Independent travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon

Independent travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon

While I was traveling in Ecuador, I encountered a popular belief, mostly amongst the tourists, that it’s almost impossible to experience the Amazons without staying at one of the uber-expensive forest lodges. No doubt that these lodges enjoy wonderful locations and are a great way to experience the Amazons, for independent travelers it often proves to be cost prohibitive or just lacking in the adventure quotient – after all, you are letting someone else decide on your experience.

Reflections of Amazonia on Laguna Panacocha
Amazonia reflecting on Laguna Panacocha

It is quite possible to arrange your own trip for that Amazonian experience. I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I decided to head to the Yasuni Reserve. I was in Banos, a pretty town nestled in the Andes, before heading down to the forests, and my inquiries with the local folks were quite positive that I could make it on my own. An overnight bus from Banos enabled me to get to Coca, a heavily industrialized town, primarily because it servers as a base for most oil companies in the forests. Coca carries a less common appellation of Puerto Francisco de Orellana!  Once you are in the city, take a taxi to the ferry terminal – the city itself doesn’t have much to offer. There are multiple tour operators by the terminal who can potentially help you get to one of the forest lodges. However, there are public ferries which connect Coca to Panacocha and Rocafuerte. The ticket sale opens on the same day at 5 a.m. or so. 4 hours on the Napo river take you down to Panacocha, and at a similar distance from Panacocha lies Rocafuerte. Do not confuse Rocafuerte of the Amazons with the myriad other namesakes in Ecuador.

On your way to Panacocha, you would cross various lodges and oil extraction bases and that generates quite a bit of traffic on the Napo river


Where to stay

Some of the locals in Panacocha offer accommodation and food, and it can be quite an immersing experience to stay with a local family. An old gentleman that I met on the ferry from Coca, offered to facilitate my stay with a local family. It was a wonderful experience – dancing salsa with the owner in the only “pub” to drink in the village, learning some Quechua, and learning about how the oil industry has affected their lives. Expect to pay $12 per night with a basic bed and food.

With a local family in Panacocha - my hosts for 2 days
With a local family in one of the villages near Yasuni

Exploring the Amazons

Ask around and chat with the local boatmen for a trip to take you deeper inside the forests. From Panacocha, you could visit laguna Panacocha which is inside the Parque Nacional de Yasuni. Hire a local boatman for about $50 for 3-4 hours of trip to the lake and back.

Local boatmen can take you around Yasuni at a nominal rate

“Prepare yourself to be mesmerized by exotic forest sounds – from all directions, sounds ‘endemic’ to the Amazons”

I was lucky to have a very nice young lad as my boatman – aware of the fact that I am interested in taking pictures, he would slow down at the right places, and point to the amazing camouflaged wildlife.

Every morning a boat leaves from Panacocha to Rocafuerte – it is essentially the same ferry which drops passengers from Coca to Panacocha. You can arrange your own trips to other parts of Yasuni  – it helps to keep the costs down if you have a few fellow travelers.

About Praveen Maloo

Praveen is currently based out of Seattle, United States. He loves coffee, conversations, micro-brews, and intimate jazz music scenes. When its not raining in Seattle, he can be seen enjoying the beautiful outdoors of the Pacific North-West.

8 thoughts on “Independent travel to the Ecuadorian Amazon

  1. Hey,
    I would like to visit the amazons soon, traveling on a budget and would like to see as much wildlife for as cheap as possible.

    would you please be more specific as to how I can find a guide once reaching coca area? how do I find cheap lodging?

    please forward your reply to dor.baruch@gmail.com
    thanks in advance!

    1. Hi Yoav,

      If you are looking for a guide, I would recommend taking the local boat to one of the nearby villages and talking to one of the guys there. Trying to find a guide in Coca will land you in the hands of one of the many tour operators.

      Apologies for the delayed response. If you have been to Coca and returned, I would love to hear about your experiences.

  2. HI!
    I was looking for a post like this because I would like to do the same. We are two travelers (my girlfriend and I). currently we are in Cuenca and the owner of the hostel where we stay told us about the possibility to explore Ecuadorian amazonia in the same way as you did, going to panacocha and staying with locals…please can you tell me if the $50 you paid for the boatman was per person or the total? would we pay 50$ as well being two people? when did you go to Panacocha (which month)? could you spot some pink dolphins? Do you have further suggestions? we will probably try to go to Coca in 4-5 days from now. thank you

    1. Hi Dario- I was there in September, had a fabulous time with no other tourists around. I don’t recall seeing pink dolphins. The cost was for the boat – it’s a small motorized canoe for 2-3 people.You can extend the trip to other parts of Yasuni from there, if you have time. There is a local ferry which picks people up everyday. Have a great trip!

  3. We’ve just completed a similar trip and were amazed at the lack of information about this option to travel independently for those on a budget. We’ve tried to add reviews on trip advisor with how to do this trip and managed for Yasuni national park and Limonocha but laguna Pañacocha doesn’t seem to exist on Google maps. We saw river dolphins and monkeys and highly recommend this site. Note there is a very rustic small hotel in Pañacocha which offers accomodation for 10 USD. You will also find a sign with the number of a guide who can take you to the lake at the front of the restaurant which is directly opposite where you get off the boat. The cost is still 50 USD for 2 people plus 10 dollars park entrance per person. We really hope more people will travel the Amazon independently. We managed a 4 night trip for 200 USD each, staying in 3 different villages. A fraction of the cost of a tour.

    1. Thanks for sharing your experience, Jennifer! Glad your independent travel experience was positive. What a beautiful part of the country! Longing to go back now 🙂

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