Also known as El Oriente, the sparsely populated eastern lowlands of Ecuador are a portion of the upper part of the gigantic Amazon River Basin.  Almost all rivers from the Ecuadorian Andes, flow eastward into the basin.  The Amazon basin, along with the Andes mountain range, is the largest geographical feature on the South American continent.  It drains approximately 40% of the continent.  Although the system of rivers is only the second longest in the world, it undoubtedly is the greatest river in many aspects;  it carries 20% of all the worlds freshwater, far more than any other river.  It also drains the largest land area of all the worlds rivers and is the widest river in the world.   Bolivia and Peru (the source of the Amazon River), along with Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela make up the upper Amazon Basin and half of the total area of the Basin.  Brazil, of course, makes of the other and lower half of this spectacularly diverse area of South America.

The Pastaza, Napo, and Putumayo are the principal rivers in the Oriente. The Pastaza is formed by the convergence of the Chambo and the Patate rivers. The Napo River’s source is near Cotopaxi  and ranges in width from 500 to 1,800 meters (1,600 ft –5,900 ft).  Its depth and width make it the principal river of transport in the Oriente.  The Napo begins in the Sierra and flows rapidly until meeting the Coca River, one of its major tributaries.  From there it moves sluggishly toward the Amazon River and the Atlantic Ocean.  The Putumayo is  part of the border with Colombia, and converges with the San Miguel and Aguarico Rivers which flow entirely from the Ecuadorian Andes. The Amazon area is famous for its various flora and fauna.  However, it is also a cultural hot spot. There are still many tribes with their own language and customs throughout the Amazon River Basin.  Moreover, new tribes with no previous contact with western civilization are still being discovered in the upper areas of the Basin, the most recent discovery being on the border of Brazil and Venezuela in 2002.  In Ecuador there are many different indigenous tribes, each with their own language and customs.  You can literally stay with indigenous tribes who speak little or no Spanish and whose first contact with western civilization was as recently as the 1960’s. The Ecuadorian Amazon contains some of the most bio-diverse areas in all of the Amazon River Basin.  Much of this has to do with the differences in elevation and the proximity to the equatorial line.  The diversity of fauna is second to none.  Monkeys, jaguars, countless bird, reptile and fish species, as well as condors, pink dolphins and innumerable other animals and insects are found here.  The flora is also unbelievably diverse especially considering that a diverse forest in North America has about 12-15 different species of trees per acre. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, a single acre of forest will have at least 300 different species of trees and yet another 300 to 400 species plants on the jungle floor and in the tree-tops. 

The area is excellent for all types of adventures; from a deep jungle experience, to mountain biking from the Sierra into the upper elevations of the Basin, to water sports including extreme white water rafting, kayaking and exploring portions of river that flow through caves and gorges.  The options and knowledge to be gained from simply being here are limitless.