The Oriente

The road to Baeza

The Quijos valley

Lago Agrio and around

Coca

East of Coca

Tena

Around Tena and the upper Napo

Misahuallí and around

Puyo and around

Macas and around

No other Ecuadorian habitat overwhelms the senses like the tropical rainforest, with its cacophonous soundtrack of birds and insects, the rich smell of steaming foliage and teeming soil, the glimmer of fluorescent birds and butterflies in the understorey, or the startling clamour of a troop of monkeys clattering through the canopy above. This biodiversity is the Oriente’s star attraction, and it’s what most visitors are here for – though the region, which occupies a massive area covering almost half the country, contains a good deal more besides. The alto (high) Oriente starts on the eastern Andean flank, where the high, windswept páramo steadily gives way to dripping montane forests, swathed in mist and draped with mosses and epiphytes, as the elevation decreases. Waterfalls plunge into broadening valleys and temperatures rise as the mountains descend into the bajo (low) Oriente, sinking like talons into the emerald velvet of the vast wilderness: Ecuador’s Amazonian jungle, one of the country’s most thrilling destinations.

The easiest way of getting into the rainforest – which in places stretches for more than 250km to the borders of Colombia and Peru – is to go on a jungle tour. Excursions range from simple day-trips into pockets of forest close to a town, to stays with a rainforest community or at a jungle lodge, to rugged multi-day camping treks into the remotest tracts of primary jungle in distant reserves. Unguided travel in the bajo Oriente is frowned upon by the Ecuadorian authorities, conservation groups and indigenous communities alike; nor is it recommended, for your own safety (see Jungle essentials).

  Over 15,000 square kilometres of the most pristine tracts of rainforest lie within the confines of the Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno and the Parque Nacional Yasuní, accessible from the pioneer oil-mining centres of Lago Agrio and Coca respectively. Yet even from these frontier towns further travel will be needed, by speedboat or motorized canoe, to reach your final destination, which will demand at least four or five days to enjoy properly. Beyond marvelling at the dazzling array of wildlife, excursions deep into Amazonia also offer opportunities to learn about and from the indigenous peoples of the region, such as the Siona, Secoya, Cofán and, most notably, the Waorani, many of whom inhabit the vast Reserva Waorani, just south of Yasuní.

  The meandering descent from the highlands into the northern reaches of the bajo Oriente also has its attractions, from the country’s most famous hot springs at Papallacta, perched on the hilly fringes of the Cayambe-Coca reserve, to the smouldering green-black cone of Volcán El Reventador, which watches over the San Rafael falls, Ecuador’s biggest at 145m.

  Further south, and closer to Quito, so favoured by those with limited time, the provincial capitals of Tena and Puyo afford different rainforest experiences: not being as close to such extensive areas of forest, wildlife populations are lower here, though both have more agreeable, slightly fresher climates. Besides, Tena is now a major centre for whitewater rafting and other adventure sports, while the nearby river port of Misahuallí provides easy access to the more affordable cabañas and lodges on the upper Río Napo.

  From Puyo, the Troncal Amazónica (Amazon highway), which runs from north to south through the region in the selva alta, parallel with the eastern flank of the Andes, runs 129km to the attractive and southernmost urban centre of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin, Macas. This highway is virtually the only road in the southern Oriente, which is less developed than the northern region in every way, with fewer roads, fewer towns, fewer colonists, fewer tourists and less oil activity. Access east into the heart of the tropical rainforest, which lacks the protected status of the northern reserves, is possible only by boat along the numerous rivers coiling through the forest, or by chartered light aircraft. Indigenous groups – principally the Kichwa, the Shuar and pockets of Achuar – communally own most of this territory.

  Tourism in the southern Oriente is considerably less evolved than in the north; with one notable exception, you’ll find none of the fancy lodges and cabañas of the kind scattered up the Río Napo. Instead, the southern and central Oriente have excellent opportunities for culturally focused ecotourism, offered by tour operators based in Puyo, Macas and Tena in association with host indigenous groups. Guides take tourists on overnight or multi-day trips to indigenous communities – some very remote – often with an emphasis on learning about their customs, mythology and healing rituals while exploring the jungle.

SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE ORIENTE

The region is militarily sensitive and you’ll be required to produce your passport at regular checkpoints. More so than in other places, it’s important that you have original documents rather than copies. As far as security is concerned, at the time of writing the areas adjacent to the Colombian border are unsafe due to infiltration of guerrilla and paramilitary units and should be avoided (see Travel warning: conflict in Colombia).

LAGUNAS DE CUYABENO

Highlights

1 Staying with an indigenous community Ecuador has one of the fastest growing “ethno-tourism” scenes in the world, allowing you to experience “real life” in the rainforest. See Jungle tour operators in Quito, Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno, Tena, Misahuallí and around, Macas and around & Tours around Macas

2 Jungle lodges Immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the rainforest from the relative comfort of one of the Oriente’s many jungle lodges, most of which are accessed by boat. See The road to Baeza, Lodges on the lower Río Napo, Lodges in the Reserva Waorani, The road to Baeza, Jungle lodges around Misahuallí & Tours around Macas

3 Papallacta’s thermal baths Soak up the steam and gaze at the splendid scenery, in Ecuador’s best-known hot springs.

4 Lagunas de Cuyabeno Seated in your dugout canoe, seek out the abundant and extraordinary wildlife – black caymans, giant otters, pink river dolphins – that inhabit these blackwater lagoons.

5 Parque Nacional Yasuní A World Biosphere Reserve, harbouring the majority of Ecuador’s mammals and, over a third of all Amazonian bird species.

6 Añangu parrot licks It’s an extravaganza of sound and colour when hundreds of parrots descend on clay banks – called clay licks, salt licks or salados – and chew off mineral-rich chunks to aid the digestion of acidic fruits.

7 Whitewater rafting around Tena The country’s prime destination for rafting and kayaking, with dozens of runs.

Highlights are marked on the Oriente map.

< Back to The Oriente

Brief history

The jungle – la selva – has held a curious place in Ecuador’s national psyche since the time of the conquistadors. Rumours of the jungle being el pais de canela (“the land of cinnamon”), a place of abundant fruits and spices, and the legend of El Dorado, the “Golden Man”, which later gave rise to the myth of a lost city of gold, drew the early explorers here, suggesting to them a land of staggering natural riches. But the first Europeans to venture here soon found that this fabled earthly paradise had a nightmarish underside; their parties were plunged into an impenetrable green hell (“el infierno verde”), teeming with poisonous snakes and biting insects. A string of catastrophic expeditions in the early colonial period quickly discouraged the Spanish from colonizing the Oriente at all. Most people, save for a sprinkling of missionaries and pioneers, kept away, leaving the forests and its inhabitants well alone.

  This all changed in the late 1960s following the discovery of large oil and gas reserves, now the country’s most important source of wealth. In the space of a few years the Oriente was transformed into a “productive” region and colonists streamed in on the new roads, looking for jobs and levelling still more land for farms. The speed of the destruction was dramatic but the Ecuadorian government, under widespread international pressure, began setting aside large tracts of forest as national parks and reserves; the largest four – Sangay and Cayambe-Coca, which are mainly in the Oriente but most easily accessed from the highlands, Cuyabeno and Yasuní, a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve – were created in the 1970s.

AYAHUASCA WARNING

Some tours advertise the opportunity to experience an ayahuasca ceremony, a ritual bodily and spiritual cleansing presided over by a shaman, and involving the psychotropic ayahuasca vine, a powerful hallucinogen traditionally used for purifying the mind and body. Since it can have extremely unpleasant side effects (such as vomiting, diarrhoea and psychological distress), it is important that any ceremony is led by a fully trained and experienced shaman with all the right preparations – generally someone with many years of training since childhood – and not a young man with a little shamanic knowledge, used to putting on shows for tourists.

The issues today

Even though there are more than 25,000 square kilometres of protected land in the Oriente – well over half of which is pristine Amazonian rainforest – conservationists are worried that the cash-strapped Ecuadorian government is unable (or unwilling) to make sure it stays that way. The task of balancing the needs of a faltering economy against the obligation to protect some of the most important forests on the planet has been among Ecuador’s central problems for the past few decades (see Ecuador’s oil industry).

  Meanwhile, oil-mining and drilling activity is ongoing in several crucial protected areas, including Yasuní. While most people would concede that the oil industry has been very much a mixed blessing for the country, the indigenous peoples of the region – who include the Siona, Waorani, Secoya, Achuar, Shuar, Kichwa, Cofán and Záparo – have had the most to lose. Many groups, rejecting the Western way of life, have been driven into ever smaller, remoter territories where it becomes increasingly hard to support themselves by traditional means. Their rivers and soil already polluted from industrial waste, most of the communities are under mounting pressure to sell out to the oil industry, both culturally and territorially. In recent years, ecotourism has emerged as a great hope for groups seeking to adapt to a life in which external influences are inevitable, bringing in badly needed income, strengthening the case for the conservation of the forests within an economic framework and reasserting cultural identities.

JUNGLE ESSENTIALS

Many organized tours supply essential items such as mosquito nets, rubber boots, ponchos, toilet paper, bedding, food and clean water, but always make sure before you go so you know what you need to bring. Check the operator’s camping and water purification equipment to see if they work and make sure that tents and nets provide adequate protection from bugs and insects. Put all your belongings in waterproof bags (especially valuables and important documents) and make sure that you carry a rain jacket or poncho. There are banks and ATMs in the main centres, but you should take cash with you once you venture further into more remote areas. You will also need:

Anti-malarial pills A course of which should be started in advance of your trip as prescribed.

Binoculars Your guide should carry a pair but you’ll enjoy the scenery more with a pair of your own.

Camera See the Photography section of Basics for more details.

Emergency supplies A first-aid kit, compass and whistle.

Insect repellent Lots of it – keeping covered up is a priority. DEET is very effective but it’s potent and melts synthetic materials, so store and apply it safely. Sand flies can be more bothersome than mosquitoes, but respond to any kind of repellent.

Light sources A torch or headlamp and extra batteries – electricity is not always available so you’ll need these for getting about the lodge or campsite (or spotting caymans) at night. Candles and waterproof matches (or a gas lighter) are also a good idea for evenings in a lodge or cabaña without power.

Passport You’ll need one to enter the Oriente; it must be the original, not a copy.

Practical clothing A long-sleeved shirt and lightweight trousers for protection against insects and swimwear for cooling off in rivers; a hat for sun protection on boat trips.

Sun cream Particularly necessary during river journeys.

Vaccinations The Health section of Basics has the current recommendations.

Water purifier and bottles For camping trips and basic tours.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: THE ORIENTE

The region’s oil infrastructure has made the Ecuadorian Amazon one of the most easily accessed rainforest areas in the continent, with its centres of jungle tourism all within a day’s bus journey of Quito. There are two main routes to the Oriente, while a newer road runs from Guamote (south of Riobamba) directly to Macas, slicing through Parque Nacional Sangay, and there are also improving road connections with Macas from Cuenca and Loja.

From Quito Buses leave from the Quitumbe terminal in Quito and descend into the Amazon basin via the Papallacta pass, which splits at Baeza – north to Lago Agrio (and then Coca), and south to Tena and the faster route to Coca.

From Ambato There is a second main route into the region from Ambato through Baños to Puyo, where it meets the road between Tena and Macas.

TOURS

Taking a guided tour is the easiest way to visit the jungle, and often the cheapest. Day-trips range from around $45/person, and usually include transport, guided activities and lunch. Multi-day trips range widely from around $100–280 per person (sharing) per day, and usually include transport from the nearest population centre, accommodation, three meals per day, non-alcoholic drinks, some equipment, plus guiding services and activities. Travel to the nearest Oriente town, where the tour starts, is usually separate, although most tour operators can help you arrange this if necessary. Visits usually last three to six days and programmes are clearly structured, involving a combination of guided hikes, canoe trips, wildlife-viewing and demonstrations of traditional, indigenous customs. Pricier lodges may have some optional extras, and tips are usually expected for the guide(s), and sometimes the lodge staff. Discounts can often be negotiated in low season (Feb to mid-June and Sept–Nov). Tours to high-end lodges are usually booked from abroad or via the lodge office in Quito. Budget-end tours, including many community-based tourism projects to indigenous communities, may be more easily organized through a local travel agent or community organization in one of the Oriente towns (see Lago Agrio and around, Coca, Tena, Misahuallí and around, Puyo and around & Parque Nacional Sangay). Note that much of the first and last day of any tour will be spent travelling to/from your destination and checking in/out, which is why a longer tour usually offers better value for money and a richer experience. Trips to Cuyabeno are generally cheaper than to Yasuní.

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation ranges from extremely comfortable lodges whose adorned en-suite cabañas have ceiling fans, hot water, electricity and private balconies, to simple cabins with shared toilets, containing little more than a bed, mosquito net and four plank walls, to campamentos (open-sided camping platforms) or carpas (standard tents). No matter how luxurious (and expensive) the lodge, since you are in the rainforest you can expect to encounter some insect life in your lodgings, and there is always the possibility of a power or water outage. Most lodges have a communal dining and social area, constructed in wood and thatch.

GUIDES

A knowledgeable, enthusiastic guide is essential to a good jungle experience. In the most expensive places, they’ll be English-speaking naturalists and ornithologists working with a local, “native” guide who will know the area intimately and be able to share their indigenous knowledge of the rainforest. Note that the term “native” may not be synonymous with “indigenous”, as it often refers to anyone who lives in the Oriente. All guides should be certified, though this is no guarantee of quality. At the budget end of the scale, it’s a good idea to meet your guide in advance as a way of gauging their quality and checking the standard of their English (where necessary). Make sure you find out what the guide-to-tourist ratio is for activities, as larger group sizes minimize your chance of hearing the guide and seeing the wildlife before it disappears, in addition to having a negative impact on the natural environment.

INDIGENOUS-COMMUNITY STAYS

A growing number of indigenous communities in the Oriente have started ecotourism projects, giving visitors a glimpse of village life in the rainforest by staying with a family, or in simple cabañas just next to a community. A common emphasis is on intercultural understanding, and you’re likely to be treated to singing, dancing and folkloric presentations alongside the more standard forest walks and canoe trips. Guides are generally less likely to speak much English, so you’ll inevitably get more out of the experience with some Spanish. The income raised from paying guests is intended to provide a sustainable alternative for communities to more environmentally destructive subsistence farming, while demonstrating the value of conserving the surrounding forests, though critics point out that these very lifestyles can themselves be corrupted when large numbers of tourists are involved. If you book through a third party (a non-indigenous tour operator) it’s crucial that they have the community’s permission – ask to see the written convenio (agreement) between the community and the operator when booking, which helps emphasize that this is a priority with tourists, and encourages the operator to follow good practices.

MAKING A BOOKING

If you are making a booking directly with a community rather than through a tour operator, allow several days to organize a stay, as the communities need time to make arrangements; it can be difficult to establish contact as internet/and or mobile phone coverage is inevitably erratic in remote areas and email may only be checked when a community member is visiting one of the main towns. Also consider visiting the Federación Plurinacional de Turismo Comunitario, Rumpipamba Oe 1-76, between 10 de Agosto and Atahualpa in Quito ( facebook.com/feptce); they can advise on where to go and provide community contact details.

JUNGLE TOUR OPERATORS IN QUITO

There are dozens of jungle tour operators in Ecuador competing for your attention; the greatest concentration can be found in the Mariscal area of Quito. A selection of recommended Quito-based operators is listed below, but shop around to find the price, guide and itinerary that suits you. All prices quoted below are per person (sharing a double room). If you are travelling alone in high season, you are likely to have to pay a single person supplement, or possibly the full cost of a double room.

Advantage Ecuador Ritz Plaza, Gaspar de Villaroel and 6 de Diciembre  02 3360887,  advantagecuador.com,   manateeamazonexplorer.com,   anakondaamazoncruises.com. Operates the Manatee Amazon Explorer, a popular, relatively luxurious three-tiered air-conditioned river cruiser that navigates the lower Napo on regular four- to eight-day excursions, plus a glamping option; extras can include visits to Yasuní National Park, an observation tower and a parrot lick, plus kayak rental. Also operates the newer, more upmarket Anakonda cruise boat. From $1062/person for four days in a twin cabin, with $266/night for additional glamping.

Cuyabeno River Lodge Juan León Mera N24-91 and Foch  02 2903629,  cuyabenoriver.com. Economical tours of the Cuyabeno reserve exploring its various black- and whitewater river systems by canoe, and visiting local communities; the longer tours comprise a mixture of camping and nights in the lodge. For a minimum of four people they offer four-day ($250) to six-day ($600) tours, plus a twelve-day expedition that ends in Iquitos, Peru ($1400).

Dracaena Amazon Explorations Pinto E4-360 between Amazonas and Juan León Mera  02 2546590,  amazondracaena.com. Friendly, family-run outfit offering four- to seven-day tours on set days ($280–630) to Cuyabeno and further afield, staying within the reserve at their established campsites and Nicky Lodge.

Fundación Sobrevivencia Cofán Cardenal N74-153 and Mancheno, Carcelén Alto  02 2474763,  cofan.org. The Cofán community of Zábalo offers programmes of four days minimum ($120/day for groups of four, less for larger groups), with comfortable cabañas, and options for trekking, camping and canoeing. They can also put you in touch with other Cofán ecotourism projects.

Jamu Lodge Tamayo N24-96 and Foch  02 2220617,  jamulodge.com. Highly rated lodge comprising nine thatched, sub-divided bungalows, ranging from cheaper dorms for up to five with shared facilities and cold showers to private en-suite doubles and triples with hot water, which vary in privacy and tranquillity depending on location. All are connected by a raised walkway, and the main dining and chill area is lighter and airier than in most lodges. Professional guiding, decent food and a well-maintained site make this a popular choice. Three- to five-day tours on offer (dorms $239, doubles $522/dorms $356, doubles $811).

Neotropic Turis Av Los Shyris N36-188 and Naciones Unidas  02 2926153,  neotropicturis.com,   cuyabenolodge.com. Operates the pioneering, friendly Cuyabeno Lodge on the Laguna Grande, run along sustainable principles, and offering excellent value for money. Most dorms and private cabins are simple, with solar-powered hot showers, though the pricier, lighter and more spacious en-suite rooms in the wonderful observation tower are worth splashing out on. Bilingual naturalist guides are accompanied by Siona guides. A five-day tour costs from around $295 if in a dorm, and from $475 in a private cabin.

Nomadtrek Eloy Alfaro N29-235 between Italia and Alemania, Edificio Fortune Plaza  02 3801567,  nomadtrek.com,   tapirlodge.com. Nomadtrek built Tapir Lodge in the Cuyabeno lakes area in partnership with a group of Siona. Accommodating up to 32, the lodge consists of a bungalow and a couple of towers housing spacious rooms, with private balcony and hammock. Multilingual naturalist guides lead the rainforest walks; a five-day trip costs $799. They can also organize a longer adventure into Yasuní, trekking, carrying your own gear and camping in Waorani communities.

Tropic Journeys in Nature Pasaje Sánchez Melo OE 1-37 and Galo, Plaza Lasso  02 2408741,  tropiceco.com. Award-winning ecologically minded agency that works alongside community-based ecotourism projects throughout Ecuador. They offer exclusive, small-group tours to Yasuní, staying at the Waorani-owned Huaorani Ecolodge, with an emphasis on intercultural exchange and a real wilderness experience. Five days cost from $989; neither the flight into Yasuní from Shell nor the boat-trip out to Coca are included. They also offer a two-day tour to Kichwa communities near Tena, where the focus is on cocoa and guayusa tea production; the overnight stay is in Itamandi Lodge ($760).

Viajes entre Pueblos Juan León Mera N26-56 and Santa María  02 6014132,  turismocomunitario.info. Organization promoting ethical tourism, with community-based projects in numerous villages throughout Ecuador, including with Secoya, Kichwa, Siona and Waorani communities. Five-day tour $450.

The road to Baeza

East of Quito, the road heads steeply up to the Papallacta Pass – at 4064m the highest paved road in Ecuador. At its highest point, named La Virgen after the simple shrine on the roadside, a track heads north up to some radio masts, the access point for the beautiful Páramo de Papallacta grasslands at the southwestern corner of the Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca. Crossing the pass takes you over the continental divide, past bare, lake-studded hills eclipsed by the four glacier-streaked peaks of Volcán Antisana, looming through the clouds to the south at 5758m. After a further winding 18km and a drop of almost a thousand metres, you arrive at the small town of Papallacta, home to Ecuador’s most famous thermal baths, before descending through increasingly lush greenery to the rolling pastoral landscapes near Baeza. Giant oil and supply trucks shudder up and down this eastern flank of the Andes on their way to Lago Agrio and Tena via Baeza, but despite the traffic it’s a stunning route, traversing a range of habitats as it plunges more than 2km in vertical height, over 40km.

Papallacta

About 60km east from Quito, PAPALLACTA (3120m) is most famous for its steaming hot springs – highly ferrous pools reputed to relieve numerous ailments, from kidney trouble to ganglions. The town itself, a string of buildings huddling by the road, isn’t of much interest, but lying in a steep, green valley, its location and the surrounding scenery are stunning. Though budget travellers might prefer to stop off at the slightly dilapidated community-run thermal pools in the village – the Complejo Santa Catalina (daily 6am–6pm; $3) – it’s worth pushing on to the main hot springs, a 2km uphill slog into the crook of the valley.

Las Termas de Papallacta

Valley head, 2km from the village • Balneario Mon–Fri 6am–9pm; weekends and public holidays until 11pm • $8.50 • Spa Daily 9am–8pm • $22 •  termaspapallacta.com

Papallacta’s best hot spring – and perhaps the best in Ecuador – is Las Termas de Papallacta, comprising two beautifully designed, well-managed bathing complexes, both with on-site restaurants and snack bars.

WALKS AROUND PAPALLACTA

There are plenty of good hikes in the hills around Papallacta. Make sure that you take a compass and the IGM 1:50,000 map for Papallacta; it’s notoriously easy to get lost in the featureless páramo, which is often wet, cold and, between June and August, snowy. The best time to come is from October to February, but you’ll need warm clothes and waterproofs year-round.

  Fundación Terra (daily 9am–5pm), at the head of the valley above Las Termas de Papallacta, manages a short self-guided trail along the Río Papallacta ($2; free to resort guests) and several longer guided hikes (2–10hr), as well as offering horse rides in fine weather ($8/hr). They can provide guiding services from $6–15/person depending on the trail length, and arrange transport to local birdwatching reserves such as the nearby Guango Lodge ( guangolodge.com; day permits $5), 11km down the main road towards Baeza.

The Balneario

The Balneario has nine thermal pools, ranging in temperature between 36°C and 42°C, and three cold pools built in gentle terracotta curves and natural rock, while the heart-stoppingly cold Río Papallacta itself offers a serious cool-off. Don’t miss the three small secluded pools up the hill to the left of the restaurant; the top one is over 40°C and is perfect for supine gazing at the mountain ridges.

The Spa

The Spa has six large pools with water jets and bubble massagers for the exclusive use of guests staying in the complex’s accommodation, as well as a “Thermal Club” offering a range of spa treatments.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PAPALLACTA

By bus Buses from Terminal Quitumbe in Quito heading for Lago Agrio and Tena, via Baeza, pass Papallacta (every 30–40min until late; 1hr 30min). Some buses will drop you on the paved main road just below the village, from where camionetas (6am–6pm) can take you into the village or to the thermal baths ($2).

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Choza de Don Wilson At ‘La Y de Papallacta’, 500m uphill from the village  06 2895027,  hosteriachozapapallacta.com. Well-prepared trout and chicken staples come with rewarding views of the valley and a lively atmosphere, making this a choice spot for an evening drink. Also offers good-value set menus aimed at tour groups, as well as overpriced rooms (breakfast and pool use included). Daily 8am–10pm. $40

Hostal Coturpa Opposite the Santa Catalina baths  06 2895000,  hostalcoturpa.com. Friendly hotel offering warm en-suite rooms with cable TV, a restaurant, social area with blazing fire, and jacuzzi and steam room for guests’ use at weekends. $35

Hostería Pampa Llacta On the road to the baths, 1.5km from the village  06 2895022,  pampallactatermales.com. With a nice indoor pool, two outdoor pools and spa services, this hotel offers a variety of lodgings, from singles to cabins sleeping six – all with a private fireplace and stone jacuzzi. The restaurant (daily 8am–9pm) serves up tasty Ecuadorian, international and vegetarian meals, including trout from their own pond. Rates include breakfast. Doubles $85; cabins $129

Termas de Papallacta Spa and Resort At the valley head by the main baths  06 2895060, Quito office at Foch E7-38 and Reina Victoria  02 2568989,  termaspapallacta.com. Comfortable rooms or heated, spacious cabins for up to six people, some fitted with sunken bath and a private outdoor hot tub. Also here is the best and most expensive restaurant in the town, with dining rooms in both the bathing complex and the main hotel; it serves excellent food (mains $12–20), with much of the fresh produce grown in its organic vegetable garden. Daily 7–10am, noon–3pm & 7–9.30pm. Doubles $158; cabins $234; camping $6/person

El Viajero Calle Principal  06 2895001. No-frills budget hotel with ten basic en-suite rooms that boast thermal-water showers and cable TV. There’s also a simple restaurant, serving trout and other dishes at lower prices than most. Daily 7am–9pm. $20

Baeza

From Papallacta the road follows the steep descent of the Papallacta and Quijos rivers for 37km before reaching BAEZA (1920m), the largest town between Quito and Lago Agrio, though it’s still pretty small and there’s not much to do. That said, its location in attractive pastoral hills between three large, richly forested reserves – Cayambe-Coca directly to the north, Sumaco Napo-Galeras to the east and Antisana to the southwest – makes it a convenient base for local hikes, as well as expeditions into the more remote depths of these protected areas.

  If you arrive from Quito on a bus bound for Lago Agrio, you’ll be dropped at the junction outside Baeza, known as ‘La Y’, as the main road to Lago Agrio turns northeast. Buses to Tena turn right, taking you through Baeza, and past the rusting corrugated-tin roofs of Baeza Colonial first, about 1500m up the hill; the original village still shows traces of its history, with little wooden houses lining a pair of steep, cobbled streets up to a small square and a church. There’s a modest local museum at the back of the church, with ceramics and displays on history and tourism in the region. Tickets are available from the Patrimonio Cultural office on the square (Mon–Fri 7.30am–4.30pm; $1) and include a guided tour in Spanish.

  Across the Río Machángara, about 800m further along the main Tena road, lies Baeza’s new town, confusingly known as Nueva Andalucía, which has grown steadily since it was founded in 1987 following an earthquake. Here you can find all of the town’s services: the hospital, post and phone office and ATM.

ACTIVITIES AROUND BAEZA

There are several relatively straightforward half-day hikes around Baeza – all with good birding potential, allowing you to make the most of its hillside location. Ask at your accommodation, or at the environmental office in Baeza Colonial for directions. Rodrigo Morales ( 06 2320467;   rodrigobaeza1@yahoo.com), at Casa de Rodrigo, next to Gina’s, is a good source of information. He also leads canyoning trips and can get you a mountain bike for $15/day.

ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: BAEZA

By bus Buses from Quito to Tena pass though Baeza itself, while those bound for Lago Agrio can drop you at ‘La Y’, from where regular colectivos ferry people up to Baeza Colonial and Nueva Andalucía ($1). Buses for Borja (20min) and El Chaco (30min) in the Quijos Valley leave from the bus stop on the main road in Nueva Andalucía every 15–20min.

Tourist information For information on the nearby reserves, hikes in the area or hiring a guide, call in at the Centro de Comunicación Ambiental (Mon–Fri 7.30am–4.30pm;  06 2320355), on the park in Baeza Colonial.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

La Casa de Gina Chimborazo and Jumandi, Baeza Colonial,  06 2320471,  restaurantgina@hotmail.com. The most popular place to stay, with a choice of simple rooms (shared – only $6/person – or private bathrooms). Also here is the town’s best restaurant, which has very slow service when it’s busy; tour groups often stop here for its ample trout, meat or vegetarian dishes (most mains $8–10). Daily 7am–9pm. $20

Dido’s Main road, Nuevo Andalucía  06 2320114. If you can see beyond the chintz, these are decent enough rooms with private bathrooms, fridges and large TVs. Also a reliable source of information on local walks. $18

Hostería Kopal Across the main road from Baeza Colonial  06 23200408,  kopalecuador.com. A small place with modest, nicely crafted wooden rooms – containing firm beds – that have porches offering lovely views. Also has an on-site pizzeria serving tasty pizzas, pastas and salads. Daily 5–7pm. $35

El Viejo Main road, Nuevo Andalucía  06 2320442. Popular, cosy restaurant with delicious trout the speciality, served every which way, plus a host of other dishes. Daily 8am–9pm.

< Back to The Oriente

The Quijos valley

Passing only a handful of settlements on the way, the road heading north from Baeza to Lago Agrio courses through the broad Quijos valley for almost 70km. The route may be a principal artery of the oil business, with the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil Pipeline hedging the road like a hard shoulder much of the way to Lago Agrio, but in recent years much work has been done to develop the region’s potential for tourism. To the left, the vast Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca stretches off high into the northern sierra; on the right, beyond the rocky shores of the Río Quijos, banked by grazing land and fruit farms, the little-explored wilds of the Parque Nacional Sumaco-Napo Galeras disappear in knots of cloud-cloaked ridges.

  The two main settlements in the Quijos valley, Borja and El Chaco, make the obvious bases for exploration, with places to stay and eat. Borja has the most comfortable accommodation and is close to the starting point of rafting trips usually organized from Quito. El Chaco has a helpful I-Tur office on the main road in town ( 06 2329419), and several tour operators specializing in rafting are also based here, plus there are a couple of kayaking lodges. Beyond El Chaco, the two biggest natural attractions of the area, La Cascada de San Rafael and Volcán El Reventador, stand either side of the road.

ECUADOR’S OIL INDUSTRY

Oil has been mined in Ecuador since 1917, but it wasn’t until Texaco struck rich with sites around Lago Agrio sixty years later that the Oriente really figured in the industry. Oil currently accounts for around fifty percent of Ecuador’s export income, dominating the economy, but when its value fell in the 1980s, the government signed away increasingly large areas of the Oriente to oil production to make up for the lost revenue; today, virtually all of the Ecuadorian Amazon is available for oil extraction, even indigenous territories and protected areas, since whatever the land’s designation, the oil and minerals below belong to the state.

  The economy’s thirst for oil has been satisfied at considerable cost to the environment. Vast swathes of forest have been cleared and the industry’s access roads have unlocked the forest to colonizers who deforest large areas of unsuitable land for farming, which then becomes quickly degraded. Huge amounts of toxic waste have been dumped or spilled into the region’s soils and waterways, and have been linked to dramatic increases in rates of cancer, miscarriages, skin complaints and birth defects.

  The toll on local populations has been horrific. In the north, the rivers on which the Cofán, Siona and Secoya relied were polluted beyond use, forcing them to overhunt the forests and move to the cities to work in unskilled and poorly paid jobs – sometimes, ironically, in dangerous oil clean-up work. Other indigenous groups have been victims of aggressive and divisive corporate tactics: leaders bought off or villages bribed with cash and promises to build schools and medical centres (while neighbouring and similarly affected settlements are offered nothing) to obtain permission for oil exploration. When these tactics fail, strong-arm methods – intimidation, restriction of movement, paramilitary activity – have sometimes been used.

  Opposition to the oil companies by the indigenous populations has been ongoing. In 1993 and 2003, a lawsuit was filed against Texaco on behalf of 30,000 indigenous people for damages to their environment and health. In 2011 an Ecuadorian court ordered Chevron to pay $8.6 billion to clean up the 18 billion gallons of toxic waste the company is alleged to have dumped, a figure which was hiked to $18 billion after the company refused to make a public apology, before being later reduced to $9.5 billion. Maintaining that evidence in the Ecuadorian court case was fraudulent, Chevron itself has turned to the courts to overturn the ruling, though in October 2012, the US Supreme Court refused to block its global enforcement. Even so, since Chevron no longer has significant assets in Ecuador, the plaintiffs are having to appeal to other countries to enforce the ruling; in September 2015 they were given the go-ahead by Canada to sue the company, but the saga – the subject of several books – seems set to run for many more years.

  As communities continue to organize resistance to oil exploration, some indigenous groups have opted for direct action, such as forcing Petroecuador, the state-owned oil company, to cease production for a week, and to shut down the Trans-Ecuadorian Oil pipeline for several days. However, the failure of the innovative Yasuní ITT project in 2013 – an attempt to get foreign governments and bodies to pledge money to the Ecuadorian government not to drill for oil in a sector of Yasuní – dealt a further blow to environmentalists and indigenous peoples’ rights groups. Unperturbed, however, YASunidos, the umbrella anti-exploitation group, filed a petition with the government in 2014, with well over the requisite number of signatures, to demand a national referendum on the future of Block 43, as the territory is also known. Thus far, the government has refused, questioning the validity of many of the signatures. Amid claims of fraud, intimidation and violence on both sides, tensions have been escalating. In the meantime, though, forests continue to be cleared and indigenous people face an uphill battle to protect their land, as new oil concessions are set to become fully operational in 2016.

La Cascada de San Rafael

Km50 from El Chaco • Daily 8am–5pm • Free • Beside the bus shelter on the south side of the road a tarred road leads downhill a few hundred metres to the guardhouse, where you sign in and will be directed to the falls

Some 50km down the road from El Chaco, the Río Quijos incises a gash between some tree-fringed cliffs before crashing down 145m as La Cascada de San Rafael – Ecuador’s highest falls – sending great clouds of spray wafting upwards. It’s an awesome sight, but one under threat from a controversial hydroelectric dam currently being built 20km upstream and due to be fully operational in 2016. There is a short trail (1.5km) that takes you to a fine viewpoint opposite the falls (1hr round-trip).

Volcán El Reventador

On the rare occasions when the cloud lifts you can see Volcán El Reventador (3562m) poke its triangular mass through the greenery of the Reserva Ecológica Cayambe-Coca, 9km to the west of the San Rafael falls. El Reventador means “the burster”, an apt name as the volcano’s been popping away since the first record of its activity was made in 1541. Its 3.5km crater is evidence that a colossal eruption once took place, ripping the volcano apart and leaving it a fraction of its former size.

  Its last major outburst was in November 2002, when it spewed more than 200 million cubic tons of ash and rock – the country’s largest eruption since Tungurahua’s in 1886 – over 15km into the sky. The ash drifted as far as Quito, 90km away, where inches of it fell, closing schools and the airport for days. Lava flows spilled down from the breached crater, burning wide streaks through its forested slopes, and a new cone was formed on the eastern slopes of the volcano, 600m below the summit. The eruption also moved the nearby oil pipeline 20m in places – without breaking it, thankfully. There has been other significant volcanic activity periodically since then, which reached high levels in 2015, prompting the authorities to close the summit to climbers.

Hiking on Reventador

At the time of writing hiking to the summit was forbidden on safety grounds, though you can still explore the volcano’s steep flanks. You should also still engage a guide – enquire at Hostería Reventador and bank on paying around $60 for the day – since the 2002 eruption changed the terrain significantly from what’s recorded on the IGM 1:50,000 Volcán El Reventador map. Check the current condition of the volcano in advance by consulting the Instituto Geofísico website ( igepn.edu.ec) and making local enquiries.

ARRIVAL AND GETTING AROUND: THE QUIJOS VALLEY

By bus Any bus between Quito and Lago Agrio (every 30min–1hr; 2hr–2hr 30min from Baeza or Lago Agrio) can drop you off at the San Rafael falls or at Hostería Reventador, if you want to clamber round the volcano.

ACCOMMODATION

Hostería Reventador Km159 Vía Quito–Lago Agrio, 20min walk east of the San Rafael falls  06 3020110,  hosteriaelreventador.com. This hostería offers the only accommodation for visiting either the falls or the volcano; it comprises pleasant wood-panelled rooms with large windows, a pool, waterslide, optional tours and rather hit-or-miss service. $49

< Back to The Oriente

Lago Agrio and around

LAGO AGRIO, shortened simply to “Lago” by most locals, was once a marginal outpost on the frontiers of the jungle and the country, before it become the black, pumping heart of Ecuador’s oil industry, and capital of the province of Sucumbíos. Lojanos looking for a new life in the Oriente founded the settlement (whose official name is Nueva Loja) only a few decades ago, but in the late 1960s it was used by Texaco as a base for oil exploration, and soon after took its nickname from Sour Lake in Texas, the company’s original headquarters. Around 15,000 Cofán lived in this area when Texaco arrived, but disease and displacement made them among the worst-hit by the industry (see Ecuador’s oil industry); they now number only a few hundred, squeezed into five small communities, three of which are in the forests on the Río Aguarico, and which can be visited on tours from the town.

  Lago Agrio’s bustling main street is Avenida Quito, where its high-fronted buildings and hotel pavement cafés seem a little out of place in a hard-edged frontier town. Three blocks to the north, a small central park, fronted by a simple church, is about the only gesture to greenery you’ll find here, though even here the centrepiece is a nodding donkey. Oil remains Lago Agrio’s raison d’être, although the basic infrastructure of hotels, paved roads and transport links the industry brought has also given tourism a foothold, largely in the form of an access point for visits to the vast forested expanse of the Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno, one of the Oriente’s most beautiful and diverse protected areas and home to various indigenous communities – Cofán, Shuar and Kichwa – some of whom are opening up their villages to tourists (see Tours from Lago Agrio).

  The major party times in Lago Agrio are June 20 and February 13, when the town celebrates its recognition as a canton, and its subsequent elevation to head of the province of Sucumbíos, respectively. Both involve several days of street parades, food stalls, competitions, cultural events, music and dancing, oiled with plenty of alcohol.

TRAVEL WARNING: CONFLICT IN COLOMBIA

In recent years, the conflict in Colombia has affected Lago Agrio, and armed units are believed to have infiltrated the region (the border is just 21km away). Although this has so far had little impact on tourists, shootings have occurred in the town and there have been armed robberies and kidnappings in the border areas, including the rare incident of two foreign tourists being kidnapped while on a tour in Cuyabeno in 2012 – though they were released unharmed almost immediately. You should make enquiries with the authorities before travelling here and check postings on your embassy websites. Once in Lago Agrio, do not stray from the central area. If you’re heading to Colombia, it is extremely inadvisable to cross here and far safer to cross at Tulcán in the northern sierra, but if you do decide to take the risk, set out early.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: LAGO AGRIO AND AROUND

BY PLANE

Lago Agrio’s airport, served by TAME from Quito (one daily flight; 30min; $80 one-way), is 4km east of the centre; a taxi into town costs $2–3.

Airlines TAME has an office at Francisco de Orellana and 9 de Octubre ( 06 2830113), and one at the airport ( 06 2830500,  tame.com.ec).

BY BUS

Buses will usually drop you on or within a block or two of the main street, Avenida Quito, before heading for the main bus terminal, 2.5km north of the centre. Buses for local destinations such as Shushufindi leave from around the market area. Most destinations, including Quito, are serviced from the bus terminal.

Destinations Ambato (7 daily; 11hr); Baeza (bound for Quito; 36 daily; 4hr); Coca (every 15–30min; 2hr 30min); Cuenca (2 daily; 14hr 30min); Guayaquil (6 daily; 14hr); Loja (2 daily; 19hr); Puyo (2 daily; 8hr 30min); Quito (every 30min–1hr; 7hr); Shushufindi (every 15min; 3hr); Tena (2 daily; otherwise change at Baeza; 7hr); Tulcán via La Bonita – check security – (5 daily; 7hr).

CROSSING THE COLOMBIAN BORDER

By camioneta Camionetas to the Colombian border at La Punta (1hr 30min; $2) depart from Eloy Alfaro and Añasco at regular intervals during the morning. There are some security issues at this border crossing, however. There are onward pick-up trucks to the Colombian towns of La Hormiga and San Miguel, where you can catch a bus to other destinations.

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION

By taxi Taxis – white and yellow pick-up trucks – cost around $1.50 minimum in the daytime, but more at night. For general safety, always take a cab at night – preferably one recommended by a hotel.

Tourist office There’s an inconveniently located I-Tur office on Av Quito and 20 de Junio, about midway between the town centre and the bus terminal (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm;  06 2833951). You can pick up a map here and get some pointers on community homestays. There’s also a shop selling local artesanía.

TOURS FROM LAGO AGRIO

Most operators running tours out of Lago Agrio are based in Quito. However, Magic River Tours has an office in Lago Agrio (Primera and Pacayacu;  03 2743580,   magicrivertours.com – also with an office in Baños), and specializes in non-motorized canoeing trips on set dates down the various rivers of the Cuyabeno reserve. A five-day package to the Cuyabeno lakes costs $360, while an eight-day package down the Aguas Negras, Cuyabeno and Aguarico rivers costs $900. Accommodation is in tents, in simple huts or at their rustic lodge.

  Several Cofán communities receive Ecuadorian urbanites at weekends to supplement their agricultural income. Given their proximity to Lago Agrio, and the fact that many can be reached by car, they tend to be very touristy affairs where crafts are sold and dance displays are put on. Most visitors only stay the day, though overnight visits are possible. Currently there are two main villages receiving visitors (though check with the tourist office for the latest news). Cofán Dureno (contact Fidel Aguinda on  0994145444) is a 400-strong Cofán community 23km from Lago Agrio, on the banks of Río Aguarico. They have a women’s cooperative that makes lovely jewellery, and it’s a great place to be on April 9 when across Amazonia the various indigenous peoples celebrate the Fiesta de la Chonta, a harvest thanksgiving, championing the chonta, one of the region’s most versatile palms, which provides food and traditional building material. At the time of writing, overnight visits were not possible as the accommodation was being renovated, but were due to resume again late 2016. Kichwa Shayari, approximately 60km from Lago Agrio, a Kichwa Shayari community of only 14 families, offers a less overtly touristy experience, receiving day – ($30) and overnight visitors; a three-day tour costs $156. Contact Guillermo on  0986627315,  shayari.ec.

ACCOMMODATION

Araza Hotel Quito 610 and Narváez  06 2831287,  hotel-araza.com. The most comfortable place to stay in the town centre, if overpriced, featuring older standard rooms at the front and quieter, though bland, executive rooms with all the accoutrements, plus there’s an outdoor pool and jacuzzi. The pleasant bar-restaurant area is under thatch and possesses a pool table, but service is a bit hit or miss. Breakfast included. $62

Gran Hotel del Lago Av Quito and 20 de Junio  06 2832415,  granhoteldelago@grupodelago.com. Spread out in pleasant grounds, the town’s top hotel is aimed at oil executives, offering plenty of amenities, including a good-sized pool, gym and sauna. Accommodation ranges from compact, older budget rooms, which are always full, to more business-oriented modern mini-suites (basically good doubles) and spacious upmarket suites. Buffet breakfast included. Doubles $74; mini-suites $134

Hotel D’Mario Quito 2-63  06 2830172,  hoteldmario.com. Ignore the mustier downstairs rooms and go for the rooms and suites on the middle or top floors, which are fresher and cleaner, with a/c, cable TV, fridge and phone. Note that not all rooms have hot water. Tucked away at the back by the laundry is a small, unappealing pool and jacuzzi. Continental breakfast included. $35

La Posada Corner of Quito and Francisco de Orellana  06 2830302,  laposadahotel@hotmail.es. This good-value budget hotel above a furniture shop has clean, functional rooms with hard matresses and flatscreen TVs, some fan-ventilated, others with new, quiet a/c (for an extra $5). $20

EATING

Pedacito de Colombia Quito and Colombia  06 2832212. This simple restaurant dishes up good, cheap Colombian specialities such as arepas (stuffed corn pancakes) and bandeja paisa (a monster platter of rice, beans, ground meat, fried egg, plantain, avocado and lots more besides), as well as almuerzos, and tamales on Sundays. Daily 6am–8pm.

Restaurante D’Mario Quito 2-63  06 2830172. The restaurant at Hotel D’Mario is justifiably the most popular in town by far, with an extensive menu and large tasty portions (most mains $7–10). The passion-fruit tiramisu is an added bonus. Daily 6am–10pm.

SHOPPING

At Lago Agrio’s Sunday market, between avenidas Quito and Amazonas, some Cofán come to trade their produce and craftwork, including hammocks and bags, and occasionally necklaces made from animal teeth, iridescent insects or birds’ beaks. Several shops in town sell their artefacts and those made by other indigenous groups in the area.

Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno

The Reserva Faunística Cuyabeno, one of Ecuador’s largest reserves, encompasses over six thousand square kilometres of rainforest, holding the Río Cuyabeno basin and much of the watershed of the lower Río Aguarico as far as the Peruvian border. Protecting areas with species that survived the last ice age, Cuyabeno harbours abundant birdlife, with well over five hundred recorded species (a number that continues to grow); 307 tree species were found in a single hectare. The reserve also contains a huge network of lakes and lagoons, including fourteen major interconnected bodies of water and large areas of inundated forest. Among them are two main black-water lake systems: the Lagunas de Cuyabeno, which include Laguna Cuyabeno and Laguna Grande, and Lagartococha, at the eastern end of the reserve bordering Peru. In contrast to the nutrient-rich whitewater rivers originating in the Andes, blackwater rivers typically form where there is little soil sediment and generally originate in the Amazon basin itself; the water takes on a dark tea-like colour from the vegetable humus that falls into it, which also makes it very acidic and rich in tannins. Some people come to the reserve specifically to see its aquatic wildlife, such as pink freshwater dolphins, turtles, black caymans, anacondas, manatees, giant otters, countless colourful frogs and toads and 350 species of fish.

  The boundaries of the reserve have changed since its creation in 1979; following major incursions by oil companies and settlers into the western areas around Tarapoa, and subsequent national and international pressure, a vast tract of land on the eastern side was added, almost tripling the size of the reserve. While the reserve is now less accessible to colonizers and far better protected by politically active indigenous communities (including the Kichwa, Cofán, Secoya, Siona and Shuar), who are struggling to defend their cultures and territory against oil company encroachment, oil extraction is still causing problems through toxic waste and spills that have drained into the Cuyabeno basin.

TOURS: RESERVA FAUNÍSTICA CUYABENO

The only way to visit the reserve is on a tour or through a lodge, both for environmental and security reasons. Agencies in Quito and Lago Agrio offer a range of guided tours. Shorter tours are usually based around the lakes, while longer ones tend to go to the eastern reaches around the Río Aguarico or Río Lagartococha. Transport from Lago Agrio to the lodge or community will probably involve a combination of bus and motorized dugout; transport to Lago Agrio from Quito isn’t generally included in the price of a tour. Indigenous-community stays are also becoming a growing force in the region.

< Back to The Oriente

Coca

The booming oil town of COCA, capital of Orellana province (and officially named Puerto Francisco de Orellana), remained a forgotten outpost in the midst of virgin jungle, cut off from the rest of the world except by boat or plane, until the 1970s. Then, the discovery of black gold led to a speedy influx of oilers and colonists, and the sleepy village soon mutated into an urban nightmare.

  It has improved slightly since then, with a spruced up waterfront – where the municipality pipes out non-stop pop music from dawn to dusk, several kiosks sell good-quality Shuar, Waorani and Kichwa artesanía, and a sprinkling of bars springs to life at weekends – and a new parque central, albeit consisting more of concrete than greenery. Still, with little to see or do, Coca is not a town you’ll want to linger in. It’s useful mainly as a gateway to the primary forest downstream on the Río Napo, a tributary that flows into the Amazon when it reaches Peru, or south along the Vía Auca, a newly colonized oil road tearing south through the jungle to the ríos Tiputini and Shiripuno.

  The town’s central streets, Napo and Amazonas, run north–south and are busiest in the few blocks north of the Río Napo, though the town’s produce market, municipio and bus station are a dozen blocks further inland. Most hotels and restaurants lie along the southern end of Napo or around the waterfront.

  The town’s jetty is the departure point for some of the lodges in the lower Río Napo and for the lengthy river journey down to Iquitos in the Peruvian Amazon, via the border crossing at Nuevo Rocafuerte.

Museo Arqueológico Centrol Cultural Orellana

On the Malecón, between 6 de Diciembre and 9 de Octubre • Mon–Fri 8am–noon & 2–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm • $5 •  06 2881019

Coca’s one must-see attraction is the new Museo Arqueológico Centro Cultural Orellana, thankfully shortened to MACCO. The small collection mainly comprises artefacts from pre-Columbian riverine communities that have been transferred from the former Capuchin missionaries’ museum, which lay downriver from Coca at Pompeya. The exhibits are beautifully displayed – though short of labels – and interpreted within a fascinating bilingual textual narrative of what pre-Columbian ceramics can tell us about riverine dwellers’ everyday lives and their spiritual beliefs. Don’t miss the black and white “magic axes”, so smooth they are thought to have been used by shamans for ceremonial or ritualistic purposes, or the extraordinary exhibits related to the Omagua people, who would bind the heads of infants between two wooden boards to flatten their foreheads and produce rounder faces, to look more like the full moon, which they revered.

FRANCISCO DE ORELLANA AND THE “DISCOVERY” OF THE AMAZON

In February 1541, when a band of two hundred Spaniards, four thousand indígenas and thousands of assorted horses, dogs and pigs set out from Quito to explore new lands to the east, few of them could have expected that some of their party would end up making the first recorded descent of the Amazon – a journey of over 6000km down part of the largest river system in the world. They were led by Gonzalo Pizarro, younger brother of the ruthless Francisco (the conqueror of the Incas), and soon joined by Captain Francisco de Orellana. He had won honour as a young man – and lost an eye – in the battles of Lima and Cusco, and at thirty years old was still hungry for adventure.

  Even before the expedition had left the mountains, hundreds of indígenas had died in the freezing passes, and as they descended into the uncharted forests they were running desperately low on food. By Christmas, the group had travelled around 400km from Quito, when they stumbled across the Río Coca. Having eaten all their pigs and most of their dogs, they decided their only choice was to build a boat and send a vanguard led by Orellana downstream in search of food. Orellana never made it back to his leader and the waiting men – a failure which saw him branded a traitor for centuries afterwards.

  Within a couple of weeks, the band of what was by then only sixty men, led by Orellana, was close to starvation. Worse still, the river (they’d now entered the Napo) had become so fast-moving they knew they wouldn’t be able to go back upstream, and they were carried down into territory where war drums raged on either side of the river. Yet Orellana was a great diplomat as well as soldier and, unlike most conquistadors, he was well versed in indigenous languages, and picked new ones up with prodigious speed – an ability that saved his life many times on his journey. Here, instead of fighting, he embraced a local chief and gave him European clothes, receiving an abundance of partridges, turkeys and fish in return.

  Before long, over 1000km from Pizarro’s camp, their only concern was to stay alive. By June 1542, they had reached the Río Negro (near what is now Manaus, in Brazil), naming it after its deep-black waters. News of their presence spread before them, and they came across empty villages with severed heads nailed to posts in warning, and were even attacked by a fierce tribe of warrior-women whom they named Amazons after the female warriors of Greek mythology. The women were never spotted again, and it has subsequently been hypothesized that they were actually male warriors from the Yagua tribe, who sport pale yellow, grass-style skirts and headgear. On August 26, 1542, the expedition finally came to the mouth of the world’s greatest river and named it Orellana, though it soon became known as Amazonas, after the tribe.

  Orellana returned to Spain in May 1543 but set out for the river again two years later. The ill-equipped expedition lost a ship and more than 220 men before reaching South America. As they entered the Amazon estuary, they’d already run out of food and the remaining ships became separated on the rough tidal waters. Orellana died from illness and grief in November 1546, in the mouth of the river that had brought him fame, but which finally defeated him.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: COCA AND AROUND

By plane The airport is about 1.5km down the Lago Agrio road from the town centre. There are three daily weekday TAME flights from Quito (35min; from $74;  06 2833340,  tame.com.ec), and one flight a day at weekends. In addition, Aerogal Avianca ( 06 2881742,   aerogal.com.ec; 35min; from $74) operates a flight to and from the capital on weekdays. Both airlines have their office at the airport.

By bus All interprovincial buses leave from Coca’s new bus terminal, just under 4km from the town centre (a $2 taxi ride away). The best services to Quito are with Trans Baños ( 06 2830330); it’s faster to go via Loreto (8hr) than Lago Agrio (10hr), a route also regarded as safer at night. Trans Jumandy has a regular service to Tena and Puyo. Buses and rancheras to local destinations south down the oil road to the ríos Tiputini and Shiripuno leave from the market, two blocks back from the river, on Alejandro Labaka.

Destinations Ambato (9 daily; 9hr); Baños (3 daily; 7hr 30min); Guayaquil (4 daily; 16hr); Lago Agrio (every 15–30min; 2hr 30min); Loja (2 daily from Lago Agrio; 22hr); Puyo (9 daily; 6hr); Quito (3–4 daily via Loreto; 12 daily via Lago Agrio; 8–10hr); Santo Domingo (1 daily; 11hr); Tena (every 30min–1hr; 4hr).

By boat Boat arrivals come in at the municipal dock between Napo and Amazonas, but some of the smarter tour companies use the dock at Hotel La Misión. Boats (motorized canoes) to jungle lodges are always prearranged for travellers as part of their tour. A daily service downstream to Nuevo Rocafuerte (10–12hr; $15) leaves by 7.30am. It’s best to buy your ticket in advance, after midday the day before you intend to travel, and arrive early for a good seat. There is no regular service upstream to Misahuallí, as most people now go there by the Coca–Tena road. If travelling independently downriver, you must register at the Capitanía before you leave Coca by boat. Other destinations include Añangu (4 weekly; 3hr) and Pañacocha (4 weekly; 5hr).

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION

By taxi Yellow cars and white pick-up trucks comprise the town’s taxis. They’re plentiful and cheap, costing rarely more than $1.50 anywhere in town.

Tourist office The I-Tur office on the Malecón, opposite the Capitanía (Mon–Fri 8am–noon & 2–6pm, Sat 8am–4pm;  06 2880532), has information about the town and Parque Nacional Yasuní, and you can pick up a map too. They can also help put you in contact with certified indigenous guides.

TOURS

Most tours from Coca are organized in advance from Quito, though a diminishing number of local guides and tour agencies operate out of town; some of them offer only a middling standard of guiding and very few speak English. Always make it clear what you expect from your tour and find out whether essential equipment (see Jungle essentials) and transport is included. Touring out of Coca without a guide is not recommended. A few operators offer the 800km trip down the Río Napo from Coca to Iquitos in Peru, including Wildlife Amazon and Luis Duarte.

Luis Duarte Ask at La Casa del Maito restaurant  06 2882285,  cocaselva@hotmail.com. Luis runs two-day trips to Iquitos in Peru in a high-speed twin-engine boat (minimum ten passengers). Trips can also be extended to more gentle seven-day tours, and Luis can help arrange transport for smaller groups too.

Wildlife Amazon Hotel San Fermín, Bolívar and Quito  06 2880802,  amazonwildlife.ec. Reliable, professionally run outfit offering a wide range of jungle tours in tents and rustic cabañas (around $380 for four days), including a Coca–Iquitos (Peru) trip (four days; $680, plus $180/day for extra jungle activities).

ACCOMMODATION

Gran Hotel del Coca Torrano and Esmeraldas  06 2882405,  granhoteldelcoca@hotmail.com. The town’s plushest accommodation, aimed squarely at oil executives, though it’s still overpriced and lacking ambiance. It has gleaming tiled suites – some with large windows affording river views – and there’s a swimming pool, restaurant, small spa, five-a-side football pitch and fishpond. Buffet breakfast included. $94

Hotel El Auca Napo and García Moreno  06 2880127,  hotelelauca.com. A popular hotel offering good service, with a choice of doubles and mini-suites in the main block, plus nicely furnished, smart wooden cabins, with balconies overlooking a large, tree-filled garden. All are en suite with a/c, hot water, cable TV and minibar. There’s a busy restaurant too; an average buffet breakfast is included. Doubles $72; cabins $61

Hotel La Misión Padre Camilo Torrano  06 2880544,  hotelamision@hotmail.com. One of Coca’s better long-established hotels, though you’re paying more for the great riverfront location than for the dated rooms – choose one of the upstairs ones – furnished with cable TV, phone, fridge and a/c. There’s a restaurant and mini-spa, and guests can cool off in the decent-sized pool, whose appeal is somewhat undermined by an ugly water slide. Room only. $53

Hotel San Fermín Bolívar and Quito  06 2880802,  amazonwildlife.ec. Nice, well-priced budget hotel featuring lots of natural wood, cool white tiles and abundant potted plants. Rooms are inexpensive, with fans and shared or private bathroom; a/c costs $7 extra. Wildlife Amazon is the on-site tour operator. $25

EATING

There are many cheap and unattractive restaurants dishing up fried chicken and beer to oil-workers in Coca, but the hotel restaurants offer better and more varied fare. For a drink, try one of the small bars along the Malecón, which really only get going at weekends.

Casa del Maito Espejo, between Quito and Napo  06 2882285. Specializes in the eponymous maito, a delicious traditional fish dish, usually tilapia, which is wrapped up in a banana leaf with a palm heart and chargrilled. Mon & Wed–Sun 7am–10pm.

El Colorado Napo, between Espejo and the Malecón. Cheerful hole-in-the wall joint dishing up a coastal cuisine of ceviche, encebollados and rice with shrimps. Daily 7am–7pm.

Dayuma Hotel El Auca  06 2880127. Good, air-conditioned restaurant patronized by tourists and better-off locals, serving well presented international fare. A jar of their delicious lemonade is a good antidote to the heat, and there’s also an ice-cream parlour and a lively bar. Daily 7am–10pm.

< Back to The Oriente

East of Coca

From Coca, the muddy waters of the lower Río Napo flow in broad curves for over 200km to Nuevo Rocafuerte on the Peruvian border. Long motorized canoes ply the shallow river, searching for the deepest channels between large and slowly shifting sandbanks, while half-submerged logs jostle in the currents. The region is only sparsely populated, and you’ll pass just the odd Kichwa homestead linked to the riverbank by steep dirt footpaths. The Río Napo is the region’s motorway, and its network of tributaries and backwaters forms the basic infrastructure for remote indigenous communities deep within the remaining tracts of pristine rainforest. In the forests to the south, between the ríos Napo and Curaray, lies the Reserva Waorani – home to about two thousand people. Their territory acts as a buffer zone to the Parque Nacional Yasuní, Ecuador’s largest national park, which protects a number of habitats and an extraordinary wealth of flora and fauna.

  Since Coca became more accessible in the 1970s, this wild part of the eastern Oriente has been one of the country’s top natural attractions, and also the location of several of the best jungle lodges, which provide the most comfortable way of experiencing the rainforest here. Many of them have an observation tower – a high vantage point to see life in the jungle canopy that’s all but invisible from the ground – and their own private reserves close to much larger national parks. A couple of less expensive jungle-tour operators also run trips down the Río Napo from Coca, some using their own basic accommodation, others making do with tents and campsites. Añangu, three hours’ drive east from Coca, on the edge of the Parque Nacional Yasuní, is one of the few indigenous communities along the lower Napo that has successfully developed its own ecotourism programme.

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LODGES ON THE LOWER RÍO NAPO

These lodges on the lower Río Napo are reached by a motor-canoe ride from Coca (included in the price), and are usually visited in stays of four or five days, by prior reservation from home or Quito, where most have an office; prices quoted do not include bus or air transport to and from Coca. All prices listed are per person sharing.

Amazon Dolphin Lodge Contact Yuturi Conservation Group, Amazonas N24-240 and Colón, Quito  02 2504037,  amazondolphinlodge.com. Sited on the lagoon of Pañacocha, this lodge works with a local Kichwa community and offers the usual rainforest walks, plus opportunities for piranha fishing, paddling around in canoes and sighting river dolphins in the wet season. Also offers a four-day trip that includes a day in Yasuní (extra $90). Accommodation is in eleven simple, traditional cane-and-thatch cabañas with wooden floors (sleeping one to four). Tours leave on set days year round. Four days $600; five days $750

 Napo Wildlife Center Pinzón N26–131 and La Niña, Edificio Carabelas, Quito  02 6005819,  napowildlifecenter.com. An award-winning high-end lodge owned and managed by the Añangu Kichwa community, the Napo Wildlife Center is composed of sixteen beautiful and spacious cabins (including four suites with private hot tub), idyllically situated overlooking Lake Añangucocha. The bungalows have private bathrooms, abundant hot water, electricity (from generators) and hammocks on their porches. Extensive buffets of gourmet international and local cuisine are served in the dining room, which takes up the ground floor of the multi-tiered thatched observation tower, served by an unlikely glass elevator. Wildlife highlights include possible sightings of giant otters, a trip to the 36m canopy tower and visits to parrot licks, where you can observe hundreds (and sometimes thousands) of blue-headed and orange-cheeked parrots, cobalt-winged parakeets, scarlet-fronted parrotlets and scarlet macaws that feed there in a frenzy of sound and colour (visitors from other lodges can access the hide for $15). Extremely knowledgeable local guides backed up by bilingual naturalists lead jungle walks and non-motorized canoe rides. Four days $1289; five days $1536

 Sacha Lodge Julio Zaldumbide 397 and Valladolid, Quito  02 2566090,  sachalodge.com. One of Ecuador’s most luxurious jungle lodges, 80km from Coca on the marshy fringes of Pilchacocha, Sacha is surrounded by 13 square kilometres of its own primary forest reserve. The 26 cabins have screened windows and sealed ceilings (making mosquito nets unnecessary), private bathrooms, ceiling fans and verandas with hammocks, and are connected to a dining room and observation deck. There’s 24hr hot water and electricity, plus laundry facilities. Activities include well-marked trails of varying difficulty, wildlife-spotting from a stunning 275m canopy walkway above the treetops, plus a canoe trip to a 43m observation tower soaring over the canopy – 587 bird species have been seen. Tours of the lodge’s butterfly farm are also available. Each tour group gets its own English-speaking naturalist and Kichwa guide. Four days $1050; five days $1290

Sani Lodge Roca 736 and Amazonas, Pasaje Chantilly, Quito  02 2558881,  sanilodge.com.

  About a four-hour canoe ride from Coca, on the remote Challuacocha, Sani Lodge is set in 40,000 acres of community-owned forests, an excellent place to spot some 550 bird species, and wildlife such as the manatee and large black cayman that inhabit the lake. Built, owned and managed by the Sani Isla Kichwa community, it’s a comfortable lodge with fourteen screened, thatched cabins (including luxury and family suites), each with private bathroom and solar-power hot showers, and a bar and dining room overlooking Challuacocha. A 30m observation tower provides a fantastic view of the canopy and there are a number of trails accessing different ecosystems, which you can visit with a local expert as well as a multilingual naturalist. The lodge also has a campsite at the end of one of the trails, with dome tents and mattresses on wooden platforms providing a more back-to-nature – and marginally less expensive – experience, though activities are the same. Three- to eight-day tours can be booked. Four days $953; four days camping $811

La Selva Jungle Lodge & Spa Foch 265 and Leonidas Plaza, Edificio Soneisa, 6th floor, Quito  02 2550995,  laselvajunglelodge.com. This award-winning lodge about 100km downstream from Coca has recently upgraded itself into a jungle spa offering massages, honeymoon package extras and romantic sunset cruises on Garzacocha, a freshwater lagoon, in addition to the usual range of activities focused on wildlife and indigenous culture. Accommodation is in nineteen stylish, airy wood-and-bamboo suites, all with private balcony, and some with lake views; family ones also have a private hot tub. It’s excellent for monkeys and birdlife, especially at the top of its nearby observation tower or along the numerous trails; excursions include night walks, cayman-watching and kayak journeys (unaccompanied also possible). Its butterfly farm produces specimens for export. Four days $1215; five days $1510

Yarina Lodge Amazonas N24-240 and Colón, Quito  02 2503225,  yarinalodge.com. Only an hour from Coca, so you’re less likely to spot the variety of wildlife here that other remoter lodges boast, though there is an animal rescue centre on site. Still, there is tierra firme (forest on well-drained soil) nearby, as well as some seasonally flooded and primary forest with a range of trails to explore with Kichwa guides, and opportunities for canoe trips along the Río Manduro to Sapococha, where monkeys are often seen. The twenty simple but comfortable en-suite rooms (accommodating one to four people) have hot water and electricity, at relatively affordable rates. Three days $370; five days $550

Yasuní Kichwa Eco-lodge Edificio Carabelas, Pinzón N26–131 and La Niña, Quito  02 547758,  yasuniecolodge.travel. Owned and managed by the Añangu Kichwa community that owns the Napo Wildlife Center (NWC), this lodge is located in the village, and is run predominantly by the women, whose empowerment it aims to support. Tours and volunteer programmes emphasize cultural exchange, offering the chance to experience traditional life – including a 4.30am start with a slurp of guayusa (herbal tea) – and learn more about the modern developments (such as the school and health centre) that the NWC has enabled within the community. Accommodation is in comfortable thatched cabañas. Volunteers are also welcome. Four days $664

Parque Nacional Yasuní

Parque Nacional Yasuní encompasses just under 10,000 square kilometres of tropical rainforest, forming a giant horseshoe around the basins of the ríos Tiputini, Yasuní, Nashiño and Curaray, south of the Napo, and stretching all the way to the Peruvian border. Although a national park, Yasuní is a largely inaccessible tract of rainforest that remains relatively unexplored. Visiting independently is not recommended, as it’s potentially damaging, dangerous and costly. Three Waorani groups, the Tagaeri, Taromenane and Oñamenane, have rejected all contact with the outside world and are understandably hostile to the uninvited.

  UNESCO was quick to declare Yasuní an International Biosphere Reserve in 1979 – two months prior to the park’s official creation – to strengthen its protected status before oil companies could start prospecting. Despite this, the park is still under constant threat from the oil industry; access roads have been built, including the 150km Vía Maxus, which cuts through the park’s northern arm. Entry to Yasuní here is monitored to allow access only to oil-workers and members of the three small Waorani communities who live inside the park, preventing settlers from colonizing the forest. Even so, the adverse effects of the oil industry on the environment and on the wellbeing of the Waorani have been marked and are ongoing.

Brief history

Yasuní is part of the “Napo Pleistocene refuge”, an area of rainforest thought to have survived the ravages of the ice age, allowing species here to thrive and diversify, generating scores of endemic species. This long period of development is thought to explain why the Amazon rainforest is much more biodiverse than its African and Asian counterparts, which were affected by the ice age. Yasuní claims around half of Ecuador’s mammal species, including over eighty species of bat, larger animals such as jaguars, ocelots, tapirs and twelve primate species, and aquatic mammals including pink freshwater dolphins, manatees and giant otters. Over six hundred bird species have been recorded, including harpy eagles and sunbitterns, and indeed Yasuní currently holds various world records for species richness in amphibians, reptiles, bats, insects and trees. Most of the park consists of forest on well-drained soil (tierra firme), but other life zones include seasonally flooded forest (várzea) and permanently flooded swamp forest (igapó). Scientists today believe they’ve only scratched the surface of identifying all life here.

TOURS: PARQUE NACIONAL YASUNÍ

Several operators arrange adventure tours into the park (see Cascada Las Latas); if your tour is going into Waorani territory, it’s important the operator has full permission from the community concerned to do so and is making a satisfactory contribution to it. Day-trips are sometimes offered from nearby Sacha or La Selva jungle lodges, and it is also possible to stay inside the park at the Napo Wildlife Center near Añangu, in its northwestern reaches. Alternatively, there are several options (see Lodges in the Reserva Waorani) for staying in the Reserva Waorani, outside the park proper but sharing the same biodiversity.

Nuevo Rocafuerte

Around ten hours downstream of Coca, NUEVO ROCAFUERTE is about as far as you can go along the Río Napo before the Peruvian border. It’s a small town of limited resources with a clear police and military presence. The only reason you’re likely to come here is if you’re travelling between Ecuador and Peru.

LODGES IN THE RESERVA WAORANI

The area of land that is almost enclosed by the giant horseshoe-shaped Parque Nacional Yasuní was made into the Reserva Waorani in 1990 for the 21 Waorani communities living here. It is effectively a 6000-square-kilometre buffer zone preventing colonization and oil exploitation from the west. Several of the communities here have become engaged with community-based tourism. Note that visitors at the following lodges usually pay a $20 donation to the Waorani community where they are accommodated, which is usually not included in the price. The following prices are per person, sharing a double room.

Huaorani Ecolodge Run exclusively in association with Tropic Journeys in Nature, Pasaje Sánchez Melo OE 1-32 and Galo, Plaza Lasso, Quito   02 2408741,   huaorani.com. Small, Waorani-run lodge consisting of five comfortable, screened palm-thatched cabins on the Río Shiripuno with porches, solar-powered electricity and private bathrooms, reached on a small charter plane from the town of Shell. Learn about the Waorani culture while hiking through the forest searching for peccaries, learning to use a blowgun or paddling down rivers in a dugout canoe. Offers four- to seven-day programmes, which include accommodation and full board. Four days $690; seven days $1350

Otobo’s Amazon Safari  otobosamazonsafari.com. Run by Waorani guide Otobo and family, with the aid of a bilingual naturalist guide, this tour takes you deep into the rainforest, two day’s travel from Coca (or a 1hr charter flight from Shell) by motorized dugout down the ríos Shiripuno and Cononaco. The tour involves camping on the riverbank en route and on wooden platforms once at the village – fabulous wildlife-viewing and an excellent opportunity to learn about Waorani culture. Six-day tour $1200

Shiripuno Lodge  02 2271094,  0995931479,  shiripunolodge.com. Back-to-nature experiences in eight simple, semi-open thatched cabins on the Río Shiripuno, with private cold-water bathrooms. There’s no electricity on site, with all lighting provided by candles. Hikes, piranha-fishing, butterfly-watching, trips to a salt lick and Waorani community visits are all on offer, as well as outstanding birding opportunities. Tours usually leave Tues & Fri. Private tours for two people tailored to your interests are also possible. Adjacent, and managed by the same outfit, is the Shiripuno Research Station ( shiripunoresearch.org), which coordinates research on local wildlife projects. Four days $400; five days $500

CROSSING THE PERUVIAN BORDER: NUEVO ROCAFUERTE

TOUR OPERATORS

A couple of agencies and guides offer the trip from Coca to Iquitos, in Peru, among their itineraries, which helps take the hassle and uncertainty out of what can be a difficult and time-consuming journey.

BY BOAT

Boats depart daily from Coca to Nuevo Rocafuerte (10–12hr; $15), but check border conditions at the I-Tur office in Coca before setting out.

From Nuevo Rocafuerte You’ll need to get your passport stamped at Immigration in Nuevo Rocafuerte, two blocks back from the waterfront, before taking another boat to Pantoja in Peru (2hr–2hr 30min; around $60–70 flat rate for the boat), where you can get a Peruvian entry stamp and find a cheap place to stay. Kamu Kamu Services ( 0981727213,  transportefluvialmakk@gmail.com) offers a weekly direct service from Coca to Pantoja on Sundays, departing at 9am. From Pantoja, boats leave for Iquitos irregularly, but sometimes up to ten days apart. Deck space is cramped and often shared with animals; you’ll need a hammock to sleep in. It’s not a bad idea to bring spare food, means to purify water, eating utensils, toilet paper and plenty of insect repellent. It’s a four-day journey (around $40 – double if you take the fast service) if you get off at Mazán and take a motor-taxi short-cut across a huge river bend, followed by another two-hour boat trip (around $6) to Iquitos; staying on the Pantoja boat and navigating the bend will add another day to your journey. Iquitos is a major Amazon town with plenty of hotels, restaurants and tourist facilities, as well as onward transport by boat or air.

Arriving in Ecuador Those coming into Ecuador at Nuevo Rocafuerte can pick up the daily boat returning to Coca (around 5am; 14hr); contact the Capitanía in Nuevo Rocafuerte ( 06 2382169) for information. Kamu Kamu Services’ return boat from Pantoja to Coca leaves on Mondays at 1pm.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Nuevo Rocafuerte has a couple of cheap, basic hotels ($10–15), back from the river and a few blocks past the military checkpoint, with unreliable electricity and water. There are also a couple of local restaurants here serving inexpensive comida corriente.

< Back to The Oriente

Tena

TENA (500m), the Oriente’s largest and most important town for the best part of the last hundred years, is far more agreeable than Coca and Lago Agrio and has plenty for visitors to see and do; within sight of the Andean foothills and cooled off by its two rivers, it also enjoys a slightly fresher climate. The northern half of Tena is the oldest and quietest part, with narrow streets, a modest cathedral fronting the central park and the post and phone offices. The main thoroughfare, Avenida 15 de Noviembre, divides the more sprawling southern half of the town.

  Tena is one of the best centres for community ecotourism in the Oriente, and you can easily arrange a stay with local Kichwa families – mostly in nearby villages easily reached by road or river. Since Tena sits at the head of the Napo basin, where a huge number of tributaries converge, it’s also the ideal location for a host of aquatic activities. A tour from Tena is bound to involve at least one day of swimming, climbing up brooks, bathing in waterfalls or tubing, not to mention whitewater rafting and kayaking, for which the town is rapidly becoming internationally famous thanks to the scores of runs – from Class I to Class V – all within easy striking distance. A couple of operators have offices down on the waterfront, whose aesthetic appeal has been somewhat undermined by a controversial 2.3-million-dollar cable-stayed pedestrian bridge, which provides access to the town’s ecological park from both sides of the town. While you might question the cost of the bridge and its design, there’s no arguing with the stunning panorama from the top of the lofty mirador that stands at its centre, which encompasses Volcán Sumaco on a clear day.

  Festive occasions to join in include February 12, when Tena celebrates the creation of Napo province, and November 15 for the town’s foundation, both of which involve drinking, dancing, partying and the odd parade.

Parque Amazónico La Isla

Between ríos Pano and Tena • Daily 8am–5pm • $2 • Access via the new pedestrian bridge

The town’s one sight is the pleasant Parque Amazónico La Isla – actually the wooded tip of land at the confluence of the rivers. Self-guided paths meander through botanical greenery – over 135 plant species – and past caged animals recovering from injury and abuse, to swimming spots along the river.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: TENA

By plane Tena’s new Aeropuerto Jumandy lies 35km, and a $20 taxi ride, east of the town along the Napo at Ahuano. However, at the time of writing TAME had suspended flights indefinitely on account of lack of passengers.

By bus The bus terminal, roughly 1km south of the centre, is where all long-distance buses stop and depart. Buses from Archidona arrive at and depart from the corner of Amazonas and Bolívar in the northern part of town. Buses for Misahuallí and other local destinations leave two blocks up from the bus terminal on Avenida del Chofer.

Destinations Ahuano (12 daily; 1hr); Ambato (19 daily; 5hr); Archidona (every 20min; 15min); Baeza (26 daily; 2hr 40min); Baños (19 daily; 4hr); Coca (16 daily; 4hr); Guayaquil (2 nightly; 11hr); Lago Agrio (3 daily; 7hr); Misahuallí (every 45min; 45min); Pacto Sumaco (1 daily; 4hr); Puyo (every 30min–1hr; 2hr–2hr 30min); Quito (22 daily; 5–6hr via Baeza); Riobamba (6 daily; 6hr); San Pedro de Sumino (12 daily; 3hr); Santa Rosa (12 daily; 1hr 45min).

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION

On foot Tena isn’t large and it’s easy enough to get around on foot; walking from the central park in the north to the bus terminal in the south shouldn’t take more than 20min.

By taxi Yellow or green-and-white taxis – mostly pick-ups – charge around $1.50 for journeys around town.

Tourist office The I-Tur office is at the intersection of Rueda and 12 de Febrero (Mon–Fri & public holiday weekends 7.30am–12.30pm & 2–6pm;  06 2888046); they can provide you with a map.

TOURS

If you don’t have time to make the necessary arrangements to stay with an indigenous community, you might consider a jungle tour with an operator who can organize a trip relatively swiftly; several Tena operators are also run by local Kichwa and might include visits to local communities on their itineraries. Many of these tour operators offer rafting trips (usually at an additional cost to the basic package), but it is essential you check safety standards first; there should be a kayaker to accompany you and the guide should have accreditation – ideally from AGAR.

TOUR OPERATORS

Agencia Limoncocha Hostal Limoncocha, Sangay 533  06 2846303,  hostallimoncocha.com. Offers a popular two-day jungle trip, including a range of activities ($120), and rafting trips on rivers of varying difficulty ($50–65).

Kallari Huachiyacu Barrio San Jorge  06 2847050,  kallari.com. The Kallari office in a suburb of Tena can organize a fascinating day-trip to learn about their gourmet artisanal chocolate-making, or fix up a homestay in one of the cacao-producing Kichwa communities.

Pakay Tours Hostal Pakay, Urb. 30 de Diciembre, Manuel M. Rosales, above the perimetral bypass  06 2847449,  ecuadorpakaytours.com. German–Ecuadorian venture running a variety of personalized informative and ethical tours. Day-trips ($45–55 for two people, less for larger groups) take in a variety of activities, from tubing to hiking, peering at petroglyphs to learning about traditional pottery. All-inclusive multi-day trips $45/day.

RICANCIE Av Chofer and Pullurcu  06 2846262,  ricancie.nativeweb.org. Association of eight communities offering two- to four-day tours to their villages to learn about and experience life in the rainforest. For groups of up to five people you pay around $180 for a three-day stay (extra for an English-speaking guide).

WHITEWATER RAFTING SPECIALISTS

AquaXtreme Francisco de Orellana, near the entrance to the Parque Amazónico La Isla  06 2888746,  axtours.com. Whitewater trips offered on the rivers Jondachi, Jatunyacu and Misahuallí ($63–75), and two days of rafting on the Río Hollín with overnight camping ($255), plus canyoning, horse riding and mountain biking.

Ríos Ecuador Tarqui 230 and Díaz de Piñeda  06 2886727,  riosecuador.com. Part of the well-established Yacu Amu Rafting stable, offering rafting and kayaking trips on the Jatunyacu, Misahuallí, Jondachi and Anzu rivers. Also does a popular four-day jungle adventure ($412 each for 2/3 people) combining horse riding, hiking, rafting and staying at the Hakuna Matata Lodge. Expect to pay $65–87/day.

River People Vía a Inchillaqui, Sector Shaupishungo, just south of Archidona  06 2865244,  riverpeopleecuador.com. Professional English-run outfit with good guides, offering a range of river-based tours, including one- and multi-day rafting or kayaking trips ($65–90 for day-trips, including good picnic lunch, or $185–260 for two-day trips), plus kayaking courses; also offers combined rafting and jungle trips.

ACCOMMODATION

Tena offers a far greater choice of places to stay than any other town in the northern Oriente. Most of the hotels are on Avenida 15 de Noviembre and near the river on both sides of town.

Austria Tarqui and Díaz de Piñeda  06 2887205. Convenient yet quiet location whose clean and spacious rooms have cable TV and private hot-water bathrooms, and are set around a pleasant courtyard. $20

La Casa del Abuelo Juan León Mera 628 and Olmedo  06 2888926,  tomas-lodge.com. The most comfortable choice in town, with well-designed en-suite rooms in a mock-rustic building of stone and wood, with cable TV, hot water, decent beds and patios; rooms have fans and a/c. Also runs an attractive rustic cabaña complex (Establo de Tomás; $40), popular with groups, 4km outside Tena on the Río Lupi, by a forest and lagoon that are good for birdwatching. $37

Hostal Limoncocha Sangay 533, about 300m east of the bus terminal, off Av del Chofer  06 2846303,  hostallimoncocha.com. This inexpensive, spotless German–Ecuadorian family-run hostel is set on a hill, with a pleasant view over the town. You can choose between light, airy fan-ventilated rooms with shared bathroom ($8 cheaper), en-suite ones with a/c and cable TV or a dorm bed. Amenities include a small kitchen, a book exchange and a relaxing hammock-strewn terrace, while good-value jungle and rafting tours are also on offer. Dorms $7; doubles $24

 Hostal Pakay Urb. 30 de Diciembre, Manuel M. Rosales, above the perimetral bypass  06 2847449,  en.ecuadorpakaytours.com. A stiff 15min uphill hike from the bus station (or $2 taxi ride), this delightful genuine eco-hostel, complete with composting toilets, is set in lush, tropical forest, giving an out-of town feel, though you’ll still hear ring-road traffic during the day. The main lodge, a lovely multi-storey thatched wooden construction, contains dorms and private rooms with shared facilities, plus large verandas, excellent for birdwatching while enjoying breakfast or lolling in a hammock. A wooden terrace of spacious, shady, en-suite rooms with shared porch lies apart. Informative, ethical tours on offer. Breakfast included. Dorms $13; doubles $34

Hostería Los Yutzos Rueda 190 and 15 de Noviembre  06 2886717,  yutzos@outlook.com. This mid-range hotel overlooking the river is Tena’s best, with a pretty, peaceful little garden. The rooms are smart and comfortable, with hot water, cable TV and fans or a/c. The more spacious mini-suites with balcony are worth the extra $20. $45

Hotel Vista Hermosa 15 de Noviembre 622 and 12 de Febrero  06 2886521. Welcoming place, which, as the name suggests, has fine views over the river from each of its open-air patios, one of which boasts a ping-pong table. All rooms come with fans, a/c and cable TV, but the best are at the top, and the quietest at the back. $27

EATING

Asadero de Pollos Sin Rival 15 de Noviembre and San Miguel, a block and a half south of the bus terminal  06 2887284. Straightforward, inexpensive restaurant where you’ll find the best barbecued rotisserie chicken in town – sin rival. Daily 7am-4pm.

Café Tortuga Francisco de Orellana  095295419. This attractive, Swiss-run riverside café does the best breakfasts in Tena; they sell real coffee, great deli sandwiches, salads, fresh juices and desserts. Mon–Sat 7am–7pm, Sun 7am–1pm.

Chuquitos García Moreno, near the footbridge  06 2887630,  facebook.com/chuquitosrestaurante. Though bizarrely laid out for banquets, you can’t beat the excellent riverside position and tasty, reasonably priced food, including steaks, tilapia, shrimp, chicken and vegetable dishes, plus starters such as guatita (tripe stew) and bolones (cheese-stuffed mashed plantain balls). Mains $8–10. Daily 7.30am–9pm.

The Marquis Amazonas and Olmedo  06 2886513. Formal fine dining characterized by starched table linen and napkins, with prices to match. The professionally trained Colombian owner-chef specializes in Latin American food – particularly steaks and parrilladas (mains from $9). There’s a good wine selection too. Mon–Sat noon–3pm & 6–11pm, Sun noon–3pm.

Pizzería Bella Selva Francisco de Orellana  06 2887964. A decent enough pizza parlour on the waterfront, with a wood-fired oven that is particularly popular with families. Takeaway service and free delivery within town. Thin- or thick-crust pizzas from $6. Daily noon–late.

El Vagabundo Corner of 9 de Octubre and Tarqui  0995793242. This bar-restaurant is the new backpacker favourite, with the German owner-chef offering a varied, well-priced menu at cosy candlelit tables. Choose from German, Italian, Mexican and Ecuadorian favourites. Daily 4pm until late.

DRINKING AND NIGHTLIFE

La Araña Cocteleria García Moreno, by the river  06 2886884. The town’s most popular watering-hole guarantees you a riotous night out, boasting a great riverside location and an extensive cocktail list. Mon–Sat 5pm until late.

La Gallera By Hotel Pumarosa, Francisco de Orellana and Olmedo  06 2886320. A lively club that blasts out Latin dance hits into the small hours on its dry-iced dancefloors. Fri & Sat 8pm until late.

 Guayusa Lounge Olmedo and Juan Montalvo  06 2888561,  facebook.com/guayusalounge. This bar’s mellow vibe is occasionally enhanced with live music. Kick back on their comfy sofas and work your way through their inventive cocktails (under $4); start with the Río Napo – dark rum, guayusa, ishpingo (local cinnamon) and lime. Tasty fish tacos, salads and the like can be ordered for around $5–6. Tues–Sat 4pm until late.

< Back to The Oriente

Around Tena and the upper Napo

Although Tena is most commonly used as a launching pad for jungle tours in the upper Napo region, there are a few places nearby you can visit independently. A fifteen-minute bus ride to the north of Tena takes you to the small, pleasant colonial town – and erstwhile capital of the Oriente – Archidona. There’s little to detain you, and most visitors merely pass through on their way to visit the Cavernas de Jumandy, the most developed and easily accessed of many caves in the area.

Cavernas de Jumandy

4km north of Archidona on the Tena–Baeza road • Daily 9am–5pm • $2; $4 with guided tour • Buses leave from Tena (at the corner of Amazonas and Bolívar) for Archidona, from where there are local buses to Cotundo – ask the driver to drop you off at las cavernas; a taxi from Archidona costs around $5

Named after the indigenous general who reputedly hid here before leading an uprising against the Spanish in 1578, the Cavernas de Jumandy have long been venerated by local Kichwa communities. Beyond the rather kitsch touristy entrance and the illuminated main cave, you can explore other dripping, bat-filled passages, which extend for several kilometres underground. A guide can lead you into the dark recesses, through pools of chilly water (for which you’ll need your swimming gear) to deep plunge holes, and can explain more (in Spanish) about the caves’ history. The guide should have torches, though it’s a good idea to take your own too.

North of Tena to Baeza

In the 64km from Tena to Baeza the road snakes its way up through scenery that concertinas into a range of forested gullies and ridges as you pass between two remote protected areas: to the east, the rarely explored Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras and to the west, the beautiful Reserva Ecológica Antisana, its knife-edge ridges rising steadily to prop up the unseen Andean peaks in the far distance – the ice-capped summit of Volcán Antisana (5758m) among them. The main road access into the highland section of Antisana – one of the best places in the country to see condors – is on its western side, via the village of Píntag, about 30km southeast of Quito. This is also the route mountaineers attempting to climb Volcán Antisana take.

Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras

Bounded by the Tena–Baeza road to the west, and the Loreto road to Coca to the south, the Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras harbours over 2000 square kilometres of pristine Pleistocene areas, where there are incredible amounts of undiscovered life; the few scientific forays into its reaches have revealed a staggering forty percent of the plant samples taken to be new species. On clear days you’ll see the cleft peak of Volcán Sumaco (3732m) soaring upwards from the wooded hills, marking the centre of the park. Dense forests and vertiginous ravines have so far kept human influence at bay, and access is difficult, though not impossible, with one of the main approaches via the tiny village of Guagua Sumaco, about 60km northeast of Tena, and nearby Pacto Sumaco.

  A poor trail from Pacto Sumaco leads past the glassy Laguna de Pacto Sumaco, to eventually arrive at the summit of the mist-shrouded Volcán Sumaco; if you plan to climb it (three days minimum for a round-trip) or explore any part of the park, be sure to get advance information and hire a guide.

INDIGENOUS-COMMUNITY STAYS AROUND TENA

In addition to the conventional operators, Tena has a number of well-established community ecotourism projects coordinated by RICANCIE (Red Indígena de Comunidades del Alto Napo para la Convencia Intercultural y el Ecoturismo; Avenida del Chofer and Vasco; Mon–Sat 8am–5pm;  06 2846262,   ricancie.nativeweb.org) and driven largely by the region’s politically active and environmentally aware Kichwa population. In most cases, the whole community is involved, from the building of simple tourist cabañas near the villages to the training of their guides. Tours typically include guided forest hikes, cultural exchanges through music, dance and narration, participation in a minga (shared community work), blowpipe competitions, swimming, tubing and canoeing, discussions on the use of medicinal plants and craftwork demonstrations.

  Currently eight Kichwa communities are involved, mostly based in the upper Napo region around Misahuallí and Ahuano, though they reach as far as Limoncocha. Accommodation is in fairly rustic cabañas, usually equipped with shared showers and, occasionally, flushing toilets. Some tours allow you to visit more than one community and prices are from around $55 per day per person (two people minimum), including food, lodging, transport from the office in Tena, guides, activities etc. Having a person who can translate into English costs around $35 extra per group (make requests at least a week beforehand) and participation in shamanic cleansing rituals (see Ayahuasca warning) also costs an extra $30. Drop-ins usually cannot be accommodated and arrangements should be made a few days in advance.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PARQUE SUMACO NAPO-GALERAS

One of the main entrances to the park is at Guagua Sumaco, about 60km northeast of Tena. Just before entering the village, a dirt road shoots 8km north from the main road up to the smaller village of Pacto Sumaco, where you’ll find the national park office and the trailhead for the path to Volcán Sumaco.

BY BUS

To Pacto Sumaco Pacto Sumaco is served by a very slow daily bus (Transportes Expreso Napo) from Tena, leaving Pista de Avionetas at 3.30–4pm and arriving at around 8pm. The return journey leaves Pacto Sumaco at 5am.

To Guagua Sumaco You can get to Guagua Sumaco on one of the Tena–Coca buses (16 daily; 2hr), which leaves you with an 8km uphill hike to Pacto Sumaco. A truck can be hired in Guagua Sumaco to take you there for around $10.

INFORMATION AND TOURS

The easiest way to visit is probably to stay in the village of Pacto Sumaco as part of a community homestay arranged by RICANCIE, the tourism coordinator in Tena; at the same time you can arrange for a guide from the community to help you climb Volcán Sumaco or explore other areas of the park. You can also hire a guide through the Ministerio del Ambiente park office, or via Wildsumaco Lodge if you contact them in advance.

National Park office Approximately 200m up the road from Guagua Sumaco to Pacto Sumaco  06 3018303. The Ministerio del Ambiente park office on the road to Pacto Sumaco is worth calling in at, but to secure a guide you need to contact José Andi, head of the Pacto Sumaco guides’ association ( 06 3018324). They need a couple of days’ notice and charge $45 per day per person, including food and use of shelters and refuges.

ACCOMMODATION

National Park office Approximately 200m up the road from Guagua Sumaco to Pacto Sumaco  06 3018303. There are bunk beds available at the park office (free), or you can stay in one of the community cabañas, and there are also beds (but no mattresses) at two other very basic refugios along the trail to the summit. All three places have cooking gas and cold water. You can buy basic supplies in the village.

Pacto Sumaco community cabañas Pacto Sumaco  06 3018324,  sumacobirdwatching.com. Community-based tourism venture offering inexpensive birdwatching opportunities, and a good chance of spotting chestnut-fronted and military macaws. Lodgings are rustic: a simple bed, mosquito net, outside shared toilets, and water (with electricity on the way) and shared kitchen. Full board and guide included. $45/person; bunk only $10

Wildsumaco Lodge On the road from Guagua Sumaco, 1km short of Pacto Sumaco  06 3018343,  wildsumaco.com. This Swedish/US-run wildlife sanctuary is aimed at birdwatchers, where trails provide outstanding opportunities to spot at least some of the four hundred recorded species here. The lodge itself offers very comfortable accommodation, with a splendid observation deck and hummingbird feeders, or you can access the trails as a day-visitor ($20; book in advance). Full board. $308

FROM TOP CAMOUFLAGED FROG; WAORANI HUNTERS

< Back to The Oriente

Misahuallí and around

Heading 7km south of Tena brings you to Puerto Napo, where there’s a road bridge over the eponymous river. Along the river’s northern bank, a road runs for 17km as far as MISAHUALLÍ, a sleepy village-port at the confluence of the ríos Misahuallí and Napo, which for many years was the place in the Oriente in which to organize a jungle tour. The road linking Tena to Coca, completed in the late 1980s, changed that, slashing the port’s commercial trade, while its surrounding forests were cleared or severely disturbed by settlers and oil prospecting. What primary forest remains in the upper Napo has shrunk to such an extent that larger animals, particularly mammals, have all but disappeared from the region.

  Luckily for Misahuallí, its lingering reputation as a good meeting point for arranging jungle trips at the drop of a hat has kept the port in business. With its constant trickle of foreign tourists and bursts of weekend visitors from Quito, almost every hotel, restaurant, craft shop and racketeer offers forays into the jungle, and the section of the Napo around here has more tourist lodges and cabañas than any other part of the river. What’s more, the village exudes an appealingly relaxed atmosphere, has a small beach – frequently overrun by mischievous capuchin monkeys – and is within easy access of the renowned tropical research station Estación Biológica Jatún Sacha.

Estación Biológica Jatún Sacha

8km east of Misahuallí • Daily 8am–5pm • $6; $30/group for a guide • Quito  02 2432240,  jatunsacha.org • Buses from Tena bound for Ahuano or Santa Rosa pass the entrance (22 daily; 40min)

The other side of the Río Napo from Misahuallí, several kilometres east, lies Estación Biológica Jatún Sacha, a prestigious tropical field station protecting almost twenty square kilometres of forest in its own private reserve, which is brimming with hundreds of species of colourful birds and butterflies, and an array of spiders. Day-visitors are welcome to walk the trails or climb the vertiginous, wafer-thin observation tower ladder – not for the faint-hearted. Volunteers are welcome.

Cascada Las Latas

On a hot day, it’s worth hopping back on the bus towards Tena, and asking to be dropped off 7km away, at the trailhead of “las cascadas”, where you can cool off under the waterfalls and in the refreshing pools of the Río Latas, for a small fee. Closer to Misahuallí, on the same road, is a mariposario (butterfly farm), which at the time of writing was closed to the public but due to relocate; enquire at Ecoselva in town.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MISAHUALLÍ AND AROUND

By air Flights from Quito to Tena’s Aeropuerto Jumandy (35km east of Tena) were suspended indefinitely in late 2015 due to lack of passengers.

By bus Buses leave for Misahuallí from two blocks up Avenida del Chofer from the bus terminal in Tena, arriving at and departing from Misahuallí’s small main square (every 45min until 8pm; last bus back to Tena at 6pm; 40min). If you’re coming from Puyo, get off at Puerto Napo and wait at the north side of the bridge to pick up the bus from Tena.

TOURS

Fierce competition among tour companies has kept prices low in Misahuallí; note that there’s no ATM in the village, so bring plenty of cash if you intend to go on a tour. Day-trips usually include guided jungle hikes, swimming under waterfalls, panning for gold, canoeing down rivers and visiting AmaZOOnico ( amazoonico.org; $4), a rehabilitation centre “zoo” for rescued animals, running the gamut from toucans to tapirs, and coatis to caymans. Accommodation on multi-day tours is generally either at campsites or in simple cabins. Unless otherwise stated, prices listed below are per person per day – generally from around $45 for a day-trip, including lunch, and from $130 for multi-day excursions, including all meals, transport and lodging, but always make sure you know exactly what you’re getting for your money, and how many people are in the group. Most day-trips need a minimum of two people to run; longer trips need four. Check that your guide is licensed and that any guide or agency promising to visit the Waorani can produce written authorization from the community concerned. Tours to the remoter Cuyabeno or Yasuní reserves, the Río Tiputini or more distant rivers are more expensive, and you may be better off arranging a trip that starts from Coca.

Ecoselva On the north side of the parque central  06 2890019 or  0998150532,  ecoselvapepetapia.com. Experienced owner Pepe Tapia González speaks good English, leads day- and multi-day tours to the ríos Arajuno, Cuyabeno and Yasuní, rents mountain bikes and knows the surrounding jungle well; from $45.

Selva Verde Northwest corner of the plaza  06 2890165 or  0998215710,  selvaverde-misahualli.com. Ecuadorian–Kichwa company specializing in community- and ethno-tourism, with multi-day trips to Kichwa or Waorani communities, including adventure camping trips to Yasuní (5 days $775; 8 days $1075 for groups of 2–8 people). The highly respected lead guide, Luis Zapata, speaks English, Spanish and Kichwa.

Teorumi José Antonio Santander and Guillermo Rivadeneyra  06 2890203 or  0987016852,  teorumimisahualli.com. Owner Teodoro Rivadenayra, born in the nearby community of Shiripuno, is a Kichwa guide who studied biology in the UK. With excellent English, decent French and a deep understanding of the region’s natural history, his rewarding tours (one to ten days) include hiking through primary forest, visiting waterfalls, swimming and fishing. Longer tours, deeper into the rainforest, involve camping in tents. Day-tours $65; longer tours from $130.

ACCOMMODATION AND EATING

Accommodation in the village is generally aimed at the budget traveller, though there are a few slightly more luxurious places on the outskirts of town, as well as a number of jungle lodges in the vicinity. All of the hotels below have decent restaurants as well.

Banana Lodge 400m beyond El Paisano   06 2890190,   bananalodge.com. A handful of rooms in an attractive whitewashed building set in a lovely tropical garden overlooking the Río Misahuallí. Spotless en-suite rooms have matching wooden furniture and shutters, plus nicely tiled floors, and the friendly owners make you feel at home. Breakfast included. $36

Hostal Shaw On the plaza, above the Eko Kafé  06 2890019,  hosteltrail.com/hostels/hostalshaw. A good budget choice overlooking the town park, offering simple fan-ventilated en-suite rooms with hot water. The street-level café serves vegetarian food and organic coffee, and features a book exchange and craft store. Tours offered through Ecoselva two doors up (see Travel essentials). Daily 8am–9pm. $16

El Jardín 500m from the village centre, across the bridge  06 2890219,  eljardinmisahualli.com. Your best, though priciest dining option, offering the most varied menu (choose from fish, seafood, poultry, meat and vegetarian options). The food is tasty, nicely presented and served in ample portions in an airy semi-open thatched dining area, set in an exuberant tropical garden. Mains around $12. Mon–Sat noon–4pm & 6–10pm.

El Paisano One block north of the square  06 2890027,  hotelelpaisano@yahoo.com. Spotless rooms with mosquito nets, a hammock and private hot-water bathrooms, set around a pretty little cobbled garden. There’s also a book exchange, internet access and a restaurant, which offers vegetarian dishes and curiosities such as yuca omelette. Breakfast included. Daily 8am–9pm. $34

JUNGLE LODGES AROUND MISAHUALLÍ

The lodges around Misahuallí are easier to get to than those on the lower Napo downstream of Coca, and generally less expensive. Many have small pockets of primary forest attached, but nothing on the scale of the vast reserves in the eastern Oriente. The greater human population, plus habitat clearance and disturbance, mean you are unlikely to see much in the way of mammal life, though for the moment there are still plenty of birds and butterflies, and dripping forest greenery to enjoy. Prices quoted below are per person and include full board. You can get close to most of these lodges by road in a private vehicle and sometimes even by public transport.

Anaconda Lodge Anaconda Island, near Ahunao  06 3017723,  anacondalodgeecuador.com. Family-friendly rustic lodge on an island in the Napo. Dispersed amid the greenery are ten neat two-room wooden cabins (fan and electric hot-water showers) with shared porch and hammock space. Conscientious service, excellent food, good guiding and a range of activities make this spot really good value. Four-day tour $392; five-day tour $526

Cabañas Shiripuno Comunidad de Shiripuno  06 2890203,  shiripuno.weebly.com. Just 2km from Misahuallí (reached by a short boat ride), these rustic bamboo and palm-leaf cabins ($16 for a double room) are run by the Shiripuno community, who also share cultural activities, including cooking and hunting, with guests. You can get more information from Teorumi in Misahuallí. All-inclusive tour cost for two sharing $60/day

Cotococha Amazon Lodge Amazonas N24-03 and Wilson, 2nd floor, Quito  02 2234336,  cotococha.com. Some 10km along the road to Ahuano, the lodge comprises 22 spacious thatched cabins of traditional Kichwa design – ask for one of the four riverside ones – with smart interiors including private hot-water bathrooms, insect screens, comfortable beds and oil lamps, plus private balconies with reclining chairs or hammocks. There’s also a lofty dining area, comfortable social areas and a sparkling pool. Jungle hikes, tubing, kayaking and visits to nearby Kichwa communities are also offered, and rafting also be arranged ($69 extra). Three-day package from $275

Jungle Lodge El Jardín Alemán 3km from Misahuallí on the road to Pusuno  06 2890122 or  02 2462213,  eljardinaleman.com. For those who want the home comforts and the jungle experience: set in spacious, colourful grounds close to its private pockets of primary and secondary forest for jungle hikes, this German-run lodge has en-suite doubles with private bathrooms, a whirlpool, games room and satellite TV/DVD in the common area. Jungle tours include guided walks, canoe trips and visits to a nearby Kichwa community for cultural presentations. Full board and one daily tour included. $108

Liana Lodge Part of AmaZOOnico   0999800463,   lianalodge.ec. Simple but nicely crafted cabins on the Río Arajuno and at the fringes of the forest, draped by vines. Each has a balcony, two spacious, but thinly separated rooms (so be prepared to hear your neighbours’ snoring), large screened windows and private hot-water bathrooms, but no electricity. Activities include guided walks, birding, visits to a Kichwa family and shaman, fishing and visiting AmaZOOnico, which the profits help support. The staff can also put you in touch with the nearby Kichwa community of Runa Huasi. Prices include transport by motorized canoe from Puerto Barantilla. Three-night inclusive packages $285

 Yachana Lodge Reina Victoria N21-226 and Roca, Quito  02 2523777,  yachana.com. This award-winning lodge sits in eight square kilometres of primary and secondary forest and agricultural land, two hours downstream of Misahuallí – boat leaves from Coca – and offers comfortable rooms and family cabins with porches and hammocks, some with river views (an extra $156). Local community members, heavily involved with the running of the lodge, lead guided forest walks, give talks on local culture and take visits to the community development projects the lodge supports; ten percent of your fee goes towards their foundation. Four days $759; five days $1001

Yacuma Ecolodge Baquedano E5-27 and Juan León Mera, Quito  02 226038,  yacuma.travel. Aimed at budget-minded travellers, 24 rooms spread across ten thatched wood-and-bamboo cabins and two larger bungalows are set in a tropical garden surrounded by forest up a tributary of the Napo. Combines guided hikes and canoe rides with tubing, swimming, chocolate-making and fishing. Reductions for larger groups. Three days $390; four days $480; five days $595

< Back to The Oriente

Puyo and around

Some 79km south of Tena, and by far the biggest urban centre in the southern Oriente, PUYO bears out its name (derived from the Kichwa word for “cloudy”) and seems to be permanently suffused with a grey, insipid light that gives the town a gloomy air. Founded in 1899 by Dominican missionaries, it retains very little of its traditional timber architecture. Puyo’s focal point is the manicured Parque Central, from where you’re treated to fine views onto the surrounding countryside; two blocks south, the one-room ethno-archeological museum (Mon–Fri 10am–4pm; free) can provide a brief introduction to local history and customs.

  Although Puyo’s modern, functional concrete architecture holds little appeal, the town does boast several modest attractions on its outskirts, most notably the fabulous Jardín Botánico Las Orquídeas. It also serves as a convenient launch pad for a range of jungle tours, as well as being the transport hub of the southern Oriente, with frequent bus connections north to Tena and Coca, south to Macas and west to Baños and Ambato, in the sierra.

Parque Pedagógico Etno-Botánico Omaere

Barrio Obrero • Tues–Sun 9am–5pm • $3, including tour in English or Spanish •  omaere.wordpress.com

At the northern end of 9 de Octubre, a ten-minute walk from the city centre, by the banks of the Río Puyo, you’ll come to the Parque Pedagógico Etno-Botánico Omaere which offers a bite-sized chunk of native forest laced with well-maintained paths, along with a medicinal plant nursery and examples of traditional Shuar and Waorani dwellings. A visit here can be combined with a stroll along the Paseo Turístico, a pleasant riverside trail that continues from Omaere for a couple of kilometres as far as the road to Tena.

Jardín Botánico Las Orquídeas

Barrio Los Angeles, 3km along the road to Macas • Daily 8am–5pm • $5 including guided tour •  03 2530305,  jardinbotanicolasorquideas.com • A 5min taxi ride ($3) from the centre, or take the hourly bus #2 from opposite Cooperativa San Francisco, on Atahualpa and 27 de Febrero

The not-to-be-missed Jardín Botánico Las Orquídeas is an outstanding private botanical garden, with over two hundred species of native Amazonian orchids poking out of a lush tangle of vegetation spread over a couple of hills. At a brisk pace you could get round most of the paths in an hour, but allow at least two to get the most out of your visit. Serious orchid enthusiasts should also consider visiting the Jardín Botánico Los Yapas, at Km7 on the road to Tena (Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–3pm; $4–6, including guided tour;  losyapas.com); reachable on any Tena-bound bus.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: PUYO AND AROUND

By bus The bus station is 1km west of the centre, on the road to Baños, from where it’s a short taxi ride ($1.50) or 15min walk into town. Some buses drop passengers at the Gasolinera Coka instead, on Avenida 20 de Julio and Cotopaxi, about six blocks north of the centre (also served by plenty of taxis).

Destinations Ambato (18 daily; 2hr 15min); Baños (every 30min; 1hr 15min); Coca (7 daily; 8hr); Guayaquil (10 daily; 8hr); Macas (20 daily; 3hr); Quito (every 30min–1hr; 5hr); Riobamba (16 daily; 3hr); Tena (20 daily; 2hr 30min).

GETTING AROUND AND INFORMATION

By taxi Downtown Puyo is compact and entirely manageable on foot, and there are yellow taxis and white camionetas lined up on 10 de Agosto and Atahualpa that charge under $2 for journeys within the town.

Tourist office The I-Tur office is on the ground floor of the municipio, on the corner of 9 de Octubre and Francisco de Orellana (Mon–Fri 8.30am–6pm; closes for lunch;  03 2885122). Staff are friendly and can provide a map.

ACCOMMODATION

Gran Hotel Amazónico Ceslao Marín and Atahualpa  03 2883094,  hotelamazonico.com. Clean hotel offering decent en-suite rooms with hot showers, though the furnishings are slightly tired. It also has parking, a laundry service, a restaurant and a tour agency. Breakfast included. $34

Hostal México 9 de Octubre and 24 de Mayo  03 2885668. Good-value and centrally located hotel, offering comfortable en-suite rooms with excellent hot-water showers, fans, parquet floors and cable TV. Parking available. $24

Hostal Las Palmas 20 de Julio and 4 de Enero  03 2884832. At a fairly busy junction that generally quietens down at night, this friendly hostal has a small tropical back garden and a few hammocks, as well as bright, clean, comfortable en-suite rooms. Breakfast included. $33

 Hotel El Jardín Paseo Turístico del Río Puyo, near Parque Omaere  03 2887770,  eljardinrelax.com.ec. This large, lodge-style timber building set in peaceful gardens on the banks of the river is the nicest place to stay, if a little pricey. They offer comfortable en-suite rooms, laundry service, parking, spa treatments and a great restaurant. Rates include breakfast and hot tub use. $90

EATING

 Café Escobar Corner of Ceslao Marín and Atahualpa  03 2883008. An unlikely find that provides a delightful oasis of rustic chic and a calm and mellow vibe, this bamboo-and-pebblestone bar-restaurant is the place to chill. Upstairs, tuck into healthy, tasty breakfasts, salads and the like accompanied by fried yuca or patacones (mains $5–7), or laze in the café-bar below, sipping fresh juice, craft beer or a cappuccino. Menus in Spanish and Kichwa. Daily 9am–midnight.

El Fariseo Atahualpa and G. Villamil. Café-bar serving all kinds of coffees (including espresso) and hot chocolate, as well as sandwiches, burgers and decent breakfasts. It’s also a wi-fi hot spot with a street-side bar counter – good for people-watching. Daily 7am–10pm.

 El Jardín In Hotel El Jardín, Paseo Turístico del Río Puyo  03 2887770,  eljardinrelax.com.ec. It’s worth making the trip from the centre to this hotel’s superior restaurant, where well-prepared chicken, trout, pasta and vegetarian dishes are served in a rustic timber dining room or on a terrace by a babbling stream. Most mains will set you back $11–14. Mon–Sat noon–4pm & 6–10pm.

Kiwa Pishku Mikuna Francisco de Orellana and Jacinto D’Avila. Informal Kichwa restaurant serving traditional dishes such as maito (tilapia steamed in palm leaves over hot coals). Daily 8am–8pm.

Pizzería Buon Giorno 27 de Febrero and Francisco de Orellana  03 2883841. Modest but spotless little dining room serving delicious, great-value pizzas cooked by a friendly señora. Delivery service is available. Daily noon–11pm.

TOURS FROM PUYO

Tourism in the Puyo region is still fairly undeveloped, though a number of opportunities for ecotourism have been opening up in recent years.

  The most popular day-tour usually involves exploring the Fundación Hola Vida (daily 8am–5pm; $1.50), a tract of secondary rainforest 27km south of Puyo near the village of Pomona. This can also be visited independently by taxi from Puyo for about $12 one-way. On a two- to three-hour hike through the forest, you can visit a stunning 30m waterfall, bathe in crystalline rivers and take in splendid views over the Amazonian plain from a mirador. Tours here often then continue to the nearby Proyecto Indi Churis ( 03 2887309 or  03 2887988), an indigenous village, where you can sample traditional Oriente dishes like maitos (meat or fish steamed in palm leaves), take part in a blowgun demonstration, hike to a viewpoint, float on a river in a dugout canoe and participate in an evening cleansing ritual using medicinal plants. Your visit can be extended by staying with a local family or sleeping in the project’s cabañas. Independent travellers can get here by taxi, or on one of two daily buses, which also pass Hola Vida, leaving from the stop by the Mercado Mariscal in Puyo at 6.15am and 1pm (1hr); the last bus returns at 2.30pm.

TOURS TO INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

For a more costly but truly off-the-beaten-track jungle encounter, there are a number of far-flung indigenous communities (Kichwa, Záparo, Shuar, Achuar and Waorani) that have set up ecotourism projects, which you can visit by making arrangements with Puyo operators. Many of the villages are reached by light aircraft from the small oil town of Shell, but they can also be reached via lengthy motorized canoe rides, with a return trip by plane. You’ll need at least four days to make the most of the further communities, even if flying. While facilities are rudimentary, you’ll get guided hikes with true experts in pristine forests and be treated to a real insight into authentic rainforest life, which few outsiders experience. Costs given are per person based on two people sharing; costs would reduce with larger groups.

TOUR OPERATORS

Coka Tours 27 de Febrero and Marín  03 2886108,  denisecoka@gmail.com. Offers local trips, tours to Kichwa, Shuar and Waorani communities, and jungle expeditions, including to the black-water systems of Cuyabeno; from $40/day.

Madre Selva  madreselvaecuador.com. Run by local environmentalist Diego Escobar, this well-established agency offers local two-day tours involving a mix of activities ($119), and longer stays further afield, in Cuyabeno (4 days $250) and Yasuni (4 days $350). Bespoke tours also arranged anywhere in the Puyo, Tena and Baños areas.

 Papangu Tours Orellana, between Manzana and Granja  03 2887684,  0995504983,  papangutours.com.ec. Offers trips (five to fifteen people) to Kichwa villages ($80), particularly the remote Sarayaku community, which is counting on tourism to help win its battle against oil development in its territory. Cultural activities can include (at extra cost) face-painting, learning how to make chicha or fashioning a dugout canoe. From $640 for a four-day trip, including the 6hr canoe trip in and flight out.

SHOPPING

If you’ve a penchant for artesanía, then Puyo is a good place to indulge yourself; prices are modest and you can shop safe in the knowledge too that most of the profits go directly to the Waorani and Shuar artisans themselves.

Artesanías Kichwas “La Mokawa” Cumandá, opposite the Roberto Basuri sports centre  03 886918. A large selection of traditional, delicately painted ceramics, including anthropomorphic vessels. They also stock jewellery, chigras (“string” bags from palm fibres) and the like. If shut, enquire next door. Daily 8am–6pm.

Asociación de Mujeres Waorani de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana Grand Hotel Amazónico, Ceslao Marín and Atahualpa  03 2883094. You can pick up Waorani jewellery, blowguns, hammocks and chigras here. Mon–Sat 7.30am–6pm (closed one hour for lunch), Sun 7.30am–2pm.

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Macas and around

MACAS, 129km south of Puyo, is the most appealing town in the southern Oriente, mainly for its pleasant climate, laidback atmosphere and beautiful views onto the surrounding countryside. There is little to see in Macas itself but the town serves as a base for organizing excursions into the hinterlands to the east or to the lowland sections of the Parque Nacional Sangay to the west. A good place to take in the lie of the land is on the steps of the modern, concrete Catedral on the Parque Central, giving views across the low roofs of the town onto the eastern flanks of the sierra. On very clear days you can see the smouldering cone of Volcán Sangay, some 40km northwest.

  Behind the cathedral, the shelf on which Macas is built drops abruptly down to the Río Upano, a sight best appreciated from the Parque Recreacional – five blocks north – a small, pretty space with a mirador looking down to the seemingly endless blanket of vegetation stretching into the horizon in a fuzzy green haze.

  From Macas, the Troncal Amazónica road trails down into the southernmost reaches of the Oriente, eventually climbing back up to the highlands at the town of Zamora, 324km away. The charming little town of Gualaquiza, 184km south of Macas, provides the most pleasant place for a stopover along this route.

Parque Nacional Sangay

To the west of Macas, the huge Parque Nacional Sangay protects over five thousand square kilometres of pristine wilderness, ranging from the ice-streaked peak of Volcán Tungurahua to the steaming Amazon basin. The lowland section is easily accessed from Macas, not least on the new road to Guamote in the sierra, which runs across the width of the park, and there’s now a new refuge, Tinguichaca, with hot water and electricity beside the main road (ask the park office in Macas for more details). Independent hiking here is a challenging undertaking, only suitable for fully self-sufficient hikers with IGM maps, a compass and good orienteering skills. Alternatively you can go on a guided hiking programme with one of the tour operators in Macas; certified guides with an intimate knowledge of the forests and trails usually lead these.

  The highland regions of Parque Nacional Sangay are covered in Chapter 4.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: MACAS AND AROUND

By plane TAME stopped flights indefinitely to Macas airport in late 2015.

By bus Arriving in Macas by bus, you’re dropped at the centrally located bus station on the corner of Amazonas and 10 de Agosto, though a new, much larger terminal is planned for 2016/17, to be located outside the town centre.

Destinations Cuenca (22 daily; 8hr); Gualaquiza (6 daily; 8hr); Guayaquil (1–2 daily; 10hr); Loja (one overnight bus leaves at 7pm, from outside the Transportes Loja office, on Guamote); Proaño (hourly; 15min); Puyo (20 daily; 2hr 45min); Quito (5 daily; 9hr); Riobamba (8 daily; 5hr); Sucúa (every 45min; 45min).

INFORMATION AND TOURS

Tourist office A small I-Tur office is on the corner of Comín and 24 de Mayo (Mon–Fri 8am–5pm;  07 2700143,  macasturismo.gob.ec).

National park office Get information on Parque Nacional Sangay, or arrange to hire a guide for hiking, at the Ministerio del Ambiente, at Juan de la Cruz and Guamote, a couple of blocks south of the bus terminal (Mon–Fri  07 2702368).

ACCOMMODATION

Casa Blanca Soasti 14-29 between Bolívar and Sucre  07 2700195. Gradually being upgraded, this place offers spacious, clean rooms with tiled or polished wooden floors, private hot-water showers and cable TV, set round a small garden and pool. Breakfast included. $35

 Casa Upano B&B Av La Ciudad, Barrio La Barranca  07 2702674,  info@casaupano.com. Predominantly frequented by birdwatchers, this delightful, airy four-room B&B set in a luscious garden offers two single and two double en-suite rooms (with fans and mosquito nets); bag the one upstairs with the private balcony. Polished parquet floors, French windows and balcony views, topped off with a fine buffet breakfast. $60

Hostal La Guayusa Riobamba and Don Bosco  07 2704631,  hostallaguayusa.com.ec. Pleasant hostal down a quiet residential street, with half a dozen brightly painted en-suite rooms and equally bright bedspreads. It also has hot water, cable TV, a small garden and parking. $28

Hostal Los Helechos Tarqui and Soasti  07 2702964,  hostalloshelechos@hotmail.com. An immaculately maintained budget place with gleaming tiled floors and bathrooms, plus comfortable beds, from doubles to family-sized rooms, with cable TV and phones. $26

Hostería Arrayán y Piedra On the road to Puyo, at Km7  07 3045949,  arrayanp@hotmail.com. Across the bridge overlooking the banks of the Upano, this relaxed lodge-like resort has solid, spacious thatched cabins spread around a tropical garden, which has an inviting pool (with bar) at its centre. $110

TOURS AROUND MACAS

Tourism is in its relative infancy in Macas, so you’re likely to encounter fewer tourists. However, the potential is great, with opportunities to explore the indomitable Parque Nacional Sangay, visit both nearby and far-flung Shuar communities in the jungle and navigate the Río Upano by raft or kayak. If hiking in the national park is your main desire, and you speak some Spanish, contact the Ministerio del Ambiente office; otherwise consider a tour with one of the operators listed below

The Real Nature Travel Company At Casa Upano, Av La Ciudad, Barrio La Barranca   07 2702674,   realnaturetravel.com. Runs high-quality bilingual birding tours in the area or further afield. $180 for a full day for two – less if you have your own transport.

Tsuirim Viajes Don Bosco and Sucre  07 2701681,  leosalgado18@gmail.com. The main operator in town, offering a range of scenic, cultural and adventure tours (including rafting and kayaking) around Macas lasting one to eight days, staying with Shuar communities, as well as trips to the Parque Nacional Sangay. Prices are around $75/person/day, and are all-inclusive.

EATING

 Guayusa Bar La Maravilla Soasti and Sucre  07 2700158. The nicest place to hang out, sip a cocktail or enjoy a meal, in the cosy bar-restaurant area or out on the plant-filled patio. Most mains ($4–8) are served with delicious yuca chips and salad. Occasional live music at weekends. Mon–Sat 6pm–late.

Red Chilli Bar & Grill 29 de Mayo and Guamote  07 2701575. Char-grilled chicken, wings, ribs and the like (from around $5) are served with cheer in this pleasant bamboo restaurant with patio terrace: a new favourite with meat-lovers. Daily noon–midnight.

Rincón Manabita Amazonas and Tarqui  07 2702340. Reliable option serving excellent encebollados, but specializing in seafood from Muisne, as well as good-value set meals ($3–4). Mon–Fri 7.30am–10pm, Sat & Sun 7.30am–4pm.

SHOPPING

The small kiosks along Domingo Comín between Amazonas and Soasti are good places to pick up local souvenirs (irregular opening hours) – or head to Fundación Chankuap.

Fundación Chankuap Corner of Bolívar and Soasti  07 2701763,  chankuap.org. Authentic artesanía can be bought at this shop, which sells items made by local Achuar communities, including ceramics, woven baskets, bags and blowpipes. Mon–Fri 8.30am–6.30pm, Sat & Sun 8.30am–2.30pm.

KAPAWI ECOLODGE

Due east of Macas, in one of the most remote tracts of the Ecuadorian rainforest, the luxurious Kapawi Ecolodge ( 02 6009333,  kapawi.com) is dramatically situated on a lagoon surrounded by primary rainforest, and can only be reached by small plane. Initially created in 1996 by a private operator, it is now wholly owned and managed by the Achuar community on whose land the lodge stands. Care has been taken to minimize the environmental impact: most electricity is solar-powered; only biodegradable detergents are used; and all non-biodegradable waste is flown out for proper disposal.

  Eighteen thatched waterfront cabañas are built in the traditional Achuar style – without a single iron nail – along with a bar, lounge and dining areas. Guided hikes with English-speaking naturalist guides and canoe trips in the pristine area around the lodge provide exceptional opportunities for spotting wildlife, including freshwater dolphins, caymans, anacondas and monkeys, as well as over five hundred bird species. Programmes (from four to eight days) also include visits to local Achuar communities. Prices start at $929/person for four days, plus $360 for the return flight from Shell to Kapawi.

The Troncal Amazónica to Zamora

From Macas, the Troncal Amazónica road trails down into the southernmost reaches of the Oriente, eventually climbing back up to the highlands at the town of Zamora, 324km away. The sporadic farming villages and small towns dotted along its length offer little scope for getting into the rainforest further east, and tend to be pretty uninviting places for a stopover.

  South of Gualaquiza, the road heads into the tiny province of Zamora Chinchipe, through remote gold-mining territory dotted with macho, rough-edged mining settlements such as Yantzaza, before reaching Zamora, 120km down the road, where it joins the highway to Loja in the sierra.

Gualaquiza

After passing through the small town of Limón, about 115km south of Macas, the Troncal Amazónica forks in two: the right-hand fork climbs dramatically up into the sierra to Cuenca, 100km west, while the left one continues 70km south to GUALAQUIZA. Its location, sitting at the confluence of the Zamora and Bobonaza rivers against a backdrop of forested hills, makes it the most attractive little town along the road from Macas, but apart from enjoying the views and taking a stroll by the river, there’s not much to do here and no compelling reason to stop over, though there are basic lodgings.

  The area around town is full of caves, waterfalls and pre-Columbian ruins, but finding them is an adventure best left to well-equipped, self-sufficient souls, preferably with the help of a local guide.

INFORMATION: GUALAQUIZA

Tourist office The tourist office on the plaza can help with booking local guides if you’re keen to explore the less-visited attractions outside the town ( 07 2780109).

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