The North Star Project, 2013-2014 Report Number Twenty-Two — The Amazon and Yasuní National Park by Zach Friederichs

The North Star Project, 2013-2014 Report Number Twenty-Two — The Amazon and Yasuní National Park by Zach Friederichs

Ecuador is one of the most diverse countries that I have ever traveled to. Although it is one of smaller countries in South America and comparable in size to the state of Wyoming with an area of around 283,000 km¬¬¬2, it contains a wide variety of terrain as well as plant and animal life. It is composed of four major regions from the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, western coastal area, the central mountainous sierra, and the forest-filled orient to the eastern border. Fortunately, I was privileged enough to make it out east with my class recently and got to spend a few days in the Amazon rainforest.

We took a 250km flight out of Quito very early in the morning to arrive not but 30 minutes later in the small town…