Just spent 4N/5D at the lodge and absolutely loved it. If you arrive here thinking you are going to be pampered and have 5-star accommodations then you simply didn't do your homework. It is clean, comfortable, and surrounded by absolute beauty. If you have complaints about bugs and/or rodents in your room, then you probably left something open or out in the open that shouldn't have been. Excursions were great; we saw monkeys, a boa constrictor, birds of all kinds, tarantulas, beatles and insects of all kinds, bats, jaguar tracks, and had a blast swimming in the lake. Special thanks to our guides; Jorge, Rodrigo, and Paul, they were all great. And to the cooks as well. The food is simple and fresh, exactly what one would expect, with plenty of fresh water and bananas to snack on, along with a fully stocked bar. If you are not comfortable stepping out of your comfort zone, this is not the place for you. I will be back next year, same time.

Some of the reviews here do make me giggle!!

This is a rustic lodge built of local materials in the heart of the Amazon Jungle!!! So yes, there is no electricity overnight, so that fuel (transported by boat) is not wasted and the generator does not obscure the amazing night time sounds of the jungle! And yes, you may get bitten by creepie crawlies and bugs/bats/birds may come into your room. No, there is no A/C, internet, La-de da etc etc.

There are quaint, traditional wood and thatch cabins with electricity and fans most of the time, comfortable beds, mosquito nets, fresh towels, wonderful food (including the best coffee I have ever tasted), marvellous staff, knowledgeable guides, cold beer (brought in by boat) and even (if you must) a cocktail menu. Add to this a truly haunting location on the edge of a beautiful lake, copious wildlife and the ever present sounds of the largest jungle on the planet and you have a truly unmissable place!! Humbling!

If, however, you need Holiday Inn comforts and are afraid of bugs/frogs/parrots etc etc, the please dont visit and leave it for the rest of us!!

Having just returned from La Selva I feel I must at least warn others of what they are taking on. There is no electricity between the hours of 10.30pm and 5.30am hence no ceiling fan, no light and no running water as this is pumped from the river. Our hut had gaps in every wall and a 2 inch gap around the door. I could stand in the "shower" and watch people walking down the path through a huge gap in the corner of the wall. One couple in our group had a rat in their bathroom and we had a 3 inch by 1 inch bug running round our bathroom floor in the night. Others had experiences of shining a torch on the floor to put on their shoes and seeing bugs scurrying in all directions. Our clothes were always damp and we had to check everything before dressing; even with these precautions I still managed to miss something in my trousers and have bites from my thigh to my knee. I don't know how I managed the three nights of our stay, in my opinion the accomodation is a "hell hole". Food is good if you can tolerate the accomodation. Don't go there!!!!!!

When planning our Honeymoon, I really wanted to go somewhere different and somewhere we both had not been before. When my future husband first mentioned the Amazon, I thought he was crazy. BUT, after looking at A LOT of other options, I came back to this idea and found La Selva. After looking through their website and talking with a sales agent, we booked our Honeymoon "Thrill" package for the first week in September (low season, yes, but great because the place wasn't packed). We don't regret our stay one bit.
When we landed in Quito, we were a little scared/hesitant/curious about where we would find our ride that was supposed to take us to the hotel. We just shrugged our shoulders and laughed because we knew our whole trip would be one big adventure with unexpected things all along the way. We found our ride which was a relief and the hotel we stayed at in Quito was even more than we expected! Beautiful scenery and accomodations (minus the construction going on in the streets below).
The next day when we headed to La Selva, the staff that met us at the airport were AWESOME. They answered any questions we had while telling us about themselves and their experiences also. The plane ride into the jungle was short and sweet and the city of Coca was one I'll never forget.
The 2 hour boat ride to the lodge showed us just a touch of what we had gotten ourselves into. They gave us a sack lunch on the ride and eating a passion fruit (I'm used to it in juice form) for the first time was interesting.
We departed our boat, hiked along a boardwalk into the jungle and stepped into a dug out canoe. Our guides paddled us across the lake to the lodge and we were greeted with appetizers and a welcome drink! Our bags were put in our 'room' by the staff and we were asked just to relax and talk about what was to come in the days to come.
When we first walked into our cabin, I was pleasantly surprised. Being in the honeymoon suite we had a fan, beautiful bed linens and some little treats on the table like wine and lotions. I was even more surprised to see that the bathroom had plumbing! Even though the water was from the lake, I was very impressed.
After all this initial adventure and taking it all in, we settled in and relaxed completely. Every morning and evening our guide Luis (he is AWESOME) and our local guide Raul would take us on a hike, a canoe ride or walk us through the butterfly farm. During our stay we saw monkies jumping through the trees every day, birds, bugs and plants of species I've never seen before (or have only seen in museums), met some of the locals to see how they lived, saw hundreds of parakeets at a clay lick, caymons in the lake during a night canoe, bats that come out at night (watch out, they'll dive bomb your head!) and got the thrill of seeing people fish pirana out of the lake we would swim in. The food was absolutely AMAZING, even though sometimes we were guessing what it was we were eating. That was part of the fun. With our package we got a couple extra little things, like breakfast in the bird tower, dinner on the dock and a night canoe ride, which was a very nice and intimate touch. This place is for an adventure enthusiast and for people who love to be in nature. We stayed at La Selva for 5 nights and we believe that was more than enough to really relax and see everything you could while you were there. We got to really take everything in and it was sad to leave. If you're up to the adventure, I would receommend this place to anyone. I could go on for longer about our experience, because there's so much more to say, but go experience part of the jungle at La Selva in the Amazon for yourself, you'll never forget it. :)