Amazonía

Visitors will find that Ecuador offers the easiest access to the Amazon. In just a few hours, visitors can travel from the Andean peaks to the jungle. Volcanoes such as El Sangay and El Altar, with their numerous and sharp peaks, can be seen from the exuberant and dense vegetation of the Amazon. Reserves and national parks are home to hundreds of bird and fish species. They are also home to tapirs, anacondas, boa constrictors, turtles, lizards, armadillos, bears, monkeys, giant rodents and infinite bird species. Ecuador is home to the largest diversity of animals and plants per square kilometer in the world, and it is third in the world for its variety of amphibians, and fifth for butterflies.

Tropical rainforests and immense lakes make up the Reserva de Producción Faunística Cuyabeno (Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve), a unique place that is home to reptiles and pink dolphins alike. In the Reserva Biológica Limoncocha (Limoncocha Biological Reserve) you will find Limoncocha Lake, famous for being home to the black caiman. Another natural beauty is Sumaco-Napo Galeras National Park, which, along with the Yasuní National Park, has been declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. There, visitors walk along a path that passes through six altitudinal ranges until reaching the Sumaco Volcano.

The hot springs of Papallacta, surrounded by the Andes mountains, possess legendary curative powers. The Ecuadorian jungle, with its numerous medicinal plants, has served as a “natural pharmacy” for indigenous communities for centuries. The local indigenous communities have proudly retained their social practices and ancestor’s beliefs, traditions, and customs.