Huaorani Amazon Kayaking Expedition,
6 Days

Effort Level: Moderate to Challenging
ASK-06

Activities: Wildlife and Bird Watching, Kayaking, Hiking, Indigenous Community Interactions – shooting blowguns, throwing spears, weaving w/ tree fibers, etc.

Accommodations: Camping, basic lodge, and tourist hotel

Kayak deep into the heart of the Amazon to discover the Huaorani tribe and the rainforest’s infinite natural wonders. The biodiversity our guests see in this section of the Amazon is astounding. However, what our guests usually remember most about this adventure are the extraordinarily privileged interactions with one of the most primordial forest tribes on Earth. The Huaorani (also known as Waorani) have lived for thousands of years in the rainforest with no contact from the outside world until 1956. They will teach you to throw a spear, weave fibers from a tree, forage medicinal plants and edible fruits, and shoot a blowgun. This journey gives guests a deep understanding of the forest, as they learn how the Huaorani use the secrets of the rainforest to survive. This expedition also encourages the protection of Huaorani cultural identity and their rainforest home. Our stay in the Shiripuno community eco-lodge at the end of our trip provides the Huaorani with a viable and sustainable alternative to yielding to the timber and oil industries. Join this kayaking expedition to see the most bio-diverse ecosystem on the planet through the eyes of those who have lived here for centuries.

Huaorani Kayak Expedition Highlights:

• Explore pristine Amazon rainforest by kayak to view plant and wildlife
• Cultural exchanges with indigenous Huaorani Indians
• Learn the arts of blow gun shooting, tree fiber weaving, and medicinal plant identification
• Listen to Huaorani stories about creation and learn traditional Huaorani chants
• See over 100 different bird species including the Hoatzin, a prehistoric bird
• See Black Caimans, a once endangered Amazon crocodile species
• View other rainforest wildlife, such as tapir, peccaries, paca, frogs, snakes, and monkeys
• Discover the many micro-ecosystems of a 500 year old Ceiba tree
• Kayak through a flooded forest
• Expert bilingual naturalist guides lead you through every step and paddle of the trip

DAY 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE AMAZON AND THE HUAORANI
This morning, we take a short and scenic flight from Quito to Coca, an Amazon frontier town. We then drive for 2 hours through magnificent jungle scenery until we reach the Shiripuno River. After a safety briefing and lunch, we begin our journey paddling down the river. Our naturalist guide will introduce us to the incredible bird, plant, and wildlife that surround us. When we arrive to our campsite in the late afternoon, we receive a visit from a Huaorani family of the nearby Noneno Community. The family tells us Huaorani stories about creation and describe how the Huaorani people view themselves. We then rehearse traditional Huaorani chants together detailing the creation of the mountains and the jungle. In the evening, our guides prepare a fresh gourmet dinner for us. (L, D)

DAY 2: HUAORANI COMMUNITY VISIT AND SHIRIPUNO RIVER KAYAKING
This morning, we visit a Huaorani settlement (Noneno community) after breakfast. This settlement is comprised of both wooden houses and traditional thatch huts. Here, we learn more about Huaorani customs and ways of life. After exchanging gifts, the Huaoroni teach us to shoot blow guns and throws spears – hunting is the traditional way of life for the Huaorani. We also practice weaving with a palm tree fiber called chambira. We then continue down the Shiripuno by kayaks. As we move downstream, the Shiripuno widens as we are enchanted by the sights and sounds of the forest. Exotic trees and flowers provide ample cover for monkeys, birds, and other wildlife, but our guides are so skilled that we will have no problem spotting a wide variety of species. Our guides will also show us how to use medicinal plants we come across. After a long day, we arrive at our fully-equipped campsite and share the day’s stories over a delicious dinner. (B, L, D)

DAY 3:  KAYAK TO THE SHIRIPUNO LODGE AND NIGHT HIKE
Today, we continue kayaking further down the Shiripuno, delving even deeper into the heart of the rainforest. Our skilled naturalist guide will certainly help us to spot more wildlife in this highly biodiverse section of the Amazon. We also take time to explore giant 500 year old Ceiba trees and their micro-ecosystems. Eventually, we arrive at the Shiripuno Lodge, which provides comfortable accommodations, a hammock-filled social area, and a wooden observation deck. This evening, we embark on a short night hike in search of owls, snakes, rodents, spiders, bats, and frogs. (B, L, D)

DAY 4:  RAINFOREST HIKE AND CANOE THROUGH THE FLOODED FOREST
This morning, we take canoes to a nearby trailhead and embark on a 4 hour rainforest hike. Here, we explore old growth forest, including flooded (varzea) forest and terra firme forest. We will observe a wide vaiety of interesting plant life common to this area such as Ficus, Ceiba, and Parkia trees. Among the mammals we will likely spot are white-lipped peccaries and the woolly monkeys. We also often commonly find jaguar tracks in the earth beneath our boots. However, you will likely be most impressed by the multitude of exotic bird species we encounter. Our hike leads to a hill overlooking the rainforest allowing us to admire the endless green canopy below. Our guides also show us numerous medicinal plants, helping us to understand the Huaorani's practical, medicinal, and spiritual bond with the forest.

In the afternoon after lunch at the lodge, we hike to a cluster of small lakes to explore the flooded forest ecosystem (also a popular fishing site among the Huaorani). Here, we have a good chance to see Black Caimans (a once endangered crocodilian species) and many birds including the Hoatzin - a prehistoric bird unique to this area. With a little luck, it is also possible to spot tapirs – the largest land mammal in South America. Our guides also explain to us the fascinating social structure of leaf-cutter ants as we view a giant colony. In the evening, relax and enjoy your final sunset in the rainforest. (B, L, D)
 
DAY 5: MOTORIZED CANOE AND TRUCK TO COCA
This morning, we take motorized canoes back towards Coca. We will take ample time to stop and observe wildlife along the way - especially monkeys such as spider monkeys, woolly monkeys, and red howler monkeys. We often pass by Huaorani families cooking, and sometimes they invite us to eat yucca with them. We eventually make our way back to the Shiripuno River Bridge, where our truck is waiting to drive us back to the Coca. We stay the night in a hotel and enjoy one last evening in this frontier town before returning to Quito tomorrow. (B, L, D)

DAY 6: FLIGHT TO QUITO
We head to the Coca airport after breakfast to catch our flight back to Quito. (B)

INCLUDED: All camping equipment including sleeping bags; all meals as described; transportation to and from Coca by river and road; social, kitchen, and bathroom tents; kayaks; safety equipment; certified bilingual naturalist guide; 2 nights camping; 2 nights in a basic lodge; 1 night in a tourist-class hotel in Coca; entrance fee to Huaorani Territory; an additional dugout canoe is taken for groups larger than 6.

NOT INCLUDED: Roundtrip flight from Quito to Coca ($120, subject to change); guide tips.

NOTE: River water levels and/or weather conditions may lead to changes in the itinerary.

IMPORTANT FACTS:

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FLIGHT TIME: 30 min. flight each way (Quito-Coca-Quito)
DRIVING TIME: 2 hours driving each way to river put-in
SEASON: All-year
PROVINCE: Pastaza Province
TERRITORY: Huaorani Ethnic Reserve (678,220 hectares)
ALTITUDE: 220 m (700 ft)
AVG. TEMP.: Day 15-34ºC / 59-93ºF; Night 12-17ºC / 53-62ºF
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Moderate - Challenging. This program is located in an undeveloped remote area. Be aware of the possible hazards of this manner of travel (e.g. limited medical care, river and rainforest travel, non-standard accommodations). These factors can mean a higher risk of discomfort.
SUGGESTED ITEMS TO BRING: quick-dry clothing, waterproof binoculars, bug spray, and hat

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Adventure Gear

We use Prijon expedition kayaks, dry bags, lifejackets, and a dugout canoes with and without outboard motor, and rubber (Wellington) boots. For camping, we use a Eureka & Northface tents, solar showers, a portable toilet, and biodegradable soap.

Safety

Guides are certified as Wilderness First Responders. We carry a complete first aid kid including an anti-snakebite suction cup. We carry a SPOT satellite rescue system for emergency communications and GPS equipment for exact positioning. Our emergency plan includes helicopter evacuation (cost is additional but may be reimbursed by your travelers’ or health insurance).

About the food

We do not add to the pressure on the rainforest by eating food that the Huaorani hunt or gather. We bring the majority of our food, including drinking water, from Quito. Our staff freshly prepares gourmet meals for you. Breakfast includes pancakes or French toast, eggs of your choice, yogurt, granola, fresh fruit, cereal, whole wheat bread, marmalade, and fresh coffee or tea. Picnic and box lunches include sandwiches, cheeses, fresh and fruits and vegetables, dried fruits, and juices. Dinner includes fresh salads and soups, pastas, meats, fish, local dishes, mashed potatoes, yucca, rice, beans, vegetables, and plantains, complemented with wine (2 nights), juice, and/or water.

Sustainable Eco and Cultural Tourism

Clients receive a conservationist interpretation of the ecology of the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest and the factors that threaten it. We aim to promote long-term conservation of both Huaorani cultural identity and their rainforest environment. Your visit will encourage the Huaorani to support responsible ecotourism as a sustainable alternative to surrendering to the oil industry’s destructive appetites. We transport out  and recycle all non-organic garbage.

About the Huaorani People

The Huaorani are an indigenous tribe native to a small section of the Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest. They number only about 3,500 individuals but speak a language unrelated to any other on the planet. The Huaorani are extraordinarily spiritual, and make no distinction between the physical and spiritual. They also used to be one of the fiercest tribes in recorded history. Around the 1940s, it is estimated that murders accounted for up to 60% of Huaorani deaths. They were Ecuador’s last indigenous tribe to receive contact from  the outside world (occurring in 1956), and up to five of their communities still defy all outside contact and continue to live as they have for hundreds of years. Many other Huaorani communities have been considerably affected by oil companies and missionaries, but this kayaking expedition helps to promote cultural identity and ecotourism as a sustainable alternative.

Suggested Reading:

Savages, by Joe Kane Read about the Huaorani and their struggle against oil drilling on their ancestral lands. This captivating read will leave you with many lingering questions to ask your guide and the Huaorani themselves. Reading Savages prior to this expedition will undoubtedly enrich your experience.

Note:
Although we attempt to follow the itinerary, there may be changes due to river and weather conditions, health, or other factors. While schedules are nice to have, you may find it more satisfying to let the forest, the Huaorani guides, and the weather chart the course of this expedition. Flexibility will allow you to get the most out of your Amazon experience.