Rainforests of Ecuador

Driving rain pelted our open canoe as we forged our way up the Rio Napo further into the rainforest, driven slowly by the Thatched Hutgentle hum of the outboard motor. Our waterproof high tech fancy shells and hiking boots quickly succumbed to the elements, while our guide's simple garbage bags and bare feet served them perfectly in the humid and wet weather. The Rio Napo is a tributary of the Amazon, and this was the beginning of a three day trip into the jungle outside of Coca, a retired oil boom town in the deep interior of Ecuador.

The South American Explorers Club in Quito is a great resource for information including travel reports by fellow explorers, several of which pointed us to a tour guide named Wimper Torres operating out of Coca. We attempted to call to make arrangements, but were told simply to make our way to the little town and ask for Wimper when we got there. After taking an overnight bus over a single track rutted dirt road, we reached the town which consisted of a few square blocks of dirt streets and wooden planked sidewalks. There were a handful of stores selling crafts and staples, basic restaurants and the surprisingly nice Hotel Auca, where we negotiated a triple room, and inquired after Wimper Torres and were told that he'd find us later in the day.

After walking around town and having a simple almuerzo (a fixed lunch menu) at the Residencial Lo Janita, we returned to the hotel to find Wimper waiting for us. On the bus, we had met a couple guys from Japan also canoelooking to do a rainforest tour, and since it's cheaper the more people you have, we decided to go in together on the trip. We flagged down a passing flat bed truck, and accompanied him to his home on the outskirts, where he spread out a map of the area and we discussed what kind of trip we wanted to take. We decided on a three day trip where everything was included for 30USD per person per day. He needed to buy provisions so we made arrangements to meet the next morning at the docks.

The next day we met Wimper and his nephew Irwin, and after a visit to La Oficina de Comandante, where we had to get permission for the trip (a formality) and leave our passports during our trip, we loaded our gear and supplies into an eleven meter outboard canoe. We pushed off from the shore, and began our slow five hour trip upriver, immediately met by torrential downpours limiting visibility. The river presented a variety of hazards from sandbars to trees, but the experience of our guide on these waterways showed and finally, we turned off into a maze of small lagoon waterways where we were sheltered from the rain by the canopy overhead and could talk with our guide who pointed out numerous colorful birds.

We finally reached a hut that would become our home base for the rest of the trip. It stood about five feet above ground on stilts, had no walls, a sixty foot square bamboo floor and a pitched roof made of palm leaves. Wimper strung two ropes across the hut, over which we hung thin mosquito netting to sleep under. There was a simple outhouse approximately fifty feet from the hut, a trip to which was quite an adventure at night as you needed to climb down the ladder and then navigate through the forest to find it. It was a creaky shack with a hole and it was best not to think about what was above or below.

We spent the next two days exploring the forest by canoe and foot, and View of Lago de Paranalearning from Wimper and Irwin about the jungle, its native peoples and the changes taking place in the area. The oil industry, while not unwelcomed by the people as it brought a measure of prosperity, had disturbed the ecosystem and driven most of the large animals further into the forest. The Quechua and Yasuni Indians of the area were subsistence farmers and fisherman, although there was a bit of the wider world mixed in with a prevalence of Western style clothing, jewelry, and sometimes even generators and appliances. These people were living in both worlds.

We went fishing one afternoon, using simple six inch pieces of bamboo with fishing line and a hook. We caught a Piranha and Irwin caught a very large Jaguar fish, both of which we cooked and ate that night. Wimper cut the Jaguar fish into rings and fried it along with rice, plantains and French fries, which made for a very tasty dinner indeed. Each day for lunch, Wimper made a fresh salad of onion, cucumber, tomato, canned tuna and lime juice, after which Wimper washed our plates in the river, which was disconcerting, but we never got sick.

We hiked through the forest teeming with plant life, learning from Wimper about medicinal plants and symbiotic relationships between floras. We visited a large lagoon called Lago de Pirana, and climbed a circular staircase to the top of a giant tree, affording views of the endless rainforest canopy. At night, we practiced our Spanish talking with Wimper about all kinds of things, and one of the things I remember most was Wimper saying that he really enjoyed guiding Americans because we were always interested in our surroundings, and always relished the food put in front of us, perceptions we were more than happy to perpetuate.

After a tiring but satisfying three days, we retraced our route. We took our guides out to their favorite restaurant, the Monte Carlo, where we enjoyed a multicourse meal and a final conversation. Our trip into the Amazon Basin was over, but it was a wonderful experience made more special by choosing a small group, a local guide, and basic accommodations. Most people choose Brazil for this kind of adventure, but Ecuador offers a smaller scale way to enjoy the uniqueness of a journey into the rainforest of South America.