Huaroni Kayak Expedition

This expedition is about experiencing one of the most important and biodiverse ecosystems on earth. The Amazon Basin, besides being the world’s most important oxygen producer, is the biggest fluvial system in the world. All the rivers that are born on the volcanoes on the eastern slopes of the Andes travel about 5000 miles to the Atlantic Ocean through the Amazon river and its tributaries.

Our destination is the Yasuni National Park, home of the Huaorani people and the biggest National Park in Ecuador. The Huaorani have inhabited the headwaters of the Amazon for millennia. They have lived as hunters and gatherers, entirely without contact from outsiders until the end of the 1950s. In fact, at least one Huaorani clan, the Tagaeri, continues to shun all contact with the outside world. Numbering approximately 1,200 individuals, the Huaorani continue to maintain a largely traditional lifestyle, living in the rainforest, although missionaries and oil companies have had some influence.

2009 Departures: any day except Saturdays & Mondays
(No flights to/from Coca on Sundays)

2009 Costs:

• $1195 per person/double occupancy-4 persons traveling
• $1875 per person/double occupancy-2 persons traveling
• Add $130 for flights Quito-Coca-Quito

Note: This is a fully escorted tour operated on request as a private departure.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive to Quito. You’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel for one night.

Day 2: INTRODUCTION TO THE RAINFOREST. From Quito, we board a morning flight to the Amazon frontier town of Coca. A scenic two-hour drive south brings us to the banks of the Shiripuno River, where our kayaks are waiting for us. After lunch and a safety briefing, we paddle down the Shiripuno River, surrounded by breathtaking jungle scenery. Our guide introduces us to the magnificent plant and wildlife of the Amazon. In the late afternoon, we reach our campsite near the Noneno Community and receive a visit from a Huaorani family. They share with us the stories of creation that define Huaorani cosmology and explain how the Huaorani view their existence. Together, we recite traditional chants that detail the creation of the jungle and the mountains. We enjoy a fresh gourmet dinner together prepared by our guides. (B, L, D)

Day 3: HUAORANI COMMUNITY AND PADDLING DOWN THE SHIRIPUNO. After breakfast, we visit the nearby Noneno Community, a Huaorani settlement made up of both traditional thatch huts and wooden houses. From our encounters in the community, we learn more about the Huaorani way of life and customs. We exchange gifts and are taught how to use a blow gun and spear - traditional hunting tools of the Huaorani. After our community visit, we continue paddling down the Shiripuno in our kayaks. Our Huaorani guide accompanies us and shows off some of his paddling, fishing, and jungle skills. Meanwhile, the Shiripuno widens as we move downstream, with small tributaries feeding into the river. We are delighted by the sights of tropical flowers and exotic trees, which give cover to wildlife such as birds, monkeys, and other mammals that our guides help us to find in the foliage. We may also come across medicinal plants that our guides can show us how to use. At the end of the day, we reach our fully equipped campsite and prepare for dinner. (B, L, D)

Day 4: SHIRIPUNO LODGE AND NOCTURNAL WILDLIFE HIKE. After breakfast, we continue our journey down the Shiripuno and explore another awe-inspiring section of the jungle. We keep an eye out for more plant and wildlife with the help of our naturalist and Haorani guides, and stop to explore the micro-ecosystem of a giant Ceibo tree, many of which are more than 500 years old. In the afternoon, we reach the comfortable accommodations of the Shiripuno Lodge, with a wooden observation deck and social area with hammocks to relax in. In the early evening, we set out into the rainforest for a short guided hike in search of nocturnal wildlife, such as frogs, snakes, spiders, owls, rodents, and bats.  (B, L, D)

Day 5: RAINFOREST HIKE AND FLOODED FOREST EXPLORATION. After an early breakfast, we travel by canoe to reach a nearby trail head and begin a 4-hour-long hike into the rainforest. During our hike, we explore old growth forest, including old varzea (flooded) forest, and terra firme forest. We will appreciate a variety of plant life, including Parkia, Ficus, and Ceiba trees, which are common in this area. As for wildlife, we are likely to spot the common woolly monkey and white-lipped peccary, in addition to numerous other bird species, and jaguar tracks are a common find. Our guides lead us to a hill which overlooks the jungle to appreciate the multicolored canopy from above. They also introduce us to a wide range of medicinal plants, which help us to understand the Huaorani's practical, medicinal, and spiritual relationship with their rainforest environment. After returning to the lodge for lunch, we paddle by canoe to reach a group of small lakes and explore the ecosystem of the flooded forest (which is a popular fishing site with the locals). We are likely to spot birdlife including the Hoatzin, a prehistoric bird unique to this area, along the water banks. We may also spot Black Caiman crocodiles - which were once on the verge of extinction - lurking in the vegetation. We explore giant ant colonies to learn about their social structure, as well as the fascinating interaction between insects, animals, and plants in the jungle. We return to our lodge, where our Huaorani guide teaches us how to work with chambira, a palm tree fiber used locally for a variety of purposes. At the end of the day, we relax in our hammocks before dinner. (B, L, D)

Day 6: RETURN TO COCA. We make an early start after breakfast to return to Coca by motorized canoe. On the way, we find time to stop to observe wildlife, especially monkeys like the red howler monkey, the spider monkey, and the woolly monkey. We may also stop if we pass by Huaorani families cooking or making handicrafts, who often invite us to eat fresh yucca with them. In the afternoon, will reach the bridge across the Shiripuno River where our vehicle is waiting to take us to back to the frontier town of Coca. We spend the night at a hotel in Coca and enjoy one last evening before our return to Quito. (B, L, D)

Day 7: After breakfast we will be transfer to the airport of Coca for our flight back to Quito. On arrival you’ll be met and transferred to your hotel for a one night stay. (B)

Day 8: You’ll be met at your hotel and transferred to the airport to check-in for your return or continuing flights. (B)

B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner

Included: Road and river transportation from Coca, all camping gear, meals as described, expedition kayaks and gear, professional bilingual guides and native guides, entrance fee to Huaorani territory, one night tourist class accommodation in Coca. For groups larger than 6, dugout canoes are taken for logistical support.

Not Included: Flight Quito-Coca-Quito (currently $ 140), tips and personal expenses

Trip Notes:

• This trip begins and ends in Quito, Ecuador, which can be reached via daily flights on a wide variety of airlines. Latin American Escapes offers excellent discounted airfares, please contact us for a quote from your home city.
• Additional days may be added in Quito at either the beginning or end of this itinerary if you wish to explore the city in more depth, or visit other interesting areas of Ecuador---the Galapagos islands, colonial cities, Indian markets, volcanoes, hot springs, etc.

Equipment -- During the trip we use the following equipment: solar showers, a portable toilet, Eureka & Northface tents, Prijon expedition kayaks, a dugout canoe with outboard motor, life jackets, a complete first aid kid including an anti-snake bite electric pistol, and all camping and kitchen equipment.

About the food --We do not add to the pressure on the environment by consuming food that the Huaorani hunt and gather from the forest. The majority of the food for the tourist operation is brought from Quito, including drinking water.

During the trip we offer gourmet and local food cooked at the moment by out staff. Normally breakfast will include: granola, fresh fruit, whole wheat bread, fresh coffee or tea, cereal, marmalade, pancakes or French toasts, yogurt and eggs at your choice.

For lunch or box lunch, we offer a different variety of sandwiches, fruits, cheese, raisins, peanuts, dried fruits, juices and fresh vegetables.

And for dinner we prepare: delicious soups every day, with main gourmet courses like, spaghetti al pesto, fettuccini, risotto, and local dishes such us rice with beans, plantains, yucca, mixed with a variety of meats, or fresh local fish from the river, mash potatoes and fresh salads and vegetables, all complemented with red or white wine, water or juices.

About this Tour--Huaorani leader, Moi Enomenga, made famous by articles in the New Yorker magazine that told about the Huaorani and their struggle against oil companies, for being the main character in the book 'Savages' by Joe Kane, as well as an NBC documentary telling of his struggle to protect Huaorani land from oil companies, is our native guide and ecotourism coordinator, and his community, Quehueri'ono, our counterpart in this joint venture.

Our program involves the exploration of both primary and secondary rainforest in the company of Moi and one of our own bilingual kayak expedition leader. Clients will have the possibility of observing Amazon wildlife during the hikes and while paddling the river, and will receive a conservationist interpretation of the ecology and actual situation of the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest.

To sum up, this program is a very special experience which will take you to one of the most ecologically important areas on the planet in the company of a unique rainforest culture. Although we do not provide such city comforts as hot water and private showers, we do provide the possibility to get intimate with nature at its most exuberance and to see life in the rainforest through the eyes of people who have lived there forever.

Your visit will help encourage the Huaorani to support responsible ecotourism as a viable alternative to sustainability rather than surrendering to the destructive appetites of the oil industry.

And most of all, your visit will provide an important income which will reinforce and promote the long term conservation of their cultural identity and their nurturing environment.

Note: While it is nice to have a schedule, you will find it more satisfying if we left the forest, the weather and our Huaorani guides lead the way….This itinerary should only serve as a guideline. as you must be aware of possible changes due to weather or river conditions that may not leave us the possibility to reach the community of Quehueri’ono. This itinerary is designed according to our experience, but conditions can change without prior notice, and therefore guides are entitled to modify or change the itinerary for the best interest and safety of the group. Being flexible in the Amazon will allow you to get most from your experience

To confirm reservations:

A deposit of $300 per person is required to confirm reservations. In addition, the following payment procedures apply:

Payment for airline tickets is due at the time tickets are issued, but no later than time of final payment.

Last Minute Bookings: Last minute reservations (less than 30 days before departure) will be accepted, subject to availability, if payment has been received, and documents can be delivered. Any special communication costs and delivery charges will be at the client's expense.

Revision Fee: Revision fees will apply once the initial deposit has been received. Charges will vary based on itinerary, and extent of changes, with a minimum charge of $50. Changes requested after documents have been issued (generally with-in 30 days) will incur a minimum $100 change fee, plus additional services requested.

International bookings: We gladly accept bookings from passengers outside the US. However, an additional surcharge of $50 per booking is applied to cover additional shipping charges.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS--At the time we receive written notification that you must cancel your trip, money will be returned less the following cancellation fees:

Trip Documents: Trip documents will be forwarded approximately 3 weeks prior to travel, and once all payments and completed application forms have been received.

Risk and Responsibility

In arranging these trips, Latin American Escapes, Inc. acts only as the agents for the owners, contractors and suppliers actually providing tour services for these trips with whom Latin American Escapes, Inc. has no legal connection or joint ownership. These local tour operators attempt to conduct these trips as described in the preceding itineraries. However, it is possible that due to transportation schedule changes, weather, delays and unforeseeable acts of God, humans or nature, itineraries may vary from what is described. Participants are responsible for extra costs due to travel delay or itinerary changes for reasons beyond our control and assume all risks, whether identified in advance or unforeseen, as described under Limitation of Liability, and Trip Member Responsibility, located in our Terms and Conditions, which all travelers agree to sign. Traveler's insurance is not included, but is offered, and is strongly recommended. CST # 2023695-40.