Author Archives: jessms59

May 17, 2021 – Napo Wildlife Center (Author: J) When we left off, our second full day in the Amazon had been mostly rained out.  Because we had missed out on most of our wildlife-watching activities, our group voted to return to the clay licks the following day.  That meant another early wakeup.  We draggedContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 8”

May 15, 2021: Napo (Author: J) Another day at Napo, another early wake up.  The plan for the day was to visit two clay licks and the Kichwa Añangu community.  That required hitting the river as early as possible because we needed to paddle out to the welcome center and transfer to the larger motorizedContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 7”

May 14, 2021: Napo Wildlife Center (Author: J) Our first full day at Napo Wildlife Center was one of the best days we can remember having on any vacation.  The beautiful weather, great activities, and wonderful hospitality combined to create as close to perfect an experience as it is possible to have.  Our day beganContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 6”

May 13, 2021: Transfer to Napo Wildlife Center (Author: J) After a rough night of stomach trouble for two in our party, it was a relief to be able to check out of the Swissotel and head to the airport.  We made a quick stop at the restaurant so that I could have some yogurtContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 5”

May 12, 2021: Papallacata Hot Springs with Ecuador Best Tours (Author: J) On our final day in Quito before heading to the Amazon, we booked a tour to Papallacata Hot Springs (pronounced “Papa-Jacque-Ta” according to Luis) with Ecuador Best Tours.  I was worried about having too many early wakeups in a row, but we wereContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 4”

May 11, 2021: Antisana Reserve with Ecuador Best Tours (Author: J) On day 3 of our trip, no one woke up before the alarm, which we had set for 6 so that we could be downstairs for breakfast when it opened at 6:30.  We discovered that the early bird gets no hot food items atContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report Day 3”

May 10, 2021: Equator Tour with Happy Gringo (Author: J) The day after our flight, we did not have anything planned until the afternoon.  I assumed that, after our late arrival, we would want to sleep in.  Unfortunately, my body did not cooperate.  I was up before 7 and feeling a bit headachey given theContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report – Day 2”

May 9, 2021 (Author: J). I was able to use miles to book our flight to Ecuador on one of my favorite airlines: JetBlue.  Our flight left from Boston at 2 p.m. and had us arriving in Quito after 10 p.m.  This made for a long travel day, but everything went fairly smoothly. Although weContinue reading “Ecuador 2021: Trip Report – Day 1”

In May 2021, we took a family trip to mainland Ecuador. In this post, we provide an overview of that trip along with tips for visiting Ecuador and traveling during Covid-19. (Author: J). About The Trip This trip replaced a long-planned trip to Borneo that was originally scheduled for 2020, then rescheduled for 2021, and isContinue reading “Family Travel During Covid: Ecuador 2021”