EMBARK ON A TRANSFORMATIONAL EXPERIENCE DEEP IN THE AMAZON RAINFOREST OF ECUADOR.
Pachamama Journeys allow you to reconnect to your deeper self, experience new challenges, and embrace a powerful opportunity for growth. Connect with a unique set of people, from indigenous leaders, to industry experts, while having the time for reflection introspection, and retrospection. Practice health & wellness, in an intimate group setting, taking the the opportunity to disconnect and plan purposeful action that will create positive change in your own life and the lives of others.
Pachamama Journeys are part of a unique travel program created in 1996, by The Pachamama Alliance and its sister organization in Ecuador, Fundacion Pachamama, two organizations committed to protecting the Amazon Rainforest and the people who live in it. Pachamama Journeys support travel as a tool of biodiversity conservation and cultural preservation, directly working with and supporting community ecotourism enterprises in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. This is a unique partnership beyond ecotourism, where the Journeys represent an incredible opportunity to meet the guardians of the Amazon Rainforest, visit and learn from them about their traditions and ceremonies, spend time in nature, and connect with the work that the Pachamama Alliance and Fundacion Pachamama carry out in Ecuador.
This journey includes a combination of time spent in nature, cultural immersion, as well as time with indigenous and sustainability experts to connect you to ways that elevate yourself, advance your business, and positively contribute to the future of our planet.
When Kapawi first opened its doors in 1996, it represented a pioneer ecotourism joint venture in Ecuador and the region. Kapawi was developed as an economic alternative to support biodiversity conservation and cultural preservation, while creating employment and income for local Achuar families. In 2019, Kapawi finished a complete renovation of its cabins and grounds, and opened new river, forest, and community activities.
Key social, economic, and environmental standards were an essential part of the original 1996 project, and 25 years later remain sustainability objectives. The ecolodge remains fully owned and operated by the Achuar communities, training and employing 100% of its staff from the local communities, and working along the local value chain to generate additional income for local producers and service providers. A percentage of every traveler's income is used to support community education, health, conservation, food security, and sustainable production needs. Kapawi also works to implement environmental standards to reduce its footprint, such as 100% energy consumption provided by solar cells.
It wasn't until 2020, however, that we realized we had to further evolve to create a deeper connection between traveler and destination. To do this, we reinforced our work with our partners and friends, and increased our collaboration with the local communities. As described in the following itinerary, a deeper community engagement and interaction will let you be part of the relationship that the Achuar people have with the Amazon Rainforest. We hope that this opportunity for close interaction and immersion in the Achuar world will inspire you to ponder your own relationship with nature and society, and help you take new actions in life.
Ecuador is a small country with lots of friendly people and diverse landscapes, worth visiting more than once. Small distances between destinations and good road connectivity make Ecuador an ideal country to encounter warm people in different settings, from snow-capped volcanoes to historic colonial towns to diverse and unique natural areas. For a responsible traveler with an adventurous soul, Ecuador offers a variety of options to explore.
This is especially true for the Amazon region, which represents 47% of Ecuador's mainland territory. In Ecuador's Amazon there are 10 indigenous nationalities; each with its own territory. The Achuar Indigenous Nation in south-east Ecuador is one of them; owners of 800,000 hectares in one of Ecuador's last large tracts of primary Rainforest. For the Achuar, tourism represents a tool for conservation and sustainability, and an alternative to industries like oil, large scale agriculture, deforestation, and other extractive activities, present in many areas of the Amazon region.
International flights usually arrive in Ecuador in the afternoon, evening and night, so this is a traveling day to Ecuador. Upon arrival in Quito's International airport (located 30 km. from the city), you will be greeted by our representative who will take you to Cultura Manor Hotel in Quito, located 45 minutes from the airport.
The purpose of this day is to travel from Quito by land, observing Ecuador's regions as you descend from the highlands to the Amazon basin. After breakfast the group will gather at 8 am before leaving Cultura Manor for a group introduction. We will leave Quito at 9 am, and drive south along small cities: Machachi, Latacunga and Ambato, before starting the descent towards the Amazon basin. The valleys along the drive are mostly for agricultural use, so there is an opportunity to observe different crops in the valleys, and if the weather permits, the snow-capped mountains and volcanoes like Cotopaxi, Rumiñahui, Illinizas, and Tungurahua. After about 3 hours driving, you will arrive in Baños, a small town, where we will have the chance to walk around and visit some of the local markets and squares. We will continue the drive for another 20 minutes to the town of Rio Verde, where we will stop for lunch at Miramelindo Hotel, a small hotel where we will spend the night.
The main attraction in Rio Verde is the waterfall named Pailon del Diablo. We will hike to the waterfall from the hotel after lunch.
It is a short 30-minute walk to get to the waterfall Pailon del Diablo, where visitors can descend a series of steps and hanging bridges next the main 100-meter fall.
Breakfast will be at 7.30 am, followed by a 8.30 am transfer to the local airport in the town of Shell (named after the oil company Shell). Upon arrival to Shell, we will get ready for the 50-minute flight to the Achuar community of Kusutkau. The flight covers roughly 160 kilometers, flying deep into the southeastern region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. From Kusutkau, it is a 20-minute boat ride to the ecolodge.
Upon arrival to Kapawi, the resident manager will take you to the main social and dining area, where he will give an introductory talk about the ecolodge, provide some recommendations, and take us to our bungalows. After the introductory briefing, you will be taken to your bungalows. Lunch will be served in our dining area at 1 pm.
The activity at Kapawi for the afternoon will include a short introductory hike in the forest. This hike is roughly 1-kilometer long, and it includes several stops, where the naturalist and local guides explain the ecology of the Amazon Tropical Rainforest. It is an easy hike that can take 1-2 hours.
After the introductory hike and before dinner, you will have several options to choose from. Swimming or paddling in the river right from our dock is always available, as well as relaxing in our social areas by the river or in the main area where our dining area and bar are located.
Dinner at the lodge at 7.15 pm, and after dinner you will go over the next day's plan and activities together with your guide.
Every day, the Achuar host a Wayus tea ceremony, held at the hearth hut next to our main dock (350 meters from the bungalows). Wayus time is a traditional activity in an Achuar household, taking place before dawn, usually starting at 4 am. This moment is special for the Achuar since it is a family moment to share dreams, plan the day's activities, or just to have a conversation about family issues. The staff at the lodge practice this tradition every morning, and we offer the optional activity to join them and have Wayus time with the local hosts, talk about dreams, listen to Achuar stories, and experience an aspect of the Achuar culture and community life.
Wayus time ends around dawn, and after that we always offer an early activity, including an early bird- and wildlife watching boat ride, or the possibility to hike in our self-guided trail, or look for wildlife in the lodge's grounds. Breakfast is served at 8 am.After breakfast, you will go on a forest hike to learn about the forest from the Achuar's perspective of useful and medicinal plants. Forest species play a key role in Achuar construction, food, medicine, and tools, and our Achuar guide will interpret the Achuar knowledge of the forest and the importance of natural resources in the Achuar everyday life. We will return to the lodge for lunch at 1 pm.
After a short break after lunch, you will kayak in the Capahuari river. This means leaving from the dock at 3.30 pm for a boat ride upstream the Capahuari river, and then switching to single and double kayaks for a return paddle to the lodge following the current. This is a great opportunity for spotting wildlife in the trees, as well as for looking for pink river dolphins in the river.
7.30 pm dinner
After dinner, you will have the option of a night hike in the forest surrounding the lodge. This hike takes about 1 hour, and it is designed to look for nocturnal insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other forest species that become active at night.
6 am boat ride to the parrot clay lick on the Pastaza river. There are usually 4-6 different species of parrots feeding early in the morning on the minerals and nutrients in the soil: chestnut fronted macaws, dusky headed parakeets, and Amazon parrots are usually observed from the boat. Return to the lodge for breakfast at 8 am.
After breakfast, we will leave for a community visit at 9.30 am. There are several communities around Kapawi to choose from, and we take turns visiting families in different communities as part of Kapawi's participative and equitable model. The community visit involves different moments, including a community walking tour, a visit to a family's Ajá (Ah-Ha), or family garden, a traditional lunch and an optional market to buy handicrafts and weavings.
The Achuar always look forward learning about the outside world and people, so we suggest bringing to the community something from home to share with the Achuar. This can be from a story, photos, or a gift from home that helps the Achuar understand the traveler's life.Return to the lodge late in the afternoon. Sometimes depending on weather, watching the sunset from the Pastaza river is a great way to end the day. We usually light a fire every afternoon in the hearth hut by the dock and river. It is a relaxing activity at the end of the day. You can relax in a hammock by the river, or g for a swim in the Capahuari river. This is a safe activity, and your guides will always be up for a swim every afternoon, especially after a hot and sunny day.
7.30 Dinner
After dinner, you will have the option of a night boat ride. This ride takes about 1 hour. We leave the dock to go upstream the Capahuari river, and then we drift without the sound of the engine, with the boat top open for better visibility of the sky, and listen to the forest sounds as we look for nocturnal species, including cayman (related to alligators), capybaras, tapir, or nocturnal species of birds and bats.
So far, we have spent two days exploring the forest, river, and community life. We usually suggest leaving this day open. Depending on the time of the year, there are always special nature and culture options to explore. Maybe the fig trees are fruiting and this makes for an opportunity to observe wildlife in specific places in the forest, or maybe one of the communities has a special event where we can participate, or maybe, there is an specific activity that you want to do.
The Amazon Rainforest is a magical place that changes all the time, so we leave this day open to customize the best experience available at the time. Also, after a couple of full days at Kapawi, most people appreciate some relaxing time at the lodge.
We will have an early activity at 6 am before breakfast. Breakfast will be at 8 am, and we should expect to leave the ecolodge around 10 am. The flights will be to the Tena airport. Weather depending, arrival in Tena will be around noon. We will drive from there for 20-30 minutes to El Jardin lodge, a small lodge located on the Napo river, Ecuador's largest tributary of the Amazon river.
Lunch will be at El Jardin. In the afternoon the group will hold a meeting to review the experience at Kapawi and learn about the work of Pachamama in Ecuador. There is an option to visit a local community enterprise named Kallari, which focuses on the sustainable production of native Amazonian products, including vanilla, cocoa (chocolate), and wayusa. This will give an opportunity to the group members to see first hand the work that the Amazonian communities are carrying out with the support of Pachamama, and learn first hand about the opportunities and challenges of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Return to El Jardin for dinner and accommodation.
We will leave El Jardin Misahualli after breakfast and around 10 am. This will be a 3-4 hour overland transfer to Papallacta Hot Springs Spa. Lunch en route. Arrival to Papallacta Spa for lunch. Free time in the afternoon for Spa treatments and use of the thermal pools.
Papallacta Hotel and Spa is a wellness Spa located 1 hour from Quito, or 40 minutes from Quito's international airport. It is located high in the Andes (at 3,500 meters above sea level) and offers accommodation in private rooms and bungalows, and it has a Spa with several thermal hot springs, and personal treatments (baths, massages, relaxation). Papallacta also has a few nature trails in the area.
Check out is at 1 pm, and lunch is included in the program. 3 pm transfer to Quito airport, or to Quito city, depending on individual arrangements. Extra nights at Papallacta can be arranged upon individual requests.
CANCELLATION POLICY
120 days prior to travel dates fully refundable
119-61 days before the travel dates, there is a 20% cancellation fee, excluding any bank or transactional service fees.
60-31 days before the departure date, 30% of the cost of the program will be charged.
30 and 8 days before the departure date, 50% of the cost of the program will be charged, unless the cancellation is due to a force majeure event.
7 or less days before the departure date, 80% of the cost of the program will be charged, unless the cancellation is due to a force majeure event.
Final Important Kapawi flight considerations when planning your travel itinerary to Ecuador: Weather is a factor when flying in the Amazon Rainforest. On very few occasions, weather can cause flight delays when traveling to Kapawi from Shell, or from Kapawi to Shell. We permanently monitor several weather forecast platforms and tracking systems.
