The Oriente

The geography of Ecuador is truly spectacular if you are not a bus or a grazing animal. A small country with the Andes running through the center, the country is filled with peaks and valleys. Farmland is rarely if ever terraced and covers many of the hills like a green patchwork quilt thrown over the land. A trip of 50 kilometers often skirts many hills and requires many climbs and descents.

One of the most striking features is the swift change in landscape on the Eastern slope of the mountain range. With the briefest of transitions, the cool mountain air and sparse, almost tundra-like atmosphere gives way briefly a to temperate climate and, just a short distance later, to the humidity and lush foliage of the jungle.

The view from a bit above the jungle

Ecuadorans have dubbed the area the Oriente, and it is the western-most part of the Amazon Rainforest. It extends for hours from a number of cities at the edge, and there are cities deep within that can only be reached by small airplanes.

In the jungle

Tena is one of the biggest jumping off points for adventures in the Oriente. A city of about 28,000, is a hub for both jungle and rafting adventures. It has a small square at the center of town and a few downtown blocks, as well as development on the other side of a footbridge where much of the commercial activity takes place. Two rivers, the Rio Tena and Rio Napa, meet right near the footbridge.

Long live Tena

The eastern slopes and the jungle are also home to the native Kichwa people, and most jungle tours also involve a visit to a Kichwa village. The Kichwa take great effort to keep the culture alive and some children learn the Kichwa language before Spanish. This will be explored at greater length in later posts.