The Dream that Led me to the Amazon Rainforest:
Moments of Wonder in Cuyabeno
22 years ago, in a small village in the heart of the Austrian Alps
A 6-year-old blond girl sits in the library of her primary school, flipping through a book about the Amazon Rainforest. The colorful pictures captivate her and spark a dream: one day, when she’s older, she’ll experience the fascinating world of the Amazon firsthand: see the lively macaws with her own eyes, listen to the chorus of howler monkeys and frogs, touch the rough bark of a giant jungle tree and breath in the scent of damp leaves on the ground. For 22 years she held onto this dream until it finally came true.
9th of April 2026
After a 10-hour bumpy bus ride from Quito and 2 more hours by motorized canoe, I step onto the footbridge at the entrance to Caiman Ecolodge, close to Laguna Grande in Cuyabeno, Ecuador. Located close to the Colombian border, this reserve is one of the Ecuador’s most biodiverse areas and home to iconic species such as Pink River Dolphins, Black Caimans and the notorious Anaconda. The perfect place to live a childhood dream!
My encounter with “The God of the Air”
We were exploring the forest on foot, when our guide Jairo suddenly made us listen up. The call of a rare bird had caught his attention. Trying to spot the well-camouflaged bird in the dense canopy, we followed its cry on tiptoes. And then, all of a sudden, I saw it. Emerald green among the branches, sitting still for a few moments with divine grace. A single step, a faint rustling of leaves on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the magic was over. Revealing one last glimpse of its brick-red underside, the Quetzal vanished into the dense rainforest.
The Quetzal (its name translates to “plumed serpent”) is a sacred Meso- and South-American bird, revered as the “god of the air” and a symbol of goodness, light, and freedom by the Maya and Aztecs.
Eating ants, smoking twigs
The first morning, on our hike through the jungle, we discovered a tiny red tree frog, whose poison will kill you within a few minutes if it enters your blood through an open wound. I ate ants that tasted like lemon and let another ant species crawl and pee on my hands to get a natural mosquito repellent. And no joke: I smoked for the first time in my life – but of course not a cigarette, but the non-addictive twig of a rainforest tree with aromas of bonfire.
Creatures from a dark fairy-tale world
Our night tour, however, revealed a completely different side of the rainforest. While frogs and cicadas began their nightly chorus, tarantulas and scorpion spiders lay in wait for prey outside their burrows. From the canoe we spotted the eyes of boas and caimans reflecting the flashlight like creatures from a dark fairy-tale world.
The Jungle heals everyday Aches and Pain
In Cuyabeno, I managed to leave all the stress and worries behind. And even my sleep problems disappeared – thanks to the jungle sounds in the background. There were moments when I couldn’t stop smiling because I felt so happy and carefree. My digital detox and the fact that I went 3 days completely without the internet also contributed to this.
4 Days – 50 Species: My personal biodiversity report
The biodiversity in Cuyabeno amazed me deeply. Many thanks to our excellent guide Jairo, who had a sixth sense for spotting the rainforest animals. Where a normal person wouldn’t see more than leaves and branches, Jairo discovered squirrel monkeys and toucans. Here’s a handy tip: Download the “Merlin” app to identify bird species by their calls!
- 28 bird species, f. ex. Blue and Yellow Macaw, Oropendolas
- 2 frog species 🐸
- 3 butterfly species (f. ex. Morpho butterflies) 🦋
- 3 fish species: Arrapaima, Red Piraña, Amazonas sardinas 🐟
- 3 reptile species: Black Caimans, Anaconda, Amazonian Boa 🐍
- 3 spider species: Tarantulas, Scorpion Spider 🕷️
- 4 monkey species, f. ex. Red-Howler monkey, Yellow-handed titi monkey 🐒
- 5 other mammals: f. ex. 2-fingered Sloth, Giant Otters, Long-nosed Bats 🦇
On the fourth day I continued my trip to Limoncocha.
A lake full of stars
Have you ever dreamed of floating in a sea of lights?
Then Limoncocha is the place to go. This magnificent lake (cocha = lake in Quichua, Limón = lemon, due to its greenish color) is situated a 2-hour drive from Lagro Agrio and hardly visited by foreign tourists. This unique habitat is home to countless bird species, frogs and huge caimans. But the real show begins at dusk: What looks like a normal lake surface covered with aquatic plants during the day transforms into a sea of stars after sunset, as millions of fireflies light up the dark.
In Limoncocha, the predominant firefly species is Pyractomena angulata, whose females emit an intense green light to attract males. The males, with their fainter flashes, respond to their mates’ call. These small insects serve as indicators of ecosystem health. Their presence in large numbers suggests that the environment is clean and free of pollutants.
Some final thoughts
The importance of protecting the fireflies of Limoncocha and the Pink River dolphins of Cuyabeno together with all the other wildlife in their habitats goes beyond mere aesthetics – they represent a natural treasure that we must protect and preserve for future generations. Visiting these places is a unique opportunity to connect with nature and marvel at the beauty of life.
And I can promise you: Whoever enters the rainforest returns changed — as if the wilderness had quietly written itself upon them. Since I’ve come back from the heart of the rainforest, I’m carrying a new soul within me, a soul filled with inner peace and the confidence of having a place of refuge where you can leave your everyday worries behind.
