazing and really go above and beyond! It was a magical experience once in a lifetime for sure - we are so glad we did it! You would expect the Amazon to be this scary place full of wonders and probably a lot of dangers. Not at all. We saw all wonders and learned animals are not out to get you and are doing their own thing. We took back wonderful memories and would recommend anyone thinking about going DO IT!

Taylor D

Eamonn McCarron wrote a review Sep 2018

Glasgow, United Kingdom16 contributions 5 helpful votes

Unforgettable Amazon Adventure

My wife and I came here as part of our honeymoon for four nights. We arrived early (you should do the same) to make the most of our time. From beginning to end we had the most action packed yet relaxing time at Otorongo. We saw all manner of wildlife including monkeys, sloths, frogs, caiman, and birds, to name just a few. The activities are very much taylored to you with your own personal tour guide and boat driver. Our routine was activities in the morning, a rest after lunch, followed by activities in the evening before dinner. We also did a couple night excursions after dinner. Our favourite part was a night trip out on the Amazon River. Our guide took us by boat into a far flung area where we saw so much nightlife, fireflies, and could even see the milky-way. It was incredible.

Our guide Carlos, and our boat driver Josue, were amazing at leading each activity in the Amazon. We spoke to Carlos about the kind of activities we were interested in and he worked to curate a fantastic four day itinerary. Carlos had so much information and knowledge about the flora and fauna, he was a true local expert and we couldn't have asked for a better guide., He was very passionate about the Amazon and went the extra mile in ensuring that we saw and learned as much as possible. Josue also being a local was an expert boat driver and jungle navigator. He knew every inch of the Amazon areas we explored both on foot and by water. Thanks to Josue's eagle eyes, he was able to spot monkeys in faraway trees, tiny poison dart frogs... you name it he found it.

Otorongo Lodge was great at providing a homebase within the Amazon. We had a private lodge which was clean and comfortable and we loved it. It was wonderful waking up and falling asleep to the sounds of the forest which were completely different depending on the time of day. The food was magnificent with freshly sourced food and fresh juices with each meal. The catering and cleaning staff were so friendly and accommodating. Even around the lodge there is so much to see and do, it is a great location.

Special thanks to the owners and their family for making our time at Otorongo Lodge so fun, comfortable and memorable. They helped us from the planning stage all the way to our final travel arrangements, and we hope to come again.