Our Ecuador adventure begins.

Ecuador - August 2014

We will fly from Boston to Quito, Ecuador via Panama on Tue, August 12, 2014.

After giving ourselves a couple of days to acclimate to the 2 mile high altitude (Quito is among the highest capitals in the world), we head for the rain forest.

From Quito we will take a 45 minute flight into the rainforest to the small town of Coca (see map).   There we will be met and transferred first to a hotel for a "safety briefing" and then to a motorized canoe for a 3 hour trip down the Napo River, an Amazon tributary.   Finally we transfer to paddled canoes into the lake where our Eco lodge is located near Yasuni National Park.  We will spend 3 nights at the eco lodge learning, exploring, visiting the village of the native  people who run the lodge.

Return to Quito via canoe and plane.

Bus South  to Banos- thermal baths after a 3 hour bus ride through the Andes and lowlands


Return to Quito and ride to up to Mindo (Northwest of Quito) and the Cloud Forest - different eco system.

Return to Quito and fly home.  August 28th.

Ecuador is bordered by Peru to the south and east and by Colombia to the north. Ecuador's west coast is on the Pacific.  It is in the same time zone as Chicago and they use the US dollar so this will be MUCH easier than our Eastern Europe trip where we crossed 5 time zones,  used 4 currencies,  visited 5 countries with 5 languages. The principle language of Ecuador is Spanish. Mine is VERY rusty.

A preview - links:
Sani Lodge - Eco Lodge

I think we skew the average age :)

Not for the squeemish


"Sani Lodge is the only jungle lodge in Ecuador that is 100% owned and operated by the indigenous Kichwa community of Sani Isla. On the banks of a stunning lagoon, and surrounded by pristine rainforest, packed with monkeys, manatees, sloths, and over 550 types of birds, this  jungle lodge is a perfect base to explore the Amazon jungle by day and enjoy some comfort by night."

I have to admit I am a bit apprehensive about the amount walking in supplied boots and raincoats on uneven footing in the forests and the heat in the rain forest .We will be AT the equator (Ecuador is named for this fact).  But this is a once in a lifetime chance to visit  the only carbon neutral country in the world - before it is destroyed by oil and logging interests  and to interact with an indigenous people in their setting.  I expect to learn much.

This has been Norbert's dream trip and I am so glad we are getting to do it.  He has a very deep love of nature and for that , this is about as immersed as one can get.   Bird-watchers from all over the world flock to Ecuador for one simple reason: the country is home to more than 1500 species.

Sadly Ecuador's rainforests are being cleared at a rate of approximately 198,000 hectares per year including large areas of Cloud Forests. At this rate it is predicted that Ecuador will be completely deforested within the next 30 years.

For readers who don't know, we are 76 and 72 year old active seniors!  Back to Turkey in the Fall and India in  January.  Stay tuned !