Accessed from Quito usually by 30-minute flight into Coca, you will then head onward by boat to some of the more remote jungle lodges on the rivers and tributaries of the area or board a boat cruise. The Amazon itself starts at the east of the Andes, where the terrain suddenly plummets 10,000 feet over just 30 miles. Coca is set just 40 miles from the foothills on the edge of the Amazon area, where local communities can enjoy more successful agriculture and breed livestock.
Joy can be found in the smaller critters here as well as the larger ones; armies of ants, small and colourful frogs, butterflies and lizards are all in abundance. Bats, monkeys, sloths, river dolphins and caiman are also common, and there are over 550 recorded bird species here, including green parrots, toucans and macaws.
The activities within the rainforest usually consist of guided walks with naturalists who can help to point out the less obvious of the wildlife and unusual natural aspects of the Amazon, and canoeing and white water rafting are available for the adventurous.
The landscape is one of long, wide and winding rivers, fringed by fertile rainforest that harbours an incredible array of flora and fauna.