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An update from Evaneos
Coca

Coca (Ecuador)

Practical information about Coca

  • Encounters with locals
  • Nature Reserve / Wildlife Observation / Safari
  • Port
  • River
  • Sustainable Tourism
3 / 5 - One review
How to get there
A 6 hour bus ride from Quito
When to go
Avoid the rainy season
Minimum stay
Less than a day

Reviews of Coca

Julie Olagnol Travel writer
91 travel articles

Along with Lago Agrio and Tena/Puerto Misahualli, Coca is the main entry point into the Ecuadorian part of the Amazon.

My suggestion:
It's called Coca because the local poplulation chew coca leaves. If you can, I recommend that you try out this custom during while you're on holiday in Ecuador.
Summary:

Unlike Puerto Misahualli, which has a certain charm as a holiday village, Coca is a town spoiled by the oil industry, the airport, traffic and deforestation etc. It is, however, an obligatory stopping point for tourists visiting the Amazon. Most people stay just one night before heading off to their lodge in a dugout canoe or on their trip into the Amazon rainforest.

I went to Coca on my way the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, to the north. You also have to go via Coca to visit the Yasuni National Park, to the south. These are two beautiful places where you can see animals in their natural environment.

The town of Coca doesn't offer anything in particular to make it worth staying there but the surrounding area is really very nice. Make sure that you book with a travel agent that puts income from tourism back into the indigenous communities.

In a Quechua community near Coca