But any discomfort from the high altitude or chilly temperatures has not deterred tourists drawn by the biodiversity of this small South American country, where ecotourism has more than quadrupled in the last 10 years.

Acosta, a former salesman who built his lodge in an often fog-shrouded patch of the Andes near the Colombia border, says a sense of adventure is key to thriving in the business that is reaping fresh revenues for local entrepreneurs.

"We had to haul a lot of stone and wood up here for the buildings, but this is a unique place. It's us, the little guys, who are investing to give people access to nature," Acosta said, while looking through a book filled with comments from European and US tourists.

Foreign tourism revenues to Ecuador in 2002 were US$447 million, a jump of 30 per cent from 1999 figures, according to the Central Bank. That's more cash than any of the country's exports provide, except for crude oil and bananas.

In 2002 the number of visitors to the country reached 654,000, up 28 per cent from the figures for 1999, and by 2007 the number may reach one million.

In Quito, the streets of one popular neighborhood are filled with backpackers wearing rainbow-coloured hand-knitted sweaters bought on recent excursions into the Ecuadorean countryside.

Local tourism has also boomed since Quito adopted the US dollar as its currency in 2000 to end an economic crisis that had sapped consumer buying power.

Annual local tourism revenues are about US$1.5 billion, the Tourism Ministry said.

Ten years ago, Ecuador had 70 companies that offered trips and activities geared toward enjoying and conserving the environment. Today, there are 300.

Sixty per cent of foreign tourists are drawn by the abundant flora and fauna of Ecuador, which occupies only 2 per cent of the world's land surface.

But with the steamy Amazon, chilly Andes and remote Galapagos Islands, it ranks as one of the world's most ecologically diverse countries.

Ecotourism has helped bring cash to some of the neediest corners of a country where 60 per cent live in poverty. Giving locals a new alternative to make a living that depends on the environment promises to reduce human pressure on ecologically sensitive areas.

But as the country's popularity as a tourism destination grows, entrepreneurs also worry that a mass influx could put Ecuador's ecosystems at risk and harm its image as a "green" destination for environmentally conscious visitors.

"Ecuador shouldn't be a mass destination, but rather a quality destination," said Diego Andrade, director of Ecuador's Ecotourism Association. "What is better, to have 10 tourists who spend US$100, or 100 tourists who spend US$10?"

Tour operators are striving to meet international environmental standards. So far, 12 programs are certified on the mainland and 18 in the Galapagos Islands, which form an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) off the coast of Ecuador.

Even so, one operator said there have been complaints that at times the ecotourism business seems more focused on "bringing gringos to the jungle" than on environmental conservation.

One of the challenges Ecuador faces, the operators say, is that, since switching to the dollar, its prices have become less competitive with those of nearby Peru or Costa Rica.

Tourists heading for Ecuador to hike, mountain climb, fish, snorkel and go white-water rafting should expect to spend from US$30 to US$300 a day for services.

So far, that doesn't seem to be a problem.

"It's not a matter of price but also of safety, when you think of countries like Colombia," said Harold Berninger, a 41-year-old German tourist on his third visit to Ecuador.

"Besides, Ecuador is one of the most beautiful countries I've seen. It's worth it."

| China Travel Update |