East of the Andean mountain range lies the steamy rainforests of Ecuador's
slice of the Amazon Basin, known as the Oriente. With
an amazing diversity of flora and fauna, the Oriente occupies
half the country but is home to less than 5 percent of
the people. The tropical jungle, however, is more accessible
than you might imagine and accommodations are probably
more civilized than you would expect.
Regular flights from Quito to this intriguing area allow
you to experience a virgin jungle in pristine condition,
with thousands of species of orchid, plus sloths, monkeys,
macaws, and pink river dolphins. And throughout this hot,
sticky paradise are dozens of native tribes, retaining
ancient customs despite the intrusion of outsiders.
The muddy rivers of the lower Rio Napa flow along the
Peruvian border. The river is the region's motorway, and
long motorized canoes ply the shallow river. A number
of Amazon Guides and Amazon Tour agencies operate out
of the town of Cocoa, which has little to attract the
visitor but is the ideal jumping off place for amazon
river tours to the remotest part of the jungle. These
fantastic amazon tours are almost always prearranged as
part of a tour scheduled in Quito or other cities.
You may want to take advantage of one of the several
jungle lodges along the river, with lodging prearranged
in larger cities. The Amazon lodges provide stays of four
to five days and many use a combination of indigenous
guides and trained naturalists and provide observation
towers as vantage points for viewing life in the jungle
canopy. Some, such as Sacha Lodge, provide ceiling fans,
hot water, a laundry facility, hammocks, and their own
private reserve.
La Selva Jungle Lodge, more for the budget
minded, provides simple picturesque cabins, kerosene lamps,
mosquito nets, private baths, and a reputation for excellent
food.
