Our last full day in Ecuador was spent on Isla de la Plata, a small island around an hours boat ride outside of Puerto Lopez, and home to blue-footed boobies. When we arrived to the island, we saw sea turtles swimming right next to the boat. The captain threw some watermelon to keep them close…

Our time spent with the Waorani nation was by far my favorite part of this entire experience. We left early in the morning as we had a 90 minute bus ride and 6-hour canoe ride through the Amazon Rainforest ahead of us. We were lucky enough to have slightly overcast weather for the majority of the…

We started our fourth day by climbing to an altitude of over 13,000 feet to visit Parque Nacional Cayambe-Coca. The ride to the hiking path was stunning. We learned about the unique aspects of the páramo, or the primary ecosystem found in the Andes. After driving through clouds and passing through multiple spectacled bear crossings,…

After an 8 hour flight and enduring the grueling effects of altitude sickness, I wanted nothing more than to pass out in our stunning 17th century hotel, but the streets of historic Quito insisted that I explore them. We headed out for dinner shortly after checking in, passing through the endless winding streets of Quito,…