We had four amazing days at Napo, one day our guide using scopes to show us birds and monkeys from the Lodge observation tower, another day paddling and walking to a different canopy tower with many storeys of steps winding up to a solid tree platform. (Jane triumphed over her vertigo.) We spied curious examples of the harshness of nature, including death by mushroom of a cricket, as the spores attach and gradually grow and consume the host body. The leaf litte...

We flew into Coca on the edge of the Amazon, and got on a large, motorized, covered canoe for a scenic two-hour trip down the Napo River, packed lunch provided. We passed barges with machinery for the oil wells, a sobering view. The open sided, single seat boat was great as we zipped up the huge river, swerving often to avoid trees and debris in the stormy waters! The clouds threatened and just as the plastic sides were rolled down, in came the rain, soaking the ...

Ted wrote: 'The boat trip was pretty rough and we were doing a major repack so we both got a bit squiffy in the tummy so I in particular didn't have too many of the lovely giant prawns that were on offer for the final dinner. We got to bed after 10 pm and this morning it was a 5am wake up call. Bags outside the cabin door at 5.10 and breakfast and then we were in the zodiacs and on the wharf by 6am. Bus to airport included over an hour looking at giant tortois...

Morning visit to El Barranco, Genovesa Island. We had chosen to have this island included in our itinerary especially to see the red footed boobies, and we weren't disappointed. The white Nazca boobies were also beautiful to see. The island is volcanic and barren of colour, the vegetation mainly grey, so the red feet of the boobies, and also the white Nazcas, is in marked contrast to their surroundings. The large but still fluffy albatross chicks/ fledglings spi...

Morning tour to Black Turtle Cove, Santa Cruz Island. Black Turtle Cove is a mangrove swamp on the north shore of Santa Cruz Island. The boat anchored at the entrance to the cove and we went in on the two pangas - a wonderfully quiet way to spy schools of rays, white-tipped sharks and green sea turtles as well as herons and lava gulls. We had some lovely displays from blue footed boobies, posing for us on nearby rocks as we floated close to them on the panga boa...