Ecuador travel Amazon rainforest

The upper Amazon, Ecuador’s sweaty frontier, is still mostly empty rainforest, even though it makes up the eastern third of the country. Comfortable rainforest lodges and rustic camps serve as bases for hiking into the forest with native guides who know what sickness every plant can cure, plus the directions to the nearest waterfall and rope-swing. If you’re lucky, your guide will take you to visit his village, where you can sip homemade beer, buy a blowgun, and learn how to say "nice monkey" in Achuar.

Ecuador’s eastern third contains the upper headwaters of the Amazon rainforest. Local companies offer comfortable accommodations and expert guiding in the heart of the forest, in everything from luxury lodges to a converted Mississippi paddleboat. Independent travelers can also sign on with more economical guided tours involving hiking in rubber boots and hammocks by the river. Many tours involve visits to indigenous tribes like the Yanomami -- recent and reluctant entrants into the 20th century.