Calling All Ironmen & Ironwomen -- Each year, El Oriente hosts El Desafío de la Selva (The Jungle Challenge). This 5-day event is based on similar endurance races, often called Eco-Treks. Here, 3-person teams of two men and one woman cover some 280km (174 miles). In addition to the "traditional" tests of mountain biking, kayaking, trekking, swimming, and rope climbing, challenges on this course include fishing for piranha, blowgun target competitions, and the performance of Quichua cleansing rituals. For more information (in Spanish), check out www.orellanaecuador.gov.ec or call tel. 06/2889-304.
