Officially named Puerto Francisco de Orellana, Coca is a hot, noisy, bustling and sprawling oil town located at the junction of the Ríos Payamino and Napo, just upstream from the confluence of the Coca and Napo. It is the capital of the province of Orellana, named for Francisco de Orellana – the first European to sail the length of the Amazon . A busy bridge crosses the Río Napo at Coca, the start of the Vía Auca leading to oilfields and Huaorany territory to the south.
The view over the water is nice, and the attractive Malecón (riverfront promenade) can be a pleasant place to spend time around sunset. Hotel and restaurant provision is adequate but electricity and water supply are erratic; better hotels have reserve tanks and generators. Ironically, the petroleum production capital of Ecuador also suffers from occasional gasoline shortages. Although further from the Colombian border and generally safer and more tranquil than Lago Agrio, Coca nonetheless calls for common sense precautions. The Sunday morning market by the bridge has interesting jungle foods but mind the hygiene.
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