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Ecuador's southern Oriente is less developed than its northern counterpart in every way, with fewer roads, fewer towns, fewer tourists, and less oil activity. The region's two main population centres are Puyo , the provincial capital of Pastaza, and Macas , 129km further south, capital of the province of Morona-Santiago. Settlement by colonists is largely confined to a long, thin strip flanking the road that runs from north to south through the region, in the selva alta , parallel with the eastern flank of the Andes. This dusty, potholed track is virtually the only road in the southern Oriente, with access east into the heart of the tropical rainforest possible only by boat, along the numerous rivers that coil through the forest, or by chartered light-aircraft. Most of this territory is communally owned by indigenous groups , principally the Quichua in Pastaza, and the Shuar in Morona-Santiago, with pockets of Achuar in the east. Tourism in the southern Oriente is considerably less evolved thsan in the north - with the exception of the luxurious Kapawi Ecolodge , close to the Peruvian border, you'll find none of the fancy lodges and cabaias of the kind scattered up the Rio Napo. Instead, what the southern Oriente offers are excellent opportunities for culturally focused ecotourism , offered by tour operators based in Puyo and Macas in association with host indigenous groups. In Puyo, the Organizacion de Pueblos Indigenas de Pastaza has developed a variety of programmes opening up tracts of rainforest and local communities to visitors, while in Macas, which has more tour operators, guides take tourists on multiday trips to remote Shuar communities, often with an emphasis on learning about their customs, mythology and healing rituals, while exploring the jungle. The main route into the southern Oriente is the hundred-kilometre road from the serrano city of Ambato down to Puyo, from where you can branch south to Macas or north to Tena. A considerably slower, rougher and bumpier alternative is the little-used dirt road across the southern sierra from Cuenca, with one fork branching south to the small town of Gualaquiza, in the southern part of Morona-Santiago, and one heading north to Macas. In addition, Macas will soon be served by a new road from the town of Guamote, Near Riobamba. There are also direct flights from Quito to Macas three times a week.
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