Adventure travel Ecuador is another Unique South America Travel Experience...
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR...
A Menu That Caters
To Every Taste
Galapagos Diving - © Teresa Subi
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR:
SCUBA DIVING
Galapagos islands is the best diving destination in Ecuador.
Together with Fernando de Noronha (Brazil), they provably are the top two diving destinations in South America and definitely ranking among the best in the world.
With more than 30 diving sites, Galapagos has a fantastic and friendly marine life.
You will dive in the company of sea lions, manta rays, sea turtles, penguins, hammerhead sharks and whale sharks, and hundreds of species of tropical fish.
Their fearlessness of intruders - due mainly to Galapagos history, remoteness and evolution throughout thousands of years - has made possible this absolutely unique interaction that you could hardly see anywhere in the world.
There are several authorized companies to operate in this fantastic marine sanctuary, whose services can be contracted as soon as you get to Quito.
When visiting Galapagos, please take notice and respect the Galapagos National Park Rules.
You can have two to three immersions a day and combine it with land excursions.
The best time of the year is November to April.
Please Note: Diving here is - with only few exceptions - only for experienced to intermediate divers.
To learn more about it, check Galapagos Diving Sites.
Rapelling Peguche - © Imbabura Tourism
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR:
WHITEWATER RAFTING AND KAYAKING
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It's hard to find a country in the world - if any - with more rivers per square mile than Ecuador.
So if you're a water sports fan, think no more, just go for it.
You'd love to paddle a dugout canoe in the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by the lushest forest you can think of, a symphony of birds, and monkeys jumping all over the place from one tree to the next.
On top of it, you'll be able to witness aboriginal life at its purest, going through their daily life as they have done it for centuries, on the banks of the Napo river and other Amazon river tributaries, in the legendary Amazon rainforest.
Try a canoe trip along the Tiputini or Yasuni rivers - you'll need an Indian guide for this.
The jungle town of Tena - around 5 hours from Quito - is where most trips start from.
A magical and unforgettable adventure.
Let's visit the Ecuadorian amazon and its people through this short video...
The Upper Napo river provides Class III whitewater rafting, and the best time of the year is from March to October.
Mitsahualli river instead, provides Class IV and IV+, and it's provably the most challenging experience in Ecuador today.
In the Andes or Highlands, whitewater rafting takes place mainly on Blanco river - Class III - and Toachi river - Class III and III+.
As you know, water level is what determines the fun and excitement of whitewater rafting.
You don't want it too high or too low, so check with locals and shop around for your best possible whitewater rafting experience.
To help you understand the river classification system, here is the International Scale of River Difficulty as defined by American Whitewater.
Whitewater Rafting - © Imbabura Tourism
Here is a list of rivers in Ecuador. Courtesy of RAFT.ORG...
- R. Toachi - III-IV (western slope, polluted)
- R. Blanco - III-IV (western slope, polluted)
- R. Misahualli, Upper - III+-IV (eastern slope, sometimes cr., continuous, kayak)
- R. Misahualli, Lower - IV-VI (eastern slope 2-12 kcfs, Paranoia - IV, Land of Giants - IV, Funnel - IV, Casanova - VI)
- R. Napo - III (eastern slope, near Tena town, 25 km, commercial runs, Jatun-Yaku Run - III)
- R. Hollin - IV-V (continuous III-IV, eastern slope, near Tena town, 55 km, 2-day, jungle/rain forest, Sumaco Falls - V, Cave Rapid - V)
- R. Jondachi - IV+-V (cr., 150 ft/mi gradient, continuous rapids, eastern slope, near Tena town, upper and lower sections)
- R. Quijos - III-IV+ (150 km, jungle, eastern slope, near Baeza town, IV first 30 km, great scenery, III and flatwater to takeout) * R. Papallacta - V (kayak, raft, 1 day, > 100 ft/mi gradient, near Baeza town, eastern slope)
- R. Cosanga Upper - III (1 day), Lower - IV (1 day) (near Baeza town, eastern slope)
- R. Ansu - II (continuous, long multi-day, near Tena town, eastern slope)
- R. Upano - III-IV (3-6 day trip, eastern slope, near Macas town, Valley of Sacred Waterfalls, dense jungle, Namangosa Gorge - IV )
- R. Topo - V (1 day, kayak, eastern slope)
- R. Pastaza - II-V (polluted, near Banos town, eastern slope)
- R. Aguarico
- R. Tigre
- R. Pastaza
- R. Santiago (Upano)
- R. Curaray
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR:
CLIMBING
The Avenue of the Volcanoes, flanked by the Andean ranges of the Eastern and Western Cordilleras, is the place to go for your Ecuador climbing experience.
To warm up and adjust to altitude levels, it's better to start ascending smaller mountains such as Pichincha, Imbabura or Iliniza Norte.
Then, you'll be able to leave the non-glaciated peaks and move into higher, glaciated peaks such as Cotopaxi, Cayambe, Tungurahua or Chimborazo.
For the most experienced mountaineers, Iliniza Sur, Antisana or El Altar, provide an interesting playground.
East of the Andes, in the cloud forest leading to the Amazon basin, you have peaks such as Sangay and Reventador.
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR:
HIKING AND TREKKING
Trekking throughout Ecuador's volcanic peaks, try the Ingapirca trek.
An old Inca trail that goes back to the days of the Inca civilization.
The most popular trek is provably the Trek of the Condor, passing through Antisana, Sincholagua and Cotopaxi volcanoes.
On the Eastern slopes of the Andes leading to the Amazon basin, there are several popular treks such as...
- Saraguro to 25 de mayo
- Atillo to Macas
- Oyacachi to El Chaco
On the Coastal side of the Andes, try the...
- Chugchilan to Pucayacu
- Lloa to Mindo
Puenting Lita- © Imbabura Tourism
ADVENTURE TRAVEL ECUADOR:
WHALE WATCHING
Every year, from June to October, the Humpback whale comes to the warm waters of Ecuador's Pacific coast to mate and reproduce.
To learn more about this, and other whale watching places in South America, refer to the whale watching page.
Enjoy adventure travel Ecuador, and please don't forget to get an appropriate Travelers Insurance before coming here to practice any sport...
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