QUITO - It’s 3 a.m. — touch down at last! The first thing I notice when I step out of Quito’s airport is that the air is remarkably crisp. It’s a certain kind of crisp that leaves you feeling invigorated — this is what you get when you’re standing 2,850 metres above sea lev- el.

OTAVALO, ECUADOR - This Latin America beauty is so much more than the Galapagos and Quito. Though both these destinations are bucket list-worthy, I chose instead to explore a region two hours north of the capital city in the Andean province of Imbabura.

YASUNÌ NATIONAL PARK, ECUADOR - The Ecuadorian leafcutter ants are bustling along the highway at our feet, like Friday evening rush-hour traffic on a one-lane highway home.

NAPO RIVER BASIN, ECUADOR - After three long hot hours paddling up the Napo River, the last hour of which was in small canoes manned by local villagers, Jiovanny Rivadeneira beams like a proud papa as his pride and joy comes into view.

TENA, ECUADOR - Civilization, at least as we know it, gradually vanishes as our little pickup takes us deeper into the Ecuadoran jungle. The small truck bounces from one pothole to another along a slippery trail that’s barely as wide as the vehicle.

QUITO, ECUADOR - After receiving yellow fever, typhoid, tetanus and Hepatitis A shots, going on malaria tablets, purchasing a mosquito net for my face, buying insect repellent with deet and quizzing anyone who has travelled within 800 kilometres of the Amazon rain forest, I was ready for my ensuing adventure.