Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Coca
P
uerto Francisco de Orellana is well described by
J
oe Kane in
Savages
(Vintage Books, 1996), an epic
fi
rst-hand account of his travels through Huaorani
t
erritory and their life-and-death struggle against
A
merican Oil Companies:
“The port of Coca sits on the north bank of the broad, brown Napo
River, in the very heart of the Oriente, which may well be the richest
biotic zone on the planet. But as I entered town for the first time,
bouncing on the back of a flatbed pickup, what I smelled most
strongly was rawpetroleum. Coca is ringed by oil wells, and every few
days its dirt streets are hosed down with waste crude. Oily mud
splashed across my clothes and pack. Down along the roadside, oil
had spattered chickens, mules, pigs, barefoot school children, and
peasants slip-sliding along on rickety bicycles. It even slopped up
onto the spanking-new four-wheel-drive trucks that now and then
came blasting down the road at breakneck speed.”
Although it has been several years since this publication, the capital
of the Orellana Province remains a less-than-wonderful place. It is a
small step up from its northern counterpart of Lago Agrio, both in
terms of tourism infrastructure and safety. Still, it's a messy place.
Nevertheless, Coca's location now allows for access and travel into
the remote stretches of the Lower Río Napo region.
Adventures
On Water
On water is how you can expect to spend most of your time exploring
the Oriente, especially once you travel beyond civilization and into
the deeper parts of the rainforest. Springing into the jungle from ei-
ther Coca or Lago Agrio, in fact, mandates travel bymotorized dugout
canoe, the primary mode of transportation for everyone. Trips to the
CuyabenoWildlife Reserve and the Lower Río Napo region, including
Yasuní National Park and other indigenous lands, all require travel
by water. If you are going to the more remote locations, be
sure you are prepared. Depending on the season and the
rains, the rivers can be mellow with a consistent blazing
equatorial sun, or they can swell after a cool tropical down-
pour. Nevertheless, these are your roadways and they are
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