Travel Information Oriente
The Ecuadorian Amazon region is one of the most bio-diverse places on our planet. Besides countless animal and plant species, the so-called Oriente is also home to several jungle tribes.
When starting to plan your jungle adventure, the first step is to decide what area of the Ecuadorian Amazon region you want to visit. There are mainly two different destination types. You can either visit one of the jungle towns that verge on the Andes for a quick escape or travel further into the rain forest for a deep jungle experience of at least 3 nights.
Most of our travelers choose a trip into deeper jungle like Yasuní National Park, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve or Kapawi Reserve because of the exceptional wildlife you find there. In these areas, you will most likely see iconic species like howler monkeys, anacondas, stinkbirds, parrots and caimans.
Places like Tena, Puerto Misahuallí and Puyo lie only a few hours’ drive away from important highland cities. These closer Amazon regions give you a first perception of the rain forest and serve as an introductory to the jungle flora and fauna. Unlike in the deeper rain forest, here you can practice adrenaline sports like rafting and tubing.
Weather
The climate in the Amazon rain forest is hot and rainy. It is Ecuador’s most humid region. There are no actual seasons; the year can only be divided into rainy and less rainy months, as the Amazon region always offers a generous amount of rain. However, around February there are usually some days without any rainfall.
Despite the fact that it rains a lot, it never gets cold in the Amazon region. The average daytime temperature varies from 30°C to 32°C (85°F to 90°F). During the night, temperature can cool down to 20°C (68°F).
Packing List
For your Amazon trip, you have to be prepared for rain, sunshine, humidity and mosquitoes.
How to get there
YASUNÍ NATIONAL PARK
Tour starting point: Coca City (also: Francisco de Orellana)
- By airplane from Quito 45 minutes +/- $290 roundtrip
- By public bus from Quito 7 hours $15 per way
- Private transportation 5-6 hours from Quito +/- $200 one way (up to 10 people)
From the port of Coca City, you travel about three hours by motor canoe on Napo River to get to the different lodges in the Yasuní area.
Tour Duration
As the Yasuní National Park, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve and the Kapawi Reserve lie deep inside the jungle, we recommend tours of 4 nights, or at least 3 nights. Obviously the longer you stay, the more you see.
The minimum recommended stay for visits to the Amazon border towns like Tena and Puerto Misahuallí is one night. There are one-day trips to Puyo leaving from Baños.
Standard Tour Schedule
- First day - arrival:
- Land or air transportation to the Amazon region
- Pick up by your guide and journey to the lodge (land and/or fluvial transportation)
- Cuyabeno: approx. 2 hours by bus and 3 hours by motor canoe
- Yasuni: approx. 2 hours by motor canoe and 30 minutes by foot or canoe
- Usually you arrive at the lodge in the afternoon.
- Full days in the rain forest region:
- Tourist program according to your lodge
- Most activities are done in the early morning before breakfast, in the morning, late afternoon and after dinner by night. Those are the times when animals are usually more active.
- Activities vary according to the lodge and strongly depend on the weather. Find a list of possible activities below.
- Last day - departure:
- Early breakfast, maybe followed by a short activity
- Transfer out of the jungle and trip to your next destination
Jungle hikes
Wildlife spotting
Bird watching
Night walks
Botany observation
Visit to a local community
Climb a observation tower
Caiman watching
Swimming
Ecological piranha fishing
Canoeing
Sunset viewing
