Ecuadoran authorities say they have rescued an Australian woman and a British woman who were kidnapped near the Colombian border.

Interior minister Jose Serrano says police and armed forces staff have located and rescued the two women.

The women, who were not immediately identified, were taken on Friday while visiting a remote Amazon jungle nature reserve in Sucumbios province.

They were travelling in a canoe as part of a group of seven tourists - comprising five foreigners and two Ecuadorans - and two local Ecuadorans working as guides.

Via a Twitter post, the ministry said the women were abducted by a criminal gang made up of ex-paramilitary fighters knows as the Black Eagles.

It is not known whether the women were being held hostage for ransom or for a political reason.

The authorities say kidnappings by criminal gangs in the area are relatively common.

Police took the three other foreign tourists to the nearby regional capital.

Earlier, a spokesperson for the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) said DFAT was working urgently with Canadian and British authorities in Ecuador to obtain more information.

Consular officers have been in contact with the woman's family in Australia to notify them of the abduction.

DFAT advises Australians not to travel to the border area in north-eastern Ecuador as "there is a very high threat of violent criminal activity".

"Our travel advice for Ecuador recommends that Australians do not travel to the border area of Sucumbios in north-eastern Ecuador bordering Colombia and Peru as there is a very high threat of violent criminal activity in this area," a spokeswoman said.

ABC/AFP