We debated staying in Quito's historical center vs San Jorge Lodge, which is located about 15 minutes drive from the city center. We've decided that our young biologists will enjoy the outdoors a bit more. We didn't regret it, the lodge turned out to be gorgeous, empty, and located still within a short drive from the city. There was only one other couple staying at the lodge. The staff cooked for us and did a pretty good job, the food was simple and yummy. We just had to let them know half an hour beforehand. 

The room was really spacious, rustic style, with a lovely fireplace. I have to mention that the room was a bit chilly. 

Boo-boo note: There was a huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom, which didn't work. I was really bummed about it because it would be awesome for kids to play there in the evening.

Kids ran around the lodge birdwatching, searching for insects, and made friends with the lodge keeper's daughter who had a dog and a rabbit. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves and we recommend the lodge for families with kids.

The Middle of the World City is a large park built to tell the whole world the exact location of the equatorial line, where you can go from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere in just one move. It's a unique place and there is enough to see and enjoy a day here for both kids and adults. 

At an altitude of 10,800ft in the Andes mountains, around 40 mi east of Quito, lies the town of Papallacta, renowned for its geothermal hot springs. There are eight pools of varying size and temperature, warmed by geothermal energy. If you’re feeling brave, you can even jump in one of the cold water pools or take a dip in the nearby river. Needless to say that kids had a blast, and so did we! 

We found walking around Quito's Historical Center was easy and entertaining. A combination of cute shops with souvenirs - sweets - fun t-shirts - ice cream, gorgeous churches, and picturesque sunset streets made it a fun afternoon for the whole family. 

Our next stop was Sacha Lodge in the Ecuadorian Amazon. Getting there was a journey in itself. After a 25-minute flight from Quito to Coca, Sacha's crew met us in the airport, provided all the transportation, a quick lunch, and finally a two-hour trip speeding up the Napo River in a motorized canoe. We enjoyed every minute of that journey! 

The Lodge was incredible! Our family cabin was very spacious, luxurious, and comfortable. Two incredible guides were assigned to our family and spent the whole time with us. Each day we would have an early breakfast, morning activities, afternoon activities, and a night hike if we still had any energy left. Our morning trips were incredibly interesting and intense because early morning is the most active time in the jungle where we saw and experienced A LOT. As we returned happy and tired, the temperature would be getting to a day's peak and the minute we get inside our cool fragrant cabin and lie down on the fresh snow-white linens,  all four of us would pass out for a couple of hours nap. After that, we woke up fresh and ready for a quick dip in the river pool, lunch, and our afternoon activity. 

Some of the activities that stand out in my memory were paddling down the streams and spotting families of monkeys leap from branches overhead, and visiting parrot lick, an exposed clay riverbank where technicolored parrots of several different species gather in the early morning. I remember climbing the observation tower with magnificent, panoramic views of the forest unfolding all around, and seeing many different species of birds, including rainbow-colored toucans. The night hikes were incredible, kids had so much fun finding countless creatures with their flashlights and listening to the stories one of our local guides was sharing. 

Forest walks were endless fun, a visit to the Providencia community of Yasuní was incredibly interesting and educational, and caiman spotting and birdwatching trips were great. The kids kept surprising us with their exponentially growing bravery, openness, and curiosity. I was completely shocked when my son ate a piece of grilled larvae, or when my daughter happily agreed to hold a huge spine-chilling insect.

The entire time we enjoyed the covered lounge area with a breathtaking view over the shimmering Pilchicocha Lake and a rustic, airy restaurant that offers a relaxed atmosphere for dinner where we met other families, and people from all over the world.

Peter didn't feel comfortable driving for 6 hours in the new country. There were no flights that would bring us close enough to our destination. We found out that an alternative was to hire a driver with the car, which was surprisingly affordable. We also wanted to break up the 6-hour drive and stopped in Kashama Lodge for one night.

It's a very interesting place - huge, gorgeous, but a bit shabby and felt a little empty. Kids had a lot of fun in the pools, I enjoyed my affordable massage. We were glad that we stopped there.

Boo-boo note: The toilet in our room was broken and our shower had very weak water pressure. 

We were very happy to see the ocean again!!! We stayed in Coana Beach Hotel, which was fun and inexpensive, and spent a couple of days enjoying miles and miles of sandy beach that stretches north toward towering cliffs. Kids explored what the ocean has to offer at low tide. They brought plastic containers from the restaurant in our hotel and created beautiful aquariums and some creative sea jardinieres. The ocean was very warm and kids played in the water all the time. 

We had a day trip to a local working coffee farm. It was super cool that kids could try everything there: they fed the chickens and pigs, Nikita rode a horse, kids made chocolate from cocoa beans, we ate yummy lunch and met people from all over. It was a fun day!

Boo-boo note: Things are a little run down in Canoa. The beach, especially closer to the town, was quite dirty.