The gentle giant of the jungle is undoubtedly the great Kapok tree - due to its towering size. Their huge height and thick trunks, with buttress-like roots hold a strong spiritual significance for the locals; a connection and pathway between this world and the next - a Jacob's Ladder perhaps? The great buttress roots also make excellent communicative drums.

The roots of various trees defied the imagination. The Palm Nut Tree sits on a skirt-like arrangement of roots. As for the Walking Palm, it did just that - walked. This thin, precarious tree stands suspended two or three feet above the ground, on a network of spindly roots that actually move in order to maintain the tree's balance.

Creepy crawlies abounded too and one had to be careful not to walk through a Social Spiders' web, filled with literally 100s of tiny spiders. We managed to see a Tarantula too, hiding in its hole. I was glad the spider was not anywhere near my tent although, that night, we found one wandering across the raised platform of the camp.

On any given day, one is likely to see an enormous butterfly coming out of its cocoon, a fascinating praying mantis, a flash of black and red from a noisy Toucan and an almost invisible stick insect. Cuyabeno Reserve's biodiversity is seemingly infinite - as Renato helped us discover during our five-day trip - and we only scratched the surface.

Although the jungle thrives, it is also extremely fragile. Conservation and an eco-conscience are vital for its survival, and everyone- from governments to tour companies, tourists to locals- has a responsibility to participate in these efforts. Cuyabeno is an example of where coordination makes preservation possible- and fun.

From the window of our departing plane, I looked down at the vast jungle receding below us. I silently thanked the magical oriente for sharing a secret of life- biodiversity- with me.