Nestled between Peru and Colombia, Ecuador proves itself the Amazon country with amazing biodiversity and forest types. In fact, lowland rainforests cover half of Ecuador’s land area. The country also provides plenty of opportunities to visit her cloud forests tucked away in the foothills of the Andes.

Ecuador offers perhaps the easiest access to the Amazon. The capital Quito is well connected to international airports, and flights to Amazonian centres only take another couple of hours. With a rich variety of tour adventures, experienced guides, and some of the best jungle lodges, Ecuador has the additional advantage of having a highly developed tourist infrastructure. Birding opportunities are abound, facilities for natural history enthusiasts are plentiful, and cultural adventures into tribal lands are feasible. The forest itself remains relatively untouched, and the country is one of the safest in South America.

However, the Ecuadorian Amazon does have its drawbacks, these mainly focusing on the oil industry, which has caused some damage to the surrounding forest and scattered the land with various oil refineries and storage facilities. Still, once in the pristine wilds of the Amazon, these effects will hardly be noticed, and because ecotourism plays such a large part in the Ecuadorian economy, there is a slow shift favouring conservation rather than exploitation.

Climate

The Ecuadorian climate is determined by topography rather than equatorial and seasonal concerns. The country is so small that its latitude has little effect on its climate. The climate variance that concerns us most is that of the Oriente. Temperatures average at 18 – 12° C and annual rainfall amounts range from 3,000-6,000 mm. The rainy season last form April until June and the dry, from January until February.