The Amazon Rainforest

Yet Ecuador has so much more to offer. Only a half day travel down from the mountains into the eastern lowlands will leave you in the middle of one of the most breathtaking areas of the world: The Amazon rainforest.

There is no experience quite like that of the rainforest. Under each broad leaf lies a whole new world, including 25,000 species of birds, 3,500 kinds of orchids and countless varieties of insects. This is the area with the greatest bio-diversity in the entire planet. Millions of different kinds of plants call this ecosystem their home. Over 50 varieties of multicolored butterflies can be seen in their natural habitat, as well as special butterfly farms.Search the trees for the serpent and tarantulas. Or watch a monkey swing from branch to branch overhead and armadillos and ocelots also prowl the forest floor.

Visit a local indigenous community, many of whom are direct descendants of the Maya-Quiche culture of Central America. Learn some of the secrets of the Shamans whose traditions are very different from those of the herbal doctors of the Highlands.