A few days have passed now, and I still look back on our tour deep in the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador with a big smile on my face.
At the beginning of January 2025, the time had finally come. The anticipation for our trip to the Amazon was over, and our group of six set off for Ecuador.
After a smooth journey, we had an entertaining evening at the airport hotel before taking a half-hour domestic flight to Coca the next day.
At the airport in Coca, we were met by Francis, who was to take us to the king of the Amazon – the arapaima – over the next few days.
The boat trip to our camp and the overwhelming nature of the rainforest were enough to completely overwhelm me.
After rigging up in the evening, we set off early the next morning. Arapaima in the river mouth and peacocks were on the agenda for our first of seven days of fishing.
It didn’t take long before my boat partner had the first arapaima on his line. We were both amazed when a two-meter fish twisted out of the water for the first time.
the river. After about an hour, we moved on to peacock fishing in the side arms of the Amazon. Fishing for peacock in completely untouched nature was simply fantastic. The first day was over and we had caught more than 20 peacocks. As the river was relatively high, we moved camp further downstream the next day, as the chances of catching arapaima were supposed to be much higher there.
After pitching our tents, we spent the next five days fishing for arapaima. We fished huge lagoons that appeared out of nowhere behind the thicket of the main river. It didn’t take long after spotting an arapaima on the surface to make our first casts, but we all had to work hard for the first fish. Fishing usually lasted from the early morning hours until mid-morning, followed by a short lunch break at camp and then until dusk.
After numerous missed bites, botched strikes, and casts that missed the target, the bell finally rang. My childhood dream of catching an arapaima was about to come true after a spectacular fight with numerous jumps. The fish was at the boat and Francis was able to grab it successfully. I can now proudly claim to have held the king of the Amazon in my hands.
After a short photo session, the fish was returned safely to its territory.
Due to the high water level, it was quite a bit of work to get the fish on the hook, as they were hiding under the washed-out grasslands, but more fantastic specimens, some of which were even (world) record-breaking, were to follow for all of us.
On the last day of fishing, we returned to our main camp, the Tukunari Lodge. We went back for peacock bass and also pacu, which we were now able to fish in another side arm due to the noticeably lower water level. I was also lucky enough to catch some pacu, and these beasts really put some power behind the rod. It was hard to believe how powerful the “jungle GT” was. The last day of fishing came to an end, and I can look back on a perfect fishing trip with numerous fish species and river monsters.
Apart from fishing, which was of course my main focus, the fauna is absolutely unique. From parrots, freshwater dolphins, monkeys, giant otters, and caimans,
The impressive sunsets behind the Amazon jungle are also absolutely unique. Every nature lover and amateur photographer will get their money’s worth here.
The traditional local food provided by the family was also impeccable at all times. Although we were in the jungle, far away from any civilization, we never lacked anything.
Looking back, it was a perfect trip that far exceeded my childhood expectations of the Amazon, for which I would like to thank T2F once again for organizing it.
We will definitely see each other again in Ecuador.
Rashid Engler
Film on YouTube
Our guest Jörg Hägele has put together a wonderful film summary of the tour. Have fun watching!
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Stefan Seuß also shot several videos for his YouTube channel during the tour:
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Our tours to Ecuador and available dates
You can find more information about our tours to Ecuador on our website.
You can find an overview of our planned group tours for individual participants here. For small groups who would like to travel independently without a tour guide, we can also reserve additional dates individually at any time.
Experience the jungle adventure in Ecuador with us and catch your personal dream fish.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Travel 2 Fish