This rainforest frontier town is commonly known as Coca, though on official Ecuadorian maps it appears as Puerto Francisco de Orellana. It sits at the confluence of the Coca and Napo rivers in the Oriente, Ecuador's Amazon lowlands.
The town itself is unremarkable — surrounded by cleared forest given over to cattle grazing and small farms. For most visitors Coca is simply the gateway to the rainforest lodges and research stations further downriver, or a transit point for oil-industry workers heading to job sites in the jungle.
That said, if you are passing through, the Napo riverfront has a rough energy and the small MACCO archaeology museum is the best place in Ecuador to see pre-Columbian ceramics from the Oriente. Most travellers, though, use Coca as the road head for boats down the Napo to Yasuní National Park — one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. Small restaurants and internet cafes line the streets near the main drag (Avenida Napo). Take malaria prophylaxis if you plan to stay in the area beyond a quick transfer.