Rainforests in Ecuador
When it comes to immersing yourself in nature, rainforests provide like no other. Every single thing that you can see while you stand in the jungle is alive – as are many things that you can't.
Ecuador’s rainforests attack the senses. They are hot, humid and very, very wet. They smell – of flowers and leaves and mud and life. They are unexpectedly loud – with the volume cranking up even higher once dusk falls. And looking around you, everything you can see is alive. No other environment demonstrates nature’s ability to thrive in quite the same way.
Experiencing Ecuador’s jungle dwelling wildlife is not like an African game drive – rumbling across the savannah in a custom built vehicle, looking for herds of elephants or lolloping giraffe. It’s not like whale watching, bobbing over the waves in a boat, scanning the horizons for flukes and blowholes. In the rainforests of Ecuador, the only way to travel is on foot or by small boat, and the wildlife is everywhere, it’s all around you. The trick is being able to spot it.
Our Ecuador Vacations
Galapagos land based adventure vacation
Amazing wildlife, both on land and underwater
From
US $3050 to US $3880
10 days
ex flights
Galapagos & Ecuador tailor made vacations
Top wildlife experience in mainland Ecuador and Galapagos.
From
US $8995
11 days
ex flights
Galapagos cruise options, tailor made
The greatest wildlife experiences tailor made
From
£4320
8 days
ex flights
Ecuador adventure vacation, tailor made
From volcano-top to Amazon basin and everything in between!
From
£1795
9 days
ex flights
Ecuador vacations, Andes to Amazon
Ecuador's landscapes & wildlife
From
US $3099 to US $3279
14 days
ex flights
Ecuador tailor made vacation
See the top natural and cultural highlights of Ecuador
From
£2350
11 days
ex flights
Galapagos family vacation
Follow in the footsteps of Darwin on this family vacation
From
US $2582 to US $3180
8 days
ex flights
Climb Mount Cotopaxi, Ecuador
Climb three stunning peaks, included Cayambe Volcano (5790m)
From
US $1318
6 days
ex flights
Teach disadvantaged children in Quito, Ecuador
Very worthwhile, satisfying project educating children!
From
£1295
4 weeks
ex flights
Galapagos & Amazon wildlife vacation, Ecuador
The ultimate wildlife trip to the Amazon and Galapagos
From
US $6190
16 days
ex flights
Ecuador activity vacation
Join an active tour of Ecuador
From
US $1295 to US $1602
7 days
ex flights
Ecuador ecolodge, Napo Wildlife Center
A luxurious eco-lodge in wildlife rich Ecuadorean Amazon
From
US $1618 to US $1917
4 days
ex flights
Ecuador and Amazon vacation
A journey of discovery and exploration
From
US $1317 to US $1829
14 days
ex flights
Quito to Rio overland tour
Epic trip through the beautiful countries of South America
From
£5930 to £6180
112 days
ex flights
Colombia to Brazil overland tour
Spectacular overland adventure from Colombia to Brazil
From
£5075 to £5255
97 days
ex flights
Ecuador small group vacation, hidden villages of the Amazon
15 day trip to see historical sights & meet an Amazon tribe
From
£3795
14 days
ex flights
Galapagos island hopping tailor made vacation
Hop between islands on this innovative lodge-based vacation
From
£4575
10 days
ex flights
Ecuador & Galapagos vacation, tailor made
Experience the culture of Quito and the wildlife of the Galapagos Islands
From
£5017
11 days
ex flights
Amazon and Cloudforest tour in Ecuador
Explore Ecuador's big three - Andes, Amazon and Cloud Forest
From
£3399
17 days
ex flights
Ecuador adventure & culture vacation
A 14 day small group tour to see a different side of Ecuador
From
£1995
14 days
ex flights
Galapagos vacations, Ecuador
A First Class wildlife cruise around the Enchanted Isles
From
US $3479 to US $3649
6 days
ex flights
Galapagos luxury cruise
Cruise the Galapagos on a vessel custom made for the islands
From
£5710 to £6262
8 days
ex flights
vacation in Ecuador, tailormade
Rainforest, Andes and the Galapagos Islands
From
£6495
15 days
ex flights
Costa Rica and Galapagos wildlife vacation
Galapagos wildlife cruise plus Costa Rica nature/beach week
From
£5770 to £6375
17 days
ex flights
Quito and Lima overland truck tour
Overland the incredible Andes in Peru and Ecuador
From
£940 to £990
20 days
ex flights
Ecuador and Galapagos small group vacation
Ecuador and the 'enchanted isles' in a two-week adventure
From
US $4150 to US $4320
17 days
ex flights
Galapagos activity & wildlife vacation, land based
Tailor-made land-based activity vacation in Galapagos
From
£4715
10 days
ex flights
Wildlife in Ecuador's rainforests
You’ll hear the wildlife long before you see it. Howler monkeys are the loudest animals in the jungle; their eerie growls resonate around their specially hardened skulls and can be heard up to a mile away so that they can avoid encountering rival troops which might result in dangerous battles.
Spider monkeys are the jungle acrobats, their extraordinary limbs swinging them from branch to branch in the canopy. Titi monkeys, capuchin monkeys, incredible singing monkeys; all inhabit the Amazon’s canopy, and can be spotted by expert guides, many of whom will have grown up surrounded by these primates.
Sloths never fail to bring a smile with their own perpetually grinning faces. Moving even more slowly than you’d imagine, they spend virtually all of their time dangling upside down – eating, sleeping, mating, giving birth – and descend from the trees just once a week to defecate. Their fur, tinged green with algae, runs from toe to head, allowing rain to run off their inverted bodies.
Caiman, too, are scary-looking reptiles, but they are nothing like their crocodile cousins. See them basking on the riverbanks in the morning, soaking up the equatorial sun which will give them the strength to head out to hunt later in the day.
More dangerous by far is the peccary – a large, hairy, vicious pig that lives in herds of several hundred, and can trample and kill a human in no time. The good thing about these huge herds is that you’ll hear them coming – and the best advice is to climb the nearest tree. Also lining the riverbanks are comical capybaras – the world’s largest rodent. They sound like something invented by a five year old: they resemble huge guinea pigs, have webbed feet, and eat mud.
The birds of the Ecuadorian rainforest are stunning. In the clearings above the rivers, watch out for enormous jabiru storks – one of the world’s largest flying birds – flapping slowly between the banks. Head to clay licks to see colonies of rainbow coloured macaws feeding on the much-needed salt. They mate for life, and are always seen in pairs.
More dangerous by far is the peccary – a large, hairy, vicious pig that lives in herds of several hundred, and can trample and kill a human in no time. The good thing about these huge herds is that you’ll hear them coming – and the best advice is to climb the nearest tree. Also lining the riverbanks are comical capybaras – the world’s largest rodent. They sound like something invented by a five year old: they resemble huge guinea pigs, have webbed feet, and eat mud.
The birds of the Ecuadorian rainforest are stunning. In the clearings above the rivers, watch out for enormous jabiru storks – one of the world’s largest flying birds – flapping slowly between the banks. Head to clay licks to see colonies of rainbow coloured macaws feeding on the much-needed salt. They mate for life, and are always seen in pairs.
More unusual is the hoatzin, or serere. Bizarre-looking, with a bald, blue face and spiky orange crest, the hoatzin defies scientific classification. They eat leaves – a have a digestive system more similar to that of a cow; fly with all the grace of a chicken; and reportedly taste foul, hence their nickname: stinkbird. One of the best places to observe birds is at the Napo Wildlife Centre, where hides have been built at a number of clay licks frequented by parrots. 568 species of birds have been recorded at this center! There are also canopy towers in the Ecuadorian Amazon that allow for up close encounters with its tree-dwelling inhabitants.
Our top Ecuador Vacation
Galapagos & Ecuador tailor made vacations
Top wildlife experience in mainland Ecuador and Galapagos.
From
US $8995
11 days
ex flights
Tailor made:
This trip can be tailor-made and departures can be arranged all year. The sample itinerary below can be modified to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used & how long you spend in each destination.
This trip can be tailor-made and departures can be arranged all year. The sample itinerary below can be modified to your personal wishes including departure date, duration, accommodation used & how long you spend in each destination.
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Ecuador or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
Amazonian culture
Most travelers go to the Ecuadorian Amazon for the wildlife – but the fondest memories they have of their time there is often of the people. Many indigenous communities live in the jungle, on the outskirts of national parks, and life has changed little out here; they harvest cassava and plantain and jungle fruits, fish for piranha in dugout canoes and live in thatched huts in clearings. Many vacations in the Ecuadorian Amazon offer opportunities for homestays or community-owned lodges, where you can meet Quichua, Achuar or Huaorani people who can take you on traditional canoe rides, lead you on jungle treks, point out wildlife, medicinal and edible plants, learn about traditional hunting techniques and reveal the secrets of life in the earth’s largest rainforest.
You might have the chance to meet a shaman, sample delicious local dishes and discover local crafts. You’ll learn, too, about the threats posed to these communities by the proposed oil drilling as well as deforestation and the creation of roads.)
Amazonian activities
Although jungle tours generally inspire images of lazy days spent cruising in canoes, looking out for monkeys and sloths, there are plenty of ways to get more active in the Amazon. Jungle hikes are a must – preferably with an indigenous guide – and don’t pass up on the opportunity for a night hike, when the rainforest really comes into its own and the nocturnal wildlife reaches its screaming crescendo. You can learn plenty of survival techniques plus traditional hunting and trapping practices, including blowpipes.
As well as the larger canoes, some vacations offer the opportunity to kayak along the Amazonian tributaries, but for a real adventure on the river, head to Napo – Ecuador’s whitewater rafting center. The appropriately named Jatunyacu (“Big Water”) River has thrilling Class III rapids to test your paddling skills, and excellent rafting guides.
And for a real vacation with a difference, look into volunteering with Amazon communities for a week – building and working with schools, supporting local culture and traditions and creating much needed infrastructure.
More about Ecuador
The best time to visit Ecuador for beaches is surprisingly the rainy season that takes place from December through to May as this is a lot fresher than the dry season from June to November which can be way too cool as well as cloudy and often overcast.
This tiny country packs an enormous punch of biodiversity. With landscapes ranging from the dense Amazon rainforest to high Andean paramo, humid coastal mangroves to the salt-crusted rocks of the Galápagos, Ecuador is a haven for wildlife fans, volcano climbers, culture vultures, twitchers and anyone whose wanted to stand with one foot in each hemisphere.
Explore the colonial towns of Quito and Cuenca, filled with the chatter of Quechua; or trek around snow-capped volcanoes and high altitude crater lakes. See whales off the coast, birds in the cloud forest, and caimans' eyes glinting red in the waters of the Amazon.
We've chosen some of our favourite things to do in Ecuador - from hanging out with the tame wildlife of the Galapagos to fishing for piranhas in the Amazon.
The wildlife in Galapagos is what has drawn travelers to this remote archipelago, 1,000km out into the Pacific Ocean.
Cloud forest or rainforest? What's the best way to hike up a volcano? And where are the best haciendas to stay in? Our expert vacation companies offer their best Ecuador travel tips to help you plan your ideal vacation in South America - and our traveler shave shared a few tips of their own in our honest vacation reviews.
A country with "good living" written into its constitution knows a thing or two about responsible tourism, and they've already done the hard work for you in offering up plenty of ways to travel better - for you and for the country - while on vacation here.
protection
Photo credits: [Page banner: Latin Discoveries] [Rainforest: Marco Marques]
[Howler monkeys: Charles J Sharp]
[Jaguar: Public domain]
[Hoatzin: Judy Gallagher]
[Indigenous people: Jean-francois Renaud]
[Kayaks: Michael R Perry]
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