After a two-hour motorized canoe ride down the Napo River, followed by a half-hour hike on a jungle-lined boardwalk plus a dugout-canoe crossing of Garzacocha Lake, guests are greeted at La Selva with cold towels, snacks, and juices. They're then shown to cheerful bamboo and thatched-roof bungalows, likely stopping along the way to watch monkeys, sloths, and rare birds at play in this secluded setting.

This Amazonian outpost was practicing responsible tourism long before it was

After a two-hour motorized canoe ride down the Napo River, followed by a half-hour hike on a jungle-lined boardwalk plus a dugout-canoe crossing of Garzacocha Lake, guests are greeted at La Selva with cold towels, snacks, and juices. They're then shown to cheerful bamboo and thatched-roof bungalows, likely stopping along the way to watch monkeys, sloths, and rare birds at play in this secluded setting.

This Amazonian outpost was practicing responsible tourism long before it was popular. When the lodge opened over two decades ago, an agreement was made with the nearby indigenous community to preserve 15,000 acres of unspoiled forest in return for paid use of the land for eco-minded adventures. More recently, La Selva started a non-profit dedicated to improving the quality of life for its native neighbors with social, medical, and educational projects including conservation training.

Expert naturalists and native trackers lead walking tours and river excursions in dugout canoes deep into the jungle. Guests can also paddle kayaks on—or swim with piranhas in!—Garzacocha Lake and gaze skyward to spot over 500 species of birds. Afterwards, they can laze in hammocks outside their bungalows, sip the cocktail of the day, and look forward to homemade pasta and bread at dinner.