In Orellana, the benefits of nature are endless. Just through a spring we can peek into prehistory and witness those fish that have survived for centuries. Feeling how the jungle tells of the rebellion and dignity of the original inhabitants of the Amazon.
Between songs and dances, they, the ancients and those of today, make local and foreign tourists feel the presence of the spirit of the land. Orellana stands out for its impressive landscapes, culture, lagoons, rivers and waterfalls, its fauna, gastronomy, hidden caverns and much more.
"Live, feel and know" is the motto with which this majestic and immense lung of the world is promoted. Vinicio Gómez, general coordinator of tourism of the Orellana provincial GAD, recommends that local and foreign tourists participate in the magic, tradition or culture that the area offers, characterized by its friendly people and capable of maintaining heritage and developing ecotourism ventures.
Water, an enviable tourist resource
An example can be seen in the Loreto canton, which has ample spaces for tourism, such is the case of the Aguaventura Ecotourism Center, 10 minutes from the cantonal center and possessing a tropical jungle, home to thousands of native species. Orellana it's nature.
José Cuaspud, administrator of Aguaventura, details: "We have six beautiful packages, designed to the taste and decision of the visitor with values from $2.50 to $50, with lodging and two days of adventure, complemented by trails, fountains, rivers, waterfalls and excellent viewpoints to photograph all your experiences, camping, canyoning, tubing, descending a hanging ladder, enjoying a parrot salting room, having a night walk or bonfire near your campsite and resting in comfortable rustic cabins”.
Canyoning is a sport that consists of descending from a waterfall with a harness, thus feeling the sensation of the drops on your face, while tubing is the use of tire tubes to descend through the riverbed.
Music, shamanism, dances and gastronomy
Among Orellana's proposals is the natural attraction of Carcachupa Pakcha and its waterfall, in the community of Jumandy, km 33 of the Coca - Loreto paved road.
This tourist center in the middle of the jungle, has a high waterfall, which in its fall forms a refreshing natural pool. The area is the cradle of the Kichwa culture, capable of expressing its music, dance, shamanism, handicrafts and its own gastronomy, such as tasting the famous maito, cooked fish wrapped in leaves. There is an auditorium and guidance service along its trails or canoeing areas, rental of huts, grills and buoys. Orellana it's nature.
Carina Narváez, representative of the Jumandi commune, adds other activities that are practiced in the recreational center: "The people who come to our area, apart from bathing in the clean waters, also live with music, dance and the shaman brothers who They know the healing power of the spirits and medicinal plants of the jungle”.
The Ishpingo Pakcha Tourist Center, located in the Juan Pío Montúfar community, at km 40, taking the Coca – Loreto paved road, is another attraction. This paradisiacal waterfall, formed at the confluence of the Ishpingo and Shinguno rivers that form several waterfalls of refreshing and crystalline water, also allows tourists to appreciate the fauna and flora in their maximum splendor.
Underground adventure
Another of the tourist centers in the Loreto canton is the Laberinto de Guami cave, 80 km from the Coca – Loreto – Hollin road. For a price of $2 per person, adventure lovers will be able to enter the depths of the earth and appreciate the impressive figures that the force of the water has created in said cavern. Likewise, it will be possible to capture the stalactites and stalagmites or appreciate insects adapted to the ecosystem and countless marine fossils that are impregnated throughout the entire route in a period of two hours.
There is also the Milagro de Dios Cavern, located in the community of Pasohurco, at km 83 of the Coca–Tena paved road. This allows the tourist to be part of a walk of approximately 30 minutes. On this journey you can see stalagmites and stalactites, bats, spiders, insects, fish and fossilized marine animals. Orellana it's nature.
Shelter for rescued wild animals
Jhon Cortez, an environmental engineer from the Loreto canton, assures that the Amazon inspires love in its tourists. For this reason, the province of Orellana has the first animal rescue and possession center such as CocaZoo, which houses around 50 species of wild animals that due to illegal hunting are separated from their natural habitat.
He adds that they also look at the creation of natural products, in order to stimulate the senses of the human being and allow them to be closer to life. In relation to this thought, Witoca Café stands out, an enterprise present in the Huaticocha area, Loreto canton, dedicated to the production of specialty robusta coffee, where whoever comes to the place can live the experience of knowing the process of obtaining coffee until tasting.
The magic of the Napo River and other rivers
Orellana it's nature. Everyone who arrives in the green province of Orellana will be captivated by the Napo River, the main body of water in the Ecuadorian Amazon and even the longest in Ecuador and one of the tributaries of the Amazon. It is characterized by having the greatest diversity of freshwater fish in the country, with more than 400 species, including catfish.
It is a fluvial route for the community members downstream, for the oil companies and tourism. Those who want to venture into the jungle area can take a boat trip to the Aguarico canton, on the border with Peru. The trip lasts about ten hours and the ticket is around $30 per person.
In the Aguarico canton runs the Yasuní River, located in the parish of the same name and which runs for the most part in the biosphere reserve of that name, recognized by Unesco. Its earthy and navigable waters flow through abundant flora and fauna. In its bed you can see alligators, pink dolphins, birds, butterflies of different colors.
In this same parish is Yasuní Land, in Orellana, a nature and adventure park, which opens its doors every day from 09:00 to 17:00; allows the visitor to know the diversity of mammals, amphibians, reptiles, trees, shrubs and climbing plants.
About the Yasuní National Park. Mauro Yumbo, tour guide of the majestic protected area reaffirms his commitment to tourism and conservation: "Our mission is to protect and save the jungle, we even socialize the nearby communities to work to protect the environment, that's why we welcome the tourists we accompany them throughout the journey indicating the good sense or conservative spirit that should be had from home by water and air so that this does not affect the scarce flora and fauna of the country that only inhabits here, although it is a constant struggle knowing that there are large oil companies that attack this habitat.” (I)
More wonder scenarios
Orellana it's nature. There is more. The Jatuncocha Lagoon, located in the Yasuní parish, also known as the Laguna de los Espejos, has a large expanse of water, while in the center there is an islet of mainland. Over time it has turned out to have great tourist potential due to its location within the National Park.
Orellana, wide in its natural landscapes, is typical for community tourism centers, including the Sacha Ñampi Ecolodge Yasuní Reserve, located on the banks of the Napo River, Kichwa de Alta Florencia commune, Nuevo Rocafuerte parish, Aguarico canton. It is at a distance of 292 km from the city of El Coca and 15 minutes from the town of Nuevo Rocafuerte and stands out for its warm and friendly accommodation. For this reason, Orellana is nature.
“We have packages with a complete tour from $430 and others with offers depending on the groups that book. Our reserve stands out for its accommodation in private ecological cabins, a restaurant, a hut for spiritual events, a reception and a wooden dining room that connects all the cabins, it also includes express ground transportation, river transportation, food, lodging, and a community guide,” Yelsin Alvarado, representative of the Sacha Ñampi reserve.
In the Joya de los Sachas canton, San Pedro parish, is the Lago San Pedro community tourist center, surrounded by nature. Its journey from Francisco de Orellana to the Joya de los Sachas canton, is 45 minutes, from there another service bus will be taken to arrive in 35 minutes. Tourists will be able to stay for a price of $25 per night and person and enjoy a peaceful tour along the trail or along the lake, canoeing, sport fishing, local food and even fruit drinks or cane juice.
If you want to be part of this great natural adventure, you can also consider the Yaku Warmi Community Tourism Center. You take a boat from the Coca pier and navigate down the Napo River for six hours until you reach the mouth of the Aguarico River, where you navigate upstream until you reach the heart of the Cuyabeno Faunal Reserve.
Agusto Coquinche, administrator of Yaku Warmi, says that the recreation center has become the ideal destination for tourists. They offer walks along the green trails, visits to the macaw salt pans, observation of dolphins and alligators, canoeing in lagoons, sport fishing and cultural coexistence with the Kichwa community of Martinique. It has a lodging service, a private bathroom with an added bonus in the friendly recycling system with ecological toilets and a restaurant at a price of $5 per person per night. In short, Orellana is nature.
