Covering approximately 12’000,000 H., the major area of the Ecuadorian Amazon supports exuberant vegetation that is typical of humid tropical forests, its western limit is the Andes Mountain Range, Peru lies to the south and Colombia to the north.

 

The Amazonas ecosystem, particularly its tropical rain forest, is considered to be one of the richest and most complex communities of plant and animal life in the world. The region is characterized by huge and diverse amounts of flowers and wildlife with extraordinary variations in their habitats and micro­ habitats.

 

Typical South American mammals which live in Ecuador’s Amazon include armadillos, honey bears and sloths. Amazon bats form a cosmopolitan group numbering more than 60 species. Other mammals found in the tropical forest include tapirs, monkeys, and ocelots (or jaguars). On a walk through the forest, you will observe groups of monkeys, boars and large rodents; and in the lagoons there are manatees and caymans.

 

Ecuador’s extensive national park system, scientific station and protected areas cover nearly a 7.5 million acres. To preserve areas, Ecuador has created the Yasuni National Park Biosphere Reserve, the Limoncocha Ecological Reserve, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve10 and others. The Napo and Aguarico River basins offer multiple possibilities for you to enjoy the ecosystem complexes, alluvial plains, swamps and flooded areas all of which are inhabited by a variety of species. The Yuturi, Yasuni, Tiputini, Tivacuno and Cononaco rivers are completely surrounded by virgin forest.