Finding a Rainforest Guide in Ecuador
One of the most vital things any group needs in the rainforest is a guide. It is crucial to find a guide that is knowledgeable and safe. Both our outdated Lonely Planet guide book, and flyers in Quito had recommended Whymper Torres as a great guide to choose. We also spent some time looking through travelogues submitted at the South American Explores Club in Quito, which is where we got the idea to go to Coca in the first place.
Other possible entry points into the rainforest include Lago Agrio, which is the most remote, and Misahuall�, which is the closest and most touristed. Travelers have the option of booking a tour that begins in Quito, which essentially means the transportation is included, or traveling first to the entry point and then booking the tour. While in Quito, we called the number for Wimper Torres and were told the best way to get a tour with him was to go to Coca and inquire after him. The risk involved in this method is that the guide may not be available when you want to go.
Visit the rainforest to see many different types of vegetation
It is also best if the group taking the tour is at least four people, and not more than six. With at least four to six people, the cost is significantly reduced, and the size provides a level of comfort while still providing an adventureous feeling. With more than six people, the experience can become watered down, and something short of exotic.
We did not plan ahead since there were only three of us, but we met two Japanese travelers on the bus to Coca who agreed to join us, giving us a perfect five. Once we arrived, we inquired at the Hotel Auca as to how to locate Wimper Torres. It was early in the morning, but they called his home and his wife informed us that he would come by the hotel later that day.
When we returned to the hotel, Wimper was waiting for us. We went to his house to look at a map and discuss specifics. The house was quite nice, with a television and plumbing�it was obvious that being a guide for tourists could be quite lucrative. He doesn't speak any English so we got a chance to further practice our Spanish skills. He has dealt with a lot of tourists, so even though he doesn't speak English it was easy to communicate. He, like most in Ecuador, speaks slowly and he uses simple grammar and vocabulary.
He explained our options and we decided on a three day tour into the rainforest. It is possible to customize the length and activities of your tour with Wimper. He runs the business himself and doesn't work for a large corporation whose only concern is to make money. He wanted to charge us 40 USD a day, but we negotiated him down to 30 USD a day.
The price includes everything - boots, mosquito netting, blankets, food, lodging, travel, and a native knowledge of the environment. He had to buy the food and supplies for the trip, so we arranged to leave the next morning. In the morning, we met at the hotel and went to "La Oficina del Comandante" (Regional Army Commander's Office), as the government requires all tour guides to get official permission to take tourists into the rainforest. The fee was 25 USD which was covered by our daily cost. We had to leave our passports with them, which was somewhat disconcerting, but we weren't given a choice.
Transportation and Clothing in the Rainforest
The dock in Coca consists of one large concrete ramp that leads into the water, and many men were busy loading and unloading things from all different kinds of boats ranging from canoes to small passenger liners. There were large tour groups of twenty people loading onto the bigger boats to head up the R�o Napo which headed east into the rainforest and eventually becomes a tributary of the mighty Amazon. In contrast, we precariously loaded everything into an eleven-meter outboard canoe including a propane tank, our small packs and ourselves.
Aboard
the canoe during a downpour.
From left to right are: Shinsuke, Wimper, Irwin, Dan
We sat in twos with Wimper at the rudder and his nephew Irwin at the fore. We pushed out toward the middle of the very wide river (approximately 400 meters across), and headed upstream, with the spray of the water mixing with a torrential downpour, soaking us from head to toe. Our high-tech, expensive Helly-Hanson and North Face GoreTex parkas were useless after about an hour, as were our hiking boots, which remained soaked until we were back in Quito. Once we were in the rainforest, we used rubber hip boots called "botas" which were much better suited to the weather and terrain.
Wimper and Irwin were much better prepared as they had a large sheet of plastic which they cut up to put over themselves, and were barefoot. We quickly adopted these simpler, yet more efficient methods. The rain was so thick that we couldn't even see the banks of the river on our trip upstream. On the return trip, though, the weather was quite pleasant, and we had the opportunity to see mile after mile of forested river banks dotted with small thatched huts and clear cut land for cattle grazing.
One of the islands in the Napo River
The river was also filled with many navigational hazards such as sandbars, trees and other debris, but Wimper was very experienced with this particular stretch of the river. About 5 hours upstream, we turned off into a complex network of lagoon waterways, not easily navigated. The canals were at the most 15 feet across and often much narrower, bordered on both sides by dense green forest, crawling vines and misshapen trees. The vegetation reduced the downpoar to a slight drizzle, and a couple hours later we arrived at what would be our home base.
Turning off the Napo River into the lagoon waterways
Ecuador
Rainforest 
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