Puyo - Pastaza - Ecuador

It is an Ecuadorian city; is the cantonal head of the Pastaza Canton and capital of the Province of Pastaza. The city is the economic center of the province, and one of the main ones of the Amazonian Region of Ecuador.

The city of Puyo known as "Heart of the Amazon" is the largest Canton in the country with 9800 square kilometers. It has become the most touristy Canton of the Amazon. Puyo is known as a commercial place. Activity on the streets starts very early and ends almost at midnight. The main roads are full of stores of all kinds. The landscape and the natural beauty of the charms of Pastaza, offer the best options to visitors and scientists who wish to know the impressive vegetation, fauna, immense rivers, waterfalls and other fascinating places of the east of Ecuador.

The name of the city is because it is located on the banks of the Puyo River. In turn, Puyo comes from the word puyu which means haze in Quichua. Located on the outer flanks of the eastern cordillera of the Andes, in the Amazon Region of Ecuador, in the west of the province of Pastaza; approximately one hour from Baños along a very good quality road. It is located at 924 m. above sea level, at a latitude of 0 ° 59 '-1 "S and a longitude of 77 ° 49' 0" W. Puyo is a small city that in recent years has significantly increased its tourist offer with special emphasis on the ecological and adventure activities. It has a great hydrological richness to its surroundings, besides the Puyo River runs east of the city.

History Cantón Puyo

The city of Puyo was founded on May 12, 2023 by the Spanish explorer, Fray Álvaro Valladares. Here there was an intense process of colonization and conversion to Christianity of its native inhabitants leading to many original ethnic groups extinction or merger with other majorities. The production of rubber, the fruit of sugar cane and naranjilla have marked the development of this city through history, not forgetting logging.

Clima Canton Puyo

It has a hot and humid climate. Its average temperature is 23 degrees Celsius. The rains are mild but frequent. It is a tropical rainy climatic zone, the temperature varies between 18 ° and 33 ° C. due to its altitude (924 m) and its location in the Ecuadorian Amazon.

Flora Cantón Puyo

Agricultural production is typical of subtropical and tropical climate: Naranjilla, sweet potato, yucca, lemon, tangerine, coffee, sugar cane, corn. The rich variety of afforestation is great, due to its humid zone, among the main ones are: cedar, cinnamon, laurel, mahogany, wood, furniture making and joinery.

Fauna Cantón Puyo

It can be seen; mountain guans, partridges, blue-headed parrots, cutupaccchus, turtle doves, tanagers, hummingbirds, eagles, butterflies of the genus Morpho, mammals like; tigrillo, sahino, deer, armadillo, guanta, guatusa, raposa, reptiles; Boa, pitalala, chonta and motolo.

Economic development Canton Puyo

The main activity of the Pastaza canton is agriculture and livestock, plywood, tea, liquors and handicrafts and what stands out is tourism. The city is the largest economic and commercial center of the Province of Pastaza. It houses large financial and commercial organizations in the country. Its economy is based on trade, tourism and agriculture.

Gastronomy Canton Puyo

The culinary culture of Puyo forms a colorful variety of foods influenced by its own Amazonian roots as well as internal immigration. In Puyo you can enjoy the most varied typical foods of the jungle. Your kitchen is well supplied by the natural factor in situ, for example, fishing is very high in the lower jungle because of the amount of nutrients in the rivers and lagoons. In the immense variety, highlights the paiche, the second largest freshwater fish (can weigh up to 180 kilos and measure up to 3 meters long).

The typical dishes of the city are:

1. Ceviche tumbler
2. Tilapia Maito
3. Maito de carachama
4. Maito de cachama
5. Dry of guanta
6. Pincho de chontacuro
7. Chicha de chonta
8. Yucca Chicha
9. Chicha chewed from yucca
10. Guayusa
11. Ayahuasca

Culture Cantón Puyo

Puyo has an energetic, particular, complex and diverse culture, with an overflowing and busy contemporary life. Despite urban cosmopolitanism, the Amazon greatly influences the city. It is considered a cultural center that summarizes the cultural expressions of the Ecuadorian Amazon, because the Passozian forests are the cradle of 7 indigenous nationalities of the Amazonian Region of Ecuador: the Quichuas of the Amazon, the Andoans, the Zaparas, the Huoranis, the Achuar, the Shiwiar and the Shuar. The city also gathers a great amount of customs and traditions that have been maintained considerably through the years, among them its festivities, culinary, artisanal, painting, architecture and the mythology of the Amazon.

Canton Puyo Tourism

Tourism in one of the most vital industries of Puyo and, in recent years, is constantly changing. The city has a growing reputation as a tourist destination because of its location in the middle of the Amazon rainforest, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Over the years, Puyo has increased its tourist offer; Currently, the tourism index grew thanks to the tourist campaign undertaken by the national government, "All you need is Ecuador". The tourism of the city focuses on its natural beauty, interculturality, gastronomy, and adventure sports.

As for ecological tourism, the city has spacious green areas, and most of the forests and nearby attractions are under its jurisdiction.

The tourism of the city is intimately related to the rest of the canton; the main attraction of the canton is nature, endowed with a high biodiversity. In the area you can visit the different waterfalls, try the marshmallows (sweets made from sugar cane), there are varieties of handicrafts made in raft and tagua made in other places and resold in this town. Over the years it has continued with its commercial tradition, and currently in a fundamentally economic process, bets on tourism, reflected in the changes in the decoration of the city. The most outstanding tourist destinations are:

Tourist tour of the Puyo River

It is one of the most important attractions of the city; considered a popular spa, where there is a large number of people swimming, delighting in the landscape and especially the humid and hot climate it offers; It is also an excellent site for photo shoots of the site and several pools are also present with deep pools for sports activities. The full tour of the tour takes almost an hour, here you have the opportunity to cross two suspension bridges and some bridges made of wood. It is a trail of 2.5 km. in which the rivers of the two rivers are crossed, where a great diversity of vegetal species exists between which the herbaceous plants stand out as well as acacias, bromelias, orchids, palms, etc. There are also guatines, agoutis, armadillos, lizards, frogs, toads and snakes such as chonta caspi, coral, blind snake, etc.

Botanical Park "Las Orquídeas" in Puyo

It is the product of an idea originated in 1980. It is located on the Macas road, detour to San Jacinto in the "Los Ángeles" neighborhood. It has 6.75 hectares, where they live: 300 species of orchids, 30 introduced species, 38 varieties of heliconias, 70 varieties of bromeliads, etc .; since 1980 the forest has been regenerated and has led to the growth of species such as: laurel, aguano (sp. in extinction), white cedar, sandi, chuncho, huambulo, canelo, jatuncholo, buoy stick, achotillo, raft, coffee field, ceibo, cotton, tucuta, rubber, palo cruz, wild zapote, bayberry, toad leather, ax cape, ornamental oak, fine moral, red oak, rosé oak, etc. There is a variety of insects such as: chinches, cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, beetles and butterflies; there are also turtles and land snails, and fish such as: tilapia, cachamas and carps.

Morete Puyu Water Park in puyo

It was built in 2004, by the municipality, with the aim of promoting tourism. It is located on Calle Teniente Hugo Ortiz behind the Terminal Terrestre. It has capacity for 3,000 people and its attractions are the wave pool, and the highest slides in the country, the sauna, Turkish bath, hydromassage, semi-olympic pool, diving pool, tennis courts, basketball, soccer, volleyball and green areas . It also has a receptions center with capacity for 300 people.

Royal Exotic Bird Park in Puyo

It is km. 1 of the route Puyo - Macas, in the Barrio la Unión, behind the Church. It sits on one hectare of land and houses almost 500 birds from around the world, such as Asian pheasants, ostriches, peacocks, unicorn birds, 25 types of hens, 20 pigeons, ducks and parrots. They also have local birds such as parrots, macaws, toucans, etc.

The cathedral church and the central park "May 12" in Puyo

They have an undoubted historical value, since from here the city has been expanding, in addition in the park the Monument to the Heroes of the Cenepa War is located.

Boardwalk Boayacu Puyu

It is located east of the city on the banks of the Puyo River; traveling a large part of the course of the river as it passes through the city. It begins to the northeast with a viewpoint, which has a splendid view of the city and its surroundings, getting to see even, on clear days, the Sangay and Altar volcanoes. On the other side of the viewpoint you can see the Puyo river. At the foot of the viewpoint is the entrance to the touristic tour of the Pambay and Puyo rivers, and there are also restaurants in the place where the typical dish of the city is offered: the ceviche volquetero. Following the boardwalk is the monument to women of the 7 nationalities.10

Indigenous Center Ñucanchi Allpa in Puyo

It is an association formed by people of different nationalities (Quichua, Shuar, Huaorani, Zápara, Achuar, Shiwiar and Andoa). The tourist attraction consists of a hut where many handicrafts and typical foods are offered, also indigenous dances and shamanic cures to the public are performed.

Ecopark Hosteria Monte Selva in Puyo

It has been the tourist attraction of Pastaza for 12 years. It has a forest reserve of 16 hectares, next to the main road of Puyo - Shell - Baños. It started as a spa famous for its orchid-shaped pool. Its gastronomic offer exceeds more than 30 specialties, from coastal food, roasts and Amazonian delicacies. It has panoramic Suites from which you can see the beautiful Amazonian landscapes, in the middle of comfort with 3-seater beds, cable TV, hot water and high-speed Wi-Fi. Their proposal of lodging is very different from the preconceived one of the Amazonia of huts with straw roofs and wooden walls. Currently, it is the tourist enterprise that most encourages national tourists to come to Pastaza and experience the Amazon, in the midst of comfort and convenience.