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5 Essential Tips To Avoid Mosquito Bites in the Amazon
On my recent trip to Ecuador's Amazon, I was extremely fortunate to walk away without a single mosquito bite. Yes, I'm shaking my head in disbelief as well. It seems unlikely that anyone would be able to avoid mosquitos in the rainforests of the Amazon. Especially as...
Our New Logo Reflects More Than The Sun
Designing a new logo comes with levels of excitement and fear, sort of like standing on the edge of a diving board and looking down into the turquoise blue water of the deep end of the pool. The question at this point is if I will be successful, breaking into the...
Hiking The Trails at Laguna Mica
hile Laguna Mica may not physically be far from the hustle and bustle of the capital city Quito, a visit to the shores of this high altitude lake transports visitors to a different world, one where white-tailed deer and Andean Condors...
The Strange and Spectacular Andean Cock-of-the-Rock
In the pre-dawn morning on a muddy backroad that eventually leads to Mindo, we found our guide, Angel Paz, waiting in the dark. We were off to see the famous Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the West Slope sub-species. This strange-looking bird is a bright scarlet red, with...
Hosteria Guaytara: Gateway To The High Paramo
nprompted, our waiter Jorge served us a hot, fruity canelazo with a splash of puntas to help take away the chill that comes with sundown in the high paramo of Ecuador. He explained that puntas is local white-lightning, a liquor made from...
Great Photos of Puerto Napo in the Amazon Basin
hen most travelers start researching trips to the Rio Napo in the Amazon Basin of Ecuador, they find a list of very expensive lodges accessible only by plane or by boat. But the Oriente of Ecuador is full of small, local communities wedged in...
Best Shots of the Ecuadorian East Slope
These photos from the Ecuadorian East Slope of the Andes were taken in a single province, the Napo. This diverse region includes parts of the high Andes, including the spa town of Papallacta and a large part of the Antisanilla Conservation Reserve, as well as parts of...
The Best Ecuadorian Ice Cream – Helado de Paila
The famous Helado de Paila of Ecuador is for sale in the DMV (that's DC, Maryland, and Virginia for my non-beltway readers!). Your first question is probably, "What is Helado de Paila?" Literally, it means "ice cream from a pot" but that translation is a poor...
The Chakana Reserve: Condors & More
The Chakana Reserve (formerly known as the Antisanilla Reserve), was born in 2014, when the Jocotoco Foundation purchased land to protect essential high altitude habitat bridging Cayambe-Coca National Park and the Antisana Conservation Area. Access to the 7,000 acre...
Best Photos from Loja and Vilcabamba
The Loja Province in Southern Ecuador deserves far more than the single weekend I had to explore. In fact, my short visit to this area just whet my appetite for more. I stayed in the province capital, also called Loja, to more easily enjoy the historic center. This is...