hello, i am looking at traveling to ecuador in jan with my husband and 4 yr old boy. i am wondering how a toddler would do on a jungle tour and what one may be good. we do want to see lots of animals , not just bugs and birds. but i dont think he could do hours in a boat to get there. we are also thinking of a 3 day 2 nights in case its not his thing. we are also hoping for a place that does not have loads of walking to do each day. he can do 4 km no problem right now and he is 3, but we can not expect him to do hours of walking each day. is there any place out there that could work for us? thanks
1
mstep
I think your hopes for the Amazon region are a bit high. It is possible to see larger animals in Ecuador, but mainly only at more remote places accessible with longer boat trips. Maybe you should just do a short tour in the Cuyabeno region. That's the first place any Ecuador travel agency will try to sell you. And some of the lodges there are kind of dodgy. But you can see animals there depending on the season, because when the water is higher, animals get trapped on islands.
2
anonymous
Yellow fever is endemic in much of the Amazon basin, as is Malaria. Are you sure that is somewhere you want to take a small infant?
3
sherylb
thanks for the answer. what sort of animals could we expect to see in the Cuyabeno region in late January. from what i have read about most of the lodges in ecuador they do not require yellow fever or Malaria pills. is that true in this area? are there any places you could recommend for a 3 day 2 night tour that is not crazy price. i am also wondering if the over night buses are actually "overnight" buses with the good reclining seats for long distances. thanks
4
misqui
Please check with a knowledgeable doctor with experience in tropical medicine to be sure your son has all necessary vaccinations and pills. There IS yellow fever and malaria in the Ecuadorian Amazon. I would not take a 4 year old, IMO. Galapagos and high Andes maybe, but not the Amazon (and I've spent a lot of time there).
5
anonymous
Indeed. See a travel doctor. YF is endemic across the Amazon basin, it doesn't just stop at national borders. In addition to YF and malaria, there's also the issue of dengue, for which there is no prophylaxis.
6
jgcp
I know in Australia if you go to a county which has Yellow Fever and you return home you are asked to produce a Yellow Fever Certificate if you go to areas in that country which has Yellow Fever and if you haven't had the injection you are put in Quarantine until given the all clear. The same might apply from the country you are returning to. The Yellow Fever injection is good for ten years and most people have no ill effects from it. If you are allergic to eggs or pregnant you can't have it. However if you cover up and use a tropical strength mosquito repellent you are unlikely to be bitten and get malaria, yellow fever or dengue fever which can also be got from mosquitos which apparently bite during the day. If I were you I would weigh up the risks before venturing into these areas.
7
anonymous
Actually,. that's not correct. Failure to produce evidence of vaccination does not lead to being quarantined, at least in the case of Australia, nor can border security deny entry. Border security officials are empowered to inform the person about the dangers of YF and the desirability of having the vaccination but they can only detain someone who is suspected of having the disease.
All of this is beside the point. Yellow fever is a potentially fatal disease and the sensible options are to be vaccinated if visiting an area where the disease is endemic or to avoid travelling there.
8
jgcp
Several years ago at Sydney Airport we saw someone being taken away by quarantine officials when they admitted to having been in a Yellow Fever area and hadn't had the vaccination so maybe they do tests before letting you go. I don't know but they were taken away to a quarantine area. They were in the line just in front of us and fortunately we had the certificates to prove we had been vaccinated. I don't know if Yellow Fever is contagious or not though. I would also be very worried about Dengue Fever and young children like the elderly are more likely to have worse effects than say a healthy adult or older child.
9
anonymous
For future reference:
"If you are arriving in Australia from a yellow fever declared country but do not hold a vaccination certificate you will still be permitted to enter Australia without one. On arrival in Australia, Department of Agriculture, Biosecurity officers will reinforce the seriousness of the disease to you and provide you with a Yellow Fever Action Card. The card provides instructions on what you should do if you develop any symptoms of yellow fever in the six-day period following your departure from a yellow fever declared country."
Always worth knowing the relevant regulations.
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