Hiking in Orellana: Top Outdoor Adventures Awaiting You

Located on the remote eastern side of the Andes Mountains, Orellana is home to a wealth of hiking tours. Part of its beauty is the difficulty of getting here.

You will need to fly into Quito first before transferring to the local airport in the province’s capital. Take some time to explore the historic city of Quito before you come.

Once you make it over the mountains, there are a few options awaiting you. Among the most popular are heading to Sumaco Volcano. The trip takes about a week and requires hiking through various types of forest – among them cloud and bamboo – as well as ridgelines, before ascending to the top of the 3.826-meter high summit.

The famed Condor Trek, which takes three or four days, is also easily accessed from the province. After leaving from the city of Papallacta, which sits on the border with the Napo Province, hikes will pass by fields, through forests, up mountain ridges and to 4.000 meter summits, taking in the immense biodiversity and amazing views as they go. It’s a difficult trek, but well worth the effort.

Stunning scenery

Running through the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes as well as the western reaches of the Amazon Rainforest, Orellana province is a stunning place to visit. Enjoy amazing walks through incredibly green valleys, hike through the diverse vegetation of the thick rainforest and enjoy hikes up onto ridgelines that yield views out over snow-capped mountains and volcanoes.

** Wondrous wildlife**

In spite of its small size, Ecuador is considered one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet. This is gue3 to the various terrains and the Amazon Rainforest. Any hiking trip here yields opportunities, however small, to see amazing and rare wildlife such as jaguars, pumas, spectacled bears, monkeys, hundreds of species of birds and reptiles. Overall, more than 800 species call this province home.

Get off the beaten path

Part of what allows this stunning scenery to remain in tact and all this biodiversity to flourish is how incredibly remote Orellana is. Sitting on the eastern side of the Andes means that very few people live here and much of the area has not been industrialized. This means that you can wonder for days through this wilderness and not come across another person. Mobile reception also isn’t great, which means there’s nothing to distract you from nature.

In Orellana, temperatures remain constant throughout the year, averaging about 25 ºC. While rain is frequent throughout the year, August to March tends to be a bit drier, with August receiving the least amount of rainfall.

Any trip to Orellana will begin with a flight into the international airport in Quito (UIO). From here, you can transfer to the local airport in Puerto Francisco de Orellana (OCC). Some guides will opt to meet you in Quito and provide transport to the start of the trip.

Spanish

+593

US dollar

August to March