East of the Andean highlands, Ecuador becomes jungle—a place of lowland rain forest cut by hundreds of waterways. The Amazon River itself is farther east, in what's now Peru, but the major rivers of eastern Ecuador, including the Napo, are tributaries of the Amazon.
Ecuadorians often refer to the region as El Oriente—the East. It offers adventurous travelers some great opportunities to experience the rich plant and animal life of the tropical rain forest and is also the most accessible region in any of the countries that share the basin (because of infrastructure built by the oil industry).
Among the thousands of examples of flora and fauna found there are hundreds of species of birds (macaws, parrots, toucans), anacondas, monkeys, piranha, jaguars, caimans (crocodiles), freshwater dolphins, mahogany trees, giant kapok (or ceiba) trees and many huge palms.
Like rain forests the world over, the Oriente is rapidly being diminished, and the oil reserves found in the region have greatly accelerated this process. Visitors have to travel far into the wilds to get to pristine areas that are still rich in wildlife.
The Amazon Basin also offers the opportunity to learn about some unique human communities: Several Amerindian groups in the region continue to practice elements of their traditional lifestyles, though they do make use of modern devices such as guns and boat motors. Some have become active in the movement to conserve Ecuador's rain forest—their traditional hunting grounds. Not all communities welcome visits from outsiders, but others are finding tourism to be a valuable source of income.
One of these is the Cofan community (phone 247-4763; https://www.cofan.org) in the northeast corner of Reserva Ecologica Cayambe-Coca. Visitors can stay in a traditional Cofan dwelling, witness demonstrations of hunting and cooking practices and take a jungle walk with a Cofan guide who identifies medicinal plants and their uses. Handicrafts (blowguns, necklaces, string bags) made by members of the community are also available. Another tribe active in tourism is the Achuar, who operate the Kapawi Lodge and Ecological Reserve in the pristine southeastern Oriente (phone 600-9333; https://www.kapawi.com).
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