During our years of thinking about, dreaming about, and planning for this trip, we came across many, many places that we wanted to visit. Some eventually got dropped. Some became maybes. And some became priorities, places we felt we just had to visit. The Amazon jungle was one of those places. If you recall, in an earlier post before we departed, we asked you all to vote on how and where we should experience the jungle. In the end, time and circumstances dictated, and we opted for a jungle lodge experience in Ecuador, 4 days at Jamu Lodge in the Cuyabeno Reserve.
In the end, well, it was okay. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Of all the must-see places that we’ve been to so far, the Amazon jungle is the only to disappoint. It’s really hard to say why. We had a good guide; he could spot things in the dark that I couldn’t have seen in the day time.
We saw lots of wildlife: squirrel monkeys and woolly monkeys, giant sloths, goliath tarantulas, anacondas, boas, tiny tree frogs, toucans, caimans, river dolphins, piranhas, lizards, and all kinds of other insects, birds, and other animals.
We didn’t have any bad experiences (though I have to say I wouldn’t particularly recommend our lodge to anyone looking). So what was wrong?
Well, have you ever been on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disney World, the one where you float around on a boat and random animals pop out? That’s how it felt to me. I never really felt a sense of adventure. Maybe it’s just that we got lucky and always easily spotted the animals we were searching for; we didn’t have to go too far or look too hard. It was too easy almost.
Or maybe it’s that we spent almost all of our time in a motorized canoe.
Every once in a while, when the motor was cut, and we could hear the sounds of the jungle around us, it felt like a cool place. But as we buzzed down the river, nothing but the sound of motor in our ears, it felt very much like an adventure park, and very little like an authentic adventure.
I don’t regret going. And I might even go again. But next time, I’d do it differently. I’d go for a longer time—say a few weeks. I’d take a small canoe and an oar to paddle it with. I’d go deeper. I’d move slower. I’d have a real adventure.
But that’s next time. And between now and then, I have a lot more places to go.
T,
It just goes to show that every trip is different. I would have probably said the exact opposite of your trips to the Amazon and the Galapagos. Our Galapagos adventure was not something I’d like to repeat. We had freezing, choppy, murky water, making the snorking terrible. Plus, we were so sea sick at night because of the stormy weather that we didn’t really enjoy it too much. The birds were fantastic though. Our favorite were the blue footed boobies.
As for the Amazon, we’d go back. It was great! And the sense of adventure was not lost on us. We had an interersting turn in a leaky canoe with no paddle. Our guide took a tree and turned it into a pole to try to get us out of the pariah pond without sinking. And we had a bee swarming on top of a lookout tower with no where to go. That made me have goose-bumps, even in the 90 degree weather.
All in all it sounds like you’re having a wonderful trip!
opps I totally meant a piranha pond
Wow! What kind of spider is that? Looks terrifying!
It’s a Goliath Tarantula and it’s a big as an adult male’s hand. It’s also poisonous, not enough to kill you but enough to put you in some serious pain.
I just stumbled upon your blog. Thanks so much for sharing your adventures. I am looking forward to see where you two go next.
Yah, I’ve always wanted to just trek into the jungle with no real plans.
Then I watched that one I Shouldn’t Be Alive! Turns out it is not the best idea.
I visited Jamu Lodge as well, and the funny thing is, I also compared the canoe rides to the Disneyworld ride. But overall, I enjoyed the brief experience. You are correct, not exactly an adventure.