Travel Q&A: Exploring Ecuador

Q: We will be in Quito, Ecuador, and want to spend three or four days in the rain forest. Any suggestions?

A: Most travelers to Ecuador head for the blue-footed boobies in the Galapagos or the volcanoes in the Highlands — missing the Amazonian rain forest and its pink river dolphins. "Everyone thinks of the Galapagos first and then the Highlands and its Indian markets and volcanoes," says Andrew Gilchrist, owner of Lost World Adventures (www.lostworldadventures.com), a Georgia-based tour company specializing in Central and South America. "But half of Ecuador's land is in the rain forest, and only 5 percent of the population lives there."

Because of the remoteness of the jungly eastern region, reaching the rain forest and its surrounding tribal communities may require small planes and bumpy bus rides. "Macas is like an 'Indiana Jones' city," says Mauro Quito, a travel consultant with Ecuaworld.com (www.ecuaworld.com), an Ecuador travel information company. "It has views of the Highlands and the Amazon and, if you're lucky, an erupting volcano." The former mountain guide also recommends the cities of Tena and Sucua, both good bases for rain forest exploration. For tour guides or information, look for outfitters in Quito or visit the Web site of the Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador (www.vivecuador.com).

For a less rugged journey — and a more organized tour — Gilchrist suggests Sacha Lodge (www.sachalodge.com.ec), a 5,000-acre private ecological reserve in the northern Amazon; the Napo Wildlife Center (www.napowildlifecenter.com) in the Yasuni National Park; and the Kapawi Ecolodge and Reserve (www.kapawi.com) in the south.

Of the three, Gilchrist says, "Kapawi is a much better wildlife experience, because the southern part of Ecuador is less disturbed. In the north, there is oil exploration and more traffic in the sky." Also, the Kapawi Lodge is part of an entrepreneurial project involving private investors and the Achuar Indians that trains the locals for jobs in the tourist industry.