Hi,

A few years ago I visited Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno (see below) in Ecuador hoping to get a rich experience of the Amazon and see great wildlife and otherwise meet authentically indigenous people. Although I have nothing to compare it to, I actually had a great experience and saw much wildlife and stayed at a nice lodge, etc. The only drawback was that the indigenous community did not really care to talk with foreigners. I am guessing this is the rule rather than the exception in the non-commercialized Amazon, but I could be wrong (feel free to correct me if I am wrong).

Anyway, I chose Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno over Peru’s Iquitos for logistical reasons, basically convenience. Without going into any details but rather sticking to the basics here, did I miss out on anything ‘big’? In other words, whether I visit Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno, Iquitos’ surroundings or for that matter Yasuni National Park (also in Ecuador-see below), am I more or less supposed to get a comparable experience in terms of how rich the scenery is, how much wildlife I can see, how well I can interact with the indigenous communities, etc.? I guess I am just trying to figure out if Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno was a good choice for ‘experiencing’ the Amazon. I realize the Amazon is huge, but I want to know if my choice was a good one. Thanks.

Yasuni National Park (also located in Pastaza province): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasuni_National_Park

Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve
Brief overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuyabeno_Wildlife_Reserve
Additional information: http://wikitravel.org/en/Cuyabeno_Wild_Life_Reserve