Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands - Geodyssey

Ecuador ê GUIDE
Amazon
The best rainforests in the Amazon are those closest
to the Andes. To experience its wildlife you need only
make a short hop from Quito.
Eastwards, the Andes descend
quickly from the sierras, losing
10,000ft in altitude in less than 30
miles. By this point the Amazon basin
has already started although it is will
be another 2,000 miles before the land
descends the final 1,000ft to meet the sea.
The little town of Coca lies where the
Río Coca joins the Río Napa, which
eventually joins the Amazon. Though
Coca is only 40 miles from the sierras,
it is at the edge of the rainforest (and
would be well within the forest but for
man’s activities–farms are expanding
and oil has been found nearby). Coca is
also called Puerto Francisco de Orellana,
after the Spanish captain who set off
downriver in 1541 to find food for a
stranded party of soldiers. Orellana
claimed the weight of water flowing
from the Andes was so strong his boat
could not return; instead he carried on–
reaching the mouth of the Amazon over
a year later.
Beyond Coca, the habitat is little
touched and you are rapidly in the
world of the rainforest and its peoples.
Today, Coca, which has a small airport
and can also be reached by road from
the mountains, is a setting off point for
a small number of wildlife lodges a few
hours further down the river that are
accessible only by boat.
Rainforest tourism is a growth activity
for Ecuador, with a scattering of small
lodges close to the mountains. The
principal three lodges down the Napo
river: Napo Wildlife Centre, La Selva,
and Sacha Lodge, are the best situated
and best fulfil their role. Each provides
a good level of comfort, knowledgeable
guides, and excellent opportunities to
experience the forest from trails, by boat,
and from canopy towers.
What will you see in the Amazon?
First, there is an astonishing variety
of trees and forest plants, many with
unusual survival mechanisms or folk
uses. There is much to learn from the
smaller things–flashing blue morpho
butterflies, tiny colourful frogs, leaf cutter
and army ants. And then there are birds.
In this part of the amazon the number of
different bird species is staggering–each
Napo river lodge has recorded well over
500. Clay licks provide macaws, parrots
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