South & Central America

The Amazon Rainforest

Most of the lowlying area to the east of the Andes is known as El Oriente and is part of the upper Amazon Basin with all the rivers eventually reaching the mighty Amazon River itself, but outside of Ecuadorian territory. El Oriente itself can be divided into the Northern Oriente to the north of the town of Puyo and the Pasraza River and then the Southern Oriente to the south of the town. The north has much better communications in terms of road and air networks with the rest of the country as well as having a better visitor infrastructure and so when visiting the Amazon jungle, the north is the preferred option.

In the Northern Oriente it is possible to enjoy trips into the jungle from towns such as Misahualli on the edge of the Oriente, but for those who are keen to see primary rainforest then it is better to fly to the town of Coca and then head by speedboat up the Napo River to one of the excellent forest lodges. Activities at the lodges are similar and include hiking in the forest in search of the fantastic flora and fauna with your naturalist guides as well as exploring the lakes and rivers by motorised dug-out canoe. We would recommend a 3 night stay as a minimum in order to make the visit worthwhile and in fact some of the lodges have a minimum stay policy of three nights anyway.

In the Southern Oriente, the only accommodation of real quality is far more remote than most other jungle lodges and offers a fascinating programme of activities not only in search of the beautiful wildlife, but also trips to visit isolated tribal communities.

Our recommended lodges:

In the Northern Oriente:
Napo Wildlife Centre
Sacha Lodge
La Selva Lodge

In the Southern Oriente:
Kapawi Lodge