The Wanderers Stories

By Charles Cumella

Ecuador is an amazing place, full of natural and man-made wonders. Ecuador has some of the most unique landscapes in the world, including the Highland region (Sierra), the Coastal region (Costa), and the Galapagos. But there’s no way to forget the Amazon region (Amazonia), and its enormous amount of fauna and flora. There are a few national parks and protected areas in Ecuador’s Amazon region, including the Cuyabeno Wildlife reserve, the Yasuni National Park, and the Limoncocha Biological Reserve. There are 2 species of animals discovered every day in the Ecuadorian Amazon, this demonstrates that Ecuador is one of the most bio-diverse countries in the world!

What makes Amazon in Ecuador a good travel destination?

The Amazon is an amazing travel destination because of all of the flora and fauna that can be found there, the passengers will be amazed of everything they can see; from 10-foot snakes to dolphins in the middle of a river.

Tell us something that every traveller should know when travelling to the Amazon?

Every person that travels to the Ecuadorian Amazon should know that they are in for a huge surprise with everything they’ll see, and that they’ll have one of the most relaxing and impacting trips of their lives.

Any essentials that one needs to carry when they travelling to Amazon?

Insect repellent, sun block, sunglasses, light clothing and water resistant ponchos are all indispensable things to have with you in the Amazon. Also indispensable, is the desire to learn about the ecosystem and communities that call this place home.

Which are the most surreal places to visit when in Amazon?

The Cuyabeno is one of the most surreal places to visit in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It has the highest amount of flora and fauna in the Ecuadorian Amazon, having 12.000 species of plants, and 320 species of animals. It’s a wildlife lover’s dream!

Can you tell us a little about the life of the locals?

The local communities that call the Ecuadorian Amazon home are very diverse, some like the Siona community in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, are very used to visitors and even welcome tourists to partake in their daily lives. Others, like the Taromenani tribe located in the Yasuni National Park, do not welcome visitors and are very violent. The communities are very different and very comfortable living out of our “normal” society.

What are the local delicacies/drinks which one must try and where Amazon?

The Ecuadorian Amazon has many strange local delicacies, one of the most polarizing ones is the Chontacuro grubs, these are large insect larvae that live in trees, these are then grilled and served. The “chicha de jora” is a drink you will most likely find in the Amazon, it is a fermented corn flour drink that the locals drink like fruit juice, but once it is sufficiently fermented, it becomes an alcoholic beverage.
Yucca is a type of root vegetable used as a base in almost every local food and is grown everywhere in the area.

What are things which one must buy when in Amazon?

The best things to buy in the Amazon are souvenirs, supporting the local communities, such as things made with Tagua, a special seed used for manufacturing jewelry and others.

Which are the most romantic places to visit in Amazon?

Cuyabeno is the most romantic place in the Amazon, it has white and black water lakes which is an amazing place to enjoy a beautiful sunset with your loved one.

What are the local festivals which one must visit when in Amazon?

In Archidona, there is the festival of Chonta, which is a tradition in order to celebrate the region’s success over the invading Spanish forces. This is held during April.

The things guidebooks will not tell anyone about Amazon?

Sadly, there is a lot of oil exploitation in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. This is something that may not be in many guidebooks but it is also a necessary insight into local life in the area.

According to you what is the best thing about Amazon?

For me, the best thing in the Amazon is the huge amount of wildlife and the rest and relaxation you can have while there. It’s an unforgettable experience.

Check out our latest package on the Amazon.

When Lonely Planet places Colombia second on its list of Best in Travel Top countries & 10 destinations.

You cannot afford to miss, one tends to sit up and notice that tiny country hedged between the Andes, the Amazon, the Pacific and the Caribbean “somewhere in Latin America”. When I visited Colombia on a 2-week trip a couple of years ago, I knew the place was something special. Whether it was drifting down the Amazon & camping on a hammock in the mosquito-infested jungle or walking through the narrow cobbled streets of charming Cartagena de Indias or wandering through the coffee triangle of Manizales, Pereira and Quindio and the famed Valle del Cocora or the colourful old town of Salento, or visiting a local pub in Bogota, the sense of stumbling upon a hidden gem was palpable throughout.

During my brief stay in Bogota (where I went to attend a travel fair), I met up with many travel partners from all over Colombia who spoke to me about places I was not fortunate enough to visit on this trip. Like the archipelago of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina which was declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2000 and the legendary “sea of seven colours.” I came to know of Santa Marta, the first city in Colombia and the oldest in South America & a port of entry for those looking to conquer the “New world” in the 16th Century. I heard of the Gorgona National Park on the Pacific Coast, considered as one of the most bio-diverse & rainy areas on Earth and a paradise for nature lovers and adventurers. A place where the hump back whales arrive from the North in search of warmer waters. And in the midst of it is Nuqui, the Pacific Coast’s Eden, approachable only by air & a paradise for bird lovers, water sports enthusiasts, fishing and unspoiled nature; inspiring artists and poets with its incredible views of lush forest, beaches, waterfalls, stones and boulders of many colours. Then there’s the town of Villa de Leyva, just 200kms from Bogota, declared a national monument in 1954 and best explored on foot. Some spoke of the remote and hidden town of Santa Cruz de Mompox, situated on an island of the same name on the western bank of the Magdalena river, 200kms from Cartagena, that inspires tales of romance and nostalgia. A place that Colombia’s most famous son, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, described in his novel “The General in his labyrinth” as follows: Mompox does not exist, sometimes we dream of her, but she does not exist. In 1995, UNESCO declared this place a World Heritage Site.

Cartagena de indias- look for beaches and you have it here (the Caribbean coast)

Cartagena de Indias. Old town. Look for colours of the rainbow and you have it all here in this enchanting place.

Other names flashed by. San Augustin (a UNESCO World heritage site) & Tierradentro, the salt desert of Guajira, Santander, Bucaramanga, Barranquilla (the golden gate of Colombia), Ciudad Perdida & of course Cali (the capital of Salsa) and Medellin.

There was more. Much more. I was convinced I had to return to this place to soak in its magical realism.

Sunset in the Amazon, always larger than life

6 things you need to know about Colombia:

It is not the country that you see in Narcos. That man died in 1995. If thats the reason for going (or not going) to Colombia, think again.

It will be the most sought after destination in Latin America. Soon. Go there before Starbucks opens a store in Leticia.

It is one of the safest places in the Americas. (Despite “Narcos”)

It is a bird watchers paradise. Colombia leads the world in avian biodiversity; it is home to 1889 species, or 20 % of all bird species on Earth. 197 species of migratory birds are also temporary residents. 71 species of birds found here are unique to Colombia.

Barranquilla Carnival, February: This 4-day festival has been awarded the status of a “Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” by UN cultural body UNESCO. The event features various days of parades, music, drinking and dancing in a city already famous in Colombia for its active party scene. It is arguably the second biggest and best annual celebration in Latin America’s carnival calendar, falling only slightly below the levels of hedonism witnessed at the street parties of Rio de Janeiro.

The people are honest and helpful. Don’t corrupt them.

All photos by Abhik Dutta, The Wanderers

Tag: Amazon

An Insiders view on Amazon, Ecuador