Ecuador Travel

Entire books have been dedicated to the subject because of the diversity of Ecuador's jungles. Housing no less than 5% of the earth’s plants, the Amazon region of Ecuador is a dense, lush garden filled with endless varieties of mosses, vines, bromeliads, ferns, orchids, palms, lilies and plants that sprout enormous leaves in an attempt to absorb that most sunlight. There are more than 25,000 different types of trees in the northeastern Amazon region alone . Journey anywhere within the Ecuador’s Amazon basin, and you will be astounded by the many different plant species you will discover.

Unlike the bountiful plantlife, the wildlife of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin can be somewhat difficult to find. The Ecuadorian rainforest is home of mammals such as tapirs, capybaras, monkeys, guatusa, dolphins, otters and large predatory cats Pumas, panthers and more. The vegetation in the jungle is so dense, however, that such animals may be right next to you and you won’t even know it. Predatory creatures like pumas, jaguars and ocelots tend to stay hidden and prefer to hunt at night. You also won’t be seeing a lot of larger animals in areas heavily developed by humans, as the combined forces of hunting and habitat destruction have compelled many creatures to journey deeper into forest.

A long list of colorful birds including a number of parrot and toucan species are also found in the Ecuadorian rainforest. Larger birds like the Hoatzin, the Cock of the Rock, the Scarlet Macaw and the Harpy Eagle are a few of the most iconic birds in Ecuador’s Amazon basin. Over 400 species of reptiles and 400 species of amphibians can be found in the jungles of Ecuador, and this includes the dangerously toxic Poison Dart Frogs and the enormous Anaconda. There is also and abundance of insects, which make up over 90% of the wildlife in the Amazon.

In order to protect all this wildlife, Ecuador has outlined no less than 11 parks and reserves that are encompassed by the Amazon Basin. They are: Podocarpus National Park, El Condor Bi-national Park, Yasuni National Park, Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Sangay National Park, Llanganates National Park, Sumanco Napo Galeras National Park, Antisana Ecological Reserve, Cayambe - Coca Ecological Reserve, Cofan-Bermejo Ecological Reserve and Limoncocha Biological National Park. The two parks that are most heavily covered by rainforest are the Yasuni National Park and the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, which are both very popular spots for jungle tours and wildlife observation. Though smaller, the Sumanaco Napo Galeras National Park is also a popular area for visitors.