Practical Information for visiting Oriente & Amazon

Coverage for mobile networks reaches the towns — Tena, Puyo, Coca, Lago Agrio — with 4G, and follows the oil roads some distance.

Deep in the forest there is no signal at all. The Yasuni and Cuyabeno lodges are out of range, and many use satellite or radio for their own communications only. Expect to be offline for the length of your stay, and tell people at home before you go.

Some lodges offer limited satellite Wi-Fi in a common area, often paid and slow.

Ecuadorian SIM cards from Claro or Movistar are cheap and easy to obtain with a passport.

Power at lodges is frequently generator-based with fixed hours, or solar; bring a power bank and charge when you can.

The Amazon lodges are safe and well run, and the risks here are environmental and medical rather than criminal — with one geographic exception.

• The northern border area near Colombia, around Lago Agrio and San Lorenzo, has an ongoing security problem from armed groups and trafficking. Many governments advise against travel to the border strip. Cuyabeno lodges operate away from it, but check current advice.
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• Rivers: strong currents, submerged logs and rapid level changes. Wear the lifejacket in the canoe.
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• Getting lost is genuinely easy and genuinely serious. Never walk into forest without a guide.
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• Snakes, wasps and ants: watch where you put your hands and feet, and wear the boots provided.
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• Heat and humidity cause more problems than anything with teeth.
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• Petty theft in the frontier towns.

Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for the Ecuadorian Amazon and may be required for onward travel; carry the certificate.

Malaria is present at low levels in the lowlands, and dengue is more common. Prophylaxis is worth discussing with a travel clinic, and repellent with DEET, long sleeves at dusk and a treated net matter more.

Other vaccinations: routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid, and rabies for longer stays.

Medical facilities are far away. Lodges have first aid and radio contact; anything serious means hours by canoe and then a flight. Insurance with evacuation cover is essential.

Water: drink only what the lodge provides as treated or bottled.

Heat and humidity: drink far more than you think you need.

Fungal infections and infected insect bites are the commonest complaints; keep cuts clean and dry.

Ask before photographing people. This matters particularly in indigenous communities, where cameras have a long and unhappy history. Some communities charge, which is reasonable; accept a refusal without argument.

Follow your guide absolutely on forest walks and river trips. This is a safety rule rather than a courtesy.

Ayahuasca: if you pursue it, do so only with a practitioner vouched for by the community, never on a casual basis, and be honest about medication you take — some combinations are dangerous.

Gifts: sweets and money to children create problems. Ask the lodge what is useful if you want to contribute.

Dress modestly in communities; swimwear is for the river.

Do not buy souvenirs made from wildlife — feathers, teeth, skins — which is illegal and drives hunting.

Emergency number: 911 nationally in Ecuador, though it depends on having signal, which in much of this region you will not have.

At a lodge, the staff are your emergency service. They carry first aid, have radio or satellite contact, and know the evacuation route. Tell them about medical conditions and medication when you arrive rather than when something happens.

Evacuation from deep forest means canoe to the nearest airstrip and then a flight — count on many hours in the best case. Insurance must cover it.

Hospitals are in Coca, Tena and Puyo for routine problems; serious cases go to Quito.

River levels can delay departures; build a spare day before an international flight.

Consular help is in Quito.