La Selva Amazon Ecolodge & Spa

A luxury eco-lodge with 19 suites in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, La Selva provides the perfect setting for both unwinding and uncovering the secrets of the unique Amazonian wildlife. This lodge has wellness and sustainability at its core and has used locally sourced and sustainable materials in its construction and has also brilliantly re-imagined a unique concept of an Amazon Spa. While away the hours here exploring the jungle on foot, by canoe or by kayak with the ecolodge’s fantastic local guides, before having a blissful spa treatment out on Lake Garzacocha. This is eco-luxury at its finest.

Location

Deep in the Amazon Rainforest, just outside of the Yasuní National Park in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, you’ll find La Selva. A secluded location on Lake Garzacocha, the lodge can only be reached by boat or on foot – but that’s the joy of it. From the city of Coca, you hop onto a motorised boat and head down the picturesque Napo River for a couple of hours before transferring to a canoe for the remaining hour of the journey. The boat rides are actually a highlight of your stay here as you float past monkeys, tapirs, elusive giant otters and, if you’re lucky, even jaguars.

Your room

The 19 luxurious suites at La Selva have been constructed using sustainable bamboo and are inspired by the homes of local, indigenous Amazon communities. They have an airy layout, ideal for the humid rainforest. If you’re travelling with little ones, the Family Suites include spacious bathrooms, hammocks and a hot tub on a private porch. For breath-taking panoramic views over the lake, we couldn’t resist a stay in one of the Scenic Suites.

Why we like it

We cannot think of a better setting for a massage than outside, on the middle of a lake in the Amazon. It’s about as spectacular as it gets. That is until you ascend La Selva’s 38 metre high Observation Tower to discover spectacular views of the rainforest canopy. From star-gazing to exciting night excursions and Parrot Clay Licks, La Selva knows how to showcase the best that the Amazon has to offer. For a real once-in-a-lifetime experience, you can even adopt an endangered Charapa turtle which the lodge then lets you set free when it hatches. This is how we do jungle adventure.