“The Avenue of the Volcanoes” baptized by the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt, extends 600 km from the North (Ibarra) to the South (Cuenca) and numbers over 30 different volcanoes, among which 12 peaks over 5000m.

The Ecuadorian Andes are divided into three areas:

• the Eastern (or Royal) Cordillera can be found at an average distance of 60 km from the Western Cordillera. The average altitude is 4100 meters.
• the Intermountain Cordillera counts many valleys at about 2100 – 2750 meters in elevation.
• the Western Cordillera, lower and narrower, with an average altitude of 4000 meters. Mount Chimborazo is located here and is the furthest point from the centre of the Earth with an altitude of 6310 meters. The highest active volcano in the world, Mount Cotopaxi with an altitude of 5897 meters is also located in this region.

It is a mysterious and exotic place where lagoons and swamps abound with more than 600 various fish species including piranhas, and more than 250 amphibians and reptiles, for instance anacondas and caimans. The Amazon rainforest is also the habitat of numerous mammals such as pink river dolphins, armadillos, monkeys, tapirs, anteaters, and a wide variety of birds: sloths, toucans, parrots, macaws, and humming birds.

The area is also home to a number of indigenous groups: Sionas, Secoyas, Cofanes, Huaoranis, Quichuas, Shuars, and the Achuars . They live in harmony with the environment in an effort to keep their ancestral traditions and culture alive.