Trip to the Amazon Rainforest of Ecuador

Ecuador is an amazing country for nature and culture enthusiasts. Of course, the Galapagos Islands are the highlight of visiting the country. But there is no need to go all the way to the heart of the Pacific Ocean—even in the heart of the mainland, there is powerful and unique nature that makes for an unforgettable experience: The Ecuadorian Amazon is an impressive destination that blends well with a trip to Quito and its surroundings.

You can read about trips to the rest of Ecuador and the Galapagos in my following articles:

♦ Destinations and Attractions in an Ecuador Trip
♦ Trips and Attractions in the Galapagos Islands

 

On this trip to eastern Ecuador, you can reach remote places in the jungles of the Amazon, experience the power of nature in all its glory, and see a variety of wildlife: monkeys, caimans, birds, and even jaguars and wild cats.

 

 

The vegetation is rich, ranging from giant trees to ferns. You will sail on rivers and see tribes of local indigenous people living in minimal conditions. You don't need to be a backpacker or live in harsh conditions to experience this wild nature: in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, there are several high-quality, pampering lodges where you stay in charming, well-equipped cabins.

 

 

  From there, you set out on guided tours by canoe and walking tours in the vast and diverse Yasuni National Park, along rivers and lagoons. The locals provide tourists with quality food and drinks, and equip them with raincoats, boots, flashlights, and more.

Getting to the Amazon

Departure from the City of Coca

The closest departure point deep into the jungles is the city of Coca, which sits adjacent to the Napo River, flowing eastward and joining the Amazon River further down. Coca has an airport that can be reached via a short, half-hour flight from Quito's airport. From the city of Coca, boats depart to transport travelers for about two and a half to three hours deep into the jungles to the lodges where travelers stay.

♦ Booking an Amazon trip from Coca (via Viator):

 

Departure from the City of Baños

Another departure point for the Amazon for day trips or longer is the city of Baños. This is a convenient option to "taste" the Amazon, get to know the tribes living in the forests and their lifestyle closely, and of course see the forest animals.

♦ Booking a day trip to the Amazon from Baños (via Viator):

 

Video of the boat ride into the jungle to the lodge:

 

You arrive far from civilization, where all around in the heart of the forests live only indigenous tribes who live without running water or electricity. Despite the remoteness and isolation, everything is well organized and arranged. At Coca airport, guides and representatives of the various lodges wait and accompany travelers right to the doorstep of their cabins. During the boat ride, you receive a "picnic" bag with light food and drinks, and upon arrival at the lodge, you receive a pampering meal.

 

 

Weather and When to Visit the Area

True to tropical rainforests, you must prepare for both hot and humid weather and very rainy weather that can change even in short periods: after two to three hours of torrential rain, the sun comes out and strikes with full force. However, thanks to Ecuador's location on the equator, there are almost no temperature differences between the months of the year, unlike the Amazon in other countries like Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, there are two main seasons: "the dry season" and "the wet season", but it is important to know that in both seasons it can rain (not for nothing is the area called a "rainforest") and the differences between the seasons are not very significant. Even in the rain, you can enjoy watching animals and vegetation, and thanks to the long, well-sealed raincoats and boots, you can travel even in rain and mud and be impressed by the forces of nature.

 

Video of a rainy trip in a canoe:

 

Canoe ride in the rain:

 

The driest months are December through February and the wettest: May and June. The drier months are also the hottest and the temperature at midday is 35 degrees Celsius on average. The rainier months are also the coolest, where the average temperature is about 25 degrees Celsius.
You can visit the Ecuadorian Amazon in all months of the year, but the most successful months, when you can also see the most animals, are November through March.

 

Animals and Vegetation in the Amazon

The variety of wildlife and plants in the Amazon is enormous:
More than 300 types of mammals, including jaguars and six types of monkeys.
350 types of reptiles including anacondas and iguanas

 

 

800 types of fish—including three types of piranhas

 

 

Thousands of insect types and the highlight: 1600 types of birds, many of them endemic (unique) to the Amazon, including toucans and colorful macaws. A very common, large bird that flies heavily for short distances only and looks a bit like a small flying dinosaur is called by the locals: "the stinky turkey" due to the unpleasant odor it emits.

 

 

In the Amazon there are thousands of plant types including trees, flowers, and many ferns. The locals know how to make useful products and natural medicines for various purposes from many of them.

Accommodation in the Amazon

Along the Napo River, you can stay in a number of lodges. In these lodges there are quality cabins in the heart of the forest. Accommodation costs depend of course on the level of equipment, quality of the cabins, service, and food. Getting to these lodges is by a small, fast boat departing from the city of Coca and sailing for two to three hours on the river. There are of course also simple accommodations and even camping, but in the quality lodges (which can be counted on one hand) there are well-equipped cabins, with electricity, hot water around the clock, wireless internet, comfortable beds with mosquito nets, comfortable chairs, and in some also balconies and even a giant jacuzzi. Hospitality is on a full board basis with pampering and efficient service.

Successful and recommended lodge:

Sani Lodge Sani Lodge

This is a magical lodge in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon belonging to an indigenous community named Kichwa, who are also its workers and guides.
You arrive there as mentioned via a short, half-hour flight from Quito to the city of Coca. From there you sail for about three hours in a motorboat on a huge, wide river called Napo, then walk for about a quarter of an hour on elevated platforms in the forest, and finally sail for another twenty minutes in a canoe until you reach the lodge which has 16 well-kept cabins, each named after a different animal in the Kichwa tribal language.

 

 

 

The stay includes all meals and all tours. The cabins have attached toilets and a hot shower. The wireless internet is good and included.
In the evening, staff prepare mosquito nets on the beds for guests.

 

 

When you return from a tour, you receive a delicious natural juice right on the dock.
The place has even a special pet: a small, friendly wild pig named Panchita.

 

 

Tours in the Amazon

All tours in the Amazon are guided, usually by two guides accompanying the travelers in small groups of 2-6 travelers. On these tours, you wear boots and it is recommended to wear clothes with long sleeves for protection against various flying insects and a hat. It is also recommended to equip yourself with mosquito repellent. For all tours, you head out with boots and a large, good hooded jacket that the lodge provides to every tourist immediately upon arrival. On the way you usually arrive for 3-4 nights and every day you go out on 2-3 different tours.

 

Video of tours on day #1 in the Amazon:

River Cruise:

The main means of transportation is a canoe trip propelled by paddles (the guide and his assistant paddle for you), allowing you to advance quietly in the jungle, lagoon, and river without startling the animals. The guide explains about the wildlife and vegetation seen during the cruise. On one of the tours, you also stop for about an hour to fish for piranhas.
During the cruise, you see many different birds, bats, caimans, giant fish, and also monkeys in the treetops. Most tours are held in the early morning or late afternoon, when the weather is more pleasant and animals are more active.

 

Jungle Hiking in the Yasuni Reserve

In the Yasuni Reserve, there are several trails for hiking inside the jungle, some long and some short, depending on the preferences and abilities of the travelers. During the hike, you can see various animals: different types of monkeys, butterflies and insects, termite nests, lizards and sometimes snakes, mushrooms, and bushes and trees of various and unusual types.

 

The guide stops and explains about the wildlife and vegetation during the tour. During the hike, guides explain and demonstrate the various uses of different plants, what is toxic and what is edible, what various medicines are made from and what against. The guide, for example, demonstrates a local method to repel mosquitoes by crushing ants on the hands, which causes the release of a mosquito-repellent odor.

 

Video of a tour on day #2 in the Yasuni Reserve and a local village:

 

 

 

Jungle Observation Tower:

In the Ecuadorian Amazon, every self-respecting lodge also has an observation tower in the heart of the jungle from which you can view the vast forests and plenty of wildlife living in them. Sani Lodge has a giant tree that you climb via a staircase tower up to the canopy. From the top of the tree, we saw monkeys, birds, and even a "tayra", a smaller relative of the jaguar, climbing one of the trees.

 

 

 

Night Walk in the Jungle

One of the experiences is going out with a flashlight (and of course with two dedicated guides, the first walking with a machete to clear our path and protect us) for a night walk in the dark deep in the jungle to watch nocturnal animals, mainly various and unusual insects.

 

 

Trip to the Kichwa Tribes in the Amazon

One of the tours in the Amazon, which in my opinion is one of the highlights of visiting the Amazon, is to the Sani community, which is part of the Kichwa tribe. You visit their homes, the school (transportation to the school is by canoe) and the community center, and learn a lot about their lifestyle and culture.

 

The school:

 

 

It is hard to believe that in the twenty-first century people still live in such basic and simple conditions. In wooden huts with a tin roof, without doors or windows, without electricity, water, and even without toilets.

 

A Kichwa resident's home:

 

They relieve themselves in nature and wipe with a plant leaf named: "Santa Maria". All family members (usually large families with 10 children on average) sleep in one large space, with parents and young children (up to age four) sleeping together in the same bed and older children sleeping on the wooden floor. The "house" stands on stilts to prevent flooding in heavy rains.

 

 

All family members bathe in the river (where there are also caimans and anacondas) and wash their clothes in the same river: 

 

The houses are located far apart from one another, with coffee plantations, cocoa trees, and various fruit trees in between. The tiny children are left alone at home while parents are away in the fields and they also wander alone in the forest among all the animals.
The tour also includes a typical lunch. One of the dishes considered a delicacy is live worms growing inside palm trees. Of course I didn't try this delicacy but I watched the locals gobble it up with gusto.
Despite their simple lives and despite the fact that local residents are exposed to a modern and much more comfortable lifestyle in the city of Coca and even in the lodges where they work, everyone is content, smiling, and friendly.  

 

Video of eating live worms:

Our articles on Ecuador:
Destinations and attractions in a trip in Ecuador
Trips in the city of Otavalo and its surroundings
Trips and attractions in the Galapagos Islands
Trip to the Ecuadorian Amazon
Trips on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos
Trips on San Cristobal Island in the Galapagos
Trip to Isabela Island in the Galapagos
Attractions and trips in the city of Baños in Ecuador