Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve

The reserve encompasses 603,380 hectares of Amazon rainforest at the foothills of the Andes Mountains, featuring 14 interconnected lakes and three major rivers.

The Ecuadorian government designated this land as a protected area in 1979, preserving a section of Amazon rainforest that ancestral indigenous groups inhabited.

Five indigenous nations - Siona, Secoya, Cofan, Kichwa, and Shuar - maintain their traditional practices through hunting, fishing, and agriculture within the reserve.

Visitors can reach the reserve via a 25-minute flight or 8-hour bus ride from Quito to Lago Agrio, followed by a 90-minute transfer to the entrance.

The reserve contains both white-water and black-water rivers, with the latter gaining its dark color from decomposed plant materials in the forest.

Location: Sucumbíos Province

Inception: 1979

Elevation above the sea: 256 m

GPS coordinates: -0.11670,-75.83330

Latest update: May 27, 2025 11:34