Programs
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Six day program
These are the general times for activities/programs at Huaorani Ecolodge, though they may vary according to the program and/or weather; please note that a 24-hour clock is used, punctuality is the norm, and times given for activities are for going only one way unless otherwise noted.Itinerary
- DAY 1
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7:00 Drive from Quito - Shell, flight to Quehueri´ono Welcome - Canoe downstream - Settle in at Lodge 17:30 Introductory talk 19:00 Dinner
After being picked up early at your hotel, you leave the bustling city of Quito on the first leg of your adventure heading south to the frontier between the Andes proper and the Ecuadorian Amazon. Following a stretch of the Pan American Highway dubbed the Avenue of Volcanoes, an acknowledgement of Ecuador's membership in the Pacific rim Ring of Fire, you pass through haciendas, towns and protected areas before turning east through a mountain gap to begin the descent toward the rainforest. Many of the haciendas are huge, mostly for raising dairy cows and bullfighting bulls, and invite neighboring indigenous cowboys, chagras, to carry out an annual roundup of scattered cattle known as a rodeo.
Among the towns is one famous for ice cream (Salcedo), for jeans (Pelileo) and for ugliness (Latacunga), and should the weather hold, you may see one or more of the peaks for which the Avenue is named, all high and steep-sided stratovolcanoes known to have sudden and violent eruptions with long periods of dormancy - among them Cotopaxi, Tungurahua, and Antisana. From the city of Tulcan in the north to Riobamba in the south, there are more than 60 volcanoes, eight of which are considered "active" (have erupted at least once since the Spanish conquest) and 10 of which are "potentially active" (have erupted at least once in the past thousand years). You physically pass over proof of Tungurahua's recent (late 1999) activities in the form of a river of ash and sediment covering the road, and pass by large stands of non-indigenous eucalyptus and conifer planted to contain erosion and provide firewood, a mixed blessing, and clusters of greenhouses for the huge market in fresh flowers.
The first major town through the pass is Baños (bah-nyos), named for the thermal baths that draw national and international visitors year round and famous for its sugarcane juice and taffy being pulled in many doorways. Here you join the Agoyan River (which changes name to the Pastaza once it crosses into the province of the same name) and pass through several fairly new tunnels built to avoid some of the many landslides that once upon a time brought traffic to a halt for days on end, while admiring the waterfalls on the other side of the ravine and wondering how anyone could farm such steep slopes.
There is a definite change in vegetation, noticeably Spanish moss, bananas and tropical palms, although the air may feel a bit chilly still. A brief stop along the way to partake of a box lunch across from one of the larger waterfalls is topped off with local fruits sold at stands along the way, from the same fields you wondered about earlier, including tomate de arbol and granadilla. You arrive after this 4-5 hour drive at the third busiest airport in Ecuador in the town of Shell (yes, after the oil company), where constant flights in and out ofthe Amazon rainforest by the military, missionaries, various aid groups and charter companies facilitate timely transportation in this vast region that still has few overland routes.
If the weather is on your side, you take off around noon in a light aircraft heading northeast, gawking at the green vastness below punctuated by rivers and settlements, and land in the Huaorani community of Quehueri'ono (keh-weri-oh-noh) 45 minutes later to be greeted by your hosts. Your luggage is taken ahead of you, so you may want to keep your camera, binoculars, sunscreen and hat with you (and something dry to keep them in); at this point, we distribute the rain poncho and rubber boots that you use daily for the rest of your visit.
You are then poled downstream in a shallow dugout canoe known as a quilla (kee-yah), enjoying the thick vegetation growing along the Shiripuno River (shiree-puno) and catching glimpses of riverside birds such as the Yellow-rumped Cacique, the Greater and Lesser Kiskadees, and any of the four Amazonian kingfishers. You arrive at the intimate setting of Huaorani Ecolodge to settle in, listen to an introductory briefing about the Huaorani and their relationship with the rainforest, and have dinner. - DAY 2
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7:00 Breakfast 7:30 Depart Cascada Trail 12:30 Lunch 14:00 Cocha Pequeña 16:30 Huaorani visit at Lodge 19:00 Dinner
After breakfast, an introductory 2-hour hike along a series of ridges takes you to a picturesque waterfall through terra firme forest (one that is never flooded whose composition is predominantly tall trees with little understory vegetation), during which you learn more about the ecology of the rainforest and the theories that explain its amazing diversity.
A scenic overlook, or mirador, provides the potential for an exceptional view across miles of lush rainforest to the volcanic peaks of snow-capped Altar and green, multi-peaked Sangay, potential because since these volcanoes are at the edge of a tropical rainforest, they are often obscured by clouds as the rising, warm air condenses on the slopes.
To improve your chances, you spend some time at the mirador while your Huaorani guide helps you learn how to weave, make a blowgun, hollow out a canoe and carve a spear. You can experience firsthand how challenging it is to work without tools such as sandpaper, saws, hammers, or nails.
After lunch at the Lodge, you go back downstream to an oxbow lake formed by the Shiripuno River (Cocha Pequeña) and walk inland a few minutes. If lucky, and quiet, you may catch a glimpse of the extraordinary Hoatzin (one of the few birds that feeds almost exclusively on leaves), as well as Anacondas, Capybaras (world's largest rodent) and Caimans (types of alligator).
You return to the Lodge, and some members of Quehueri'ono visit to talk about all sorts of things such as the ecotourism project, the Huaorani struggle against oil companies, or perhaps about their day in the forest or that a new baby was born. Extroverted and cheerful, the Huaorani may end up asking you more about your culture than you about theirs. - DAY 3
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6:30 Breakfast 7:00 Depart Caseria Trail 13:30 Box lunch on beach 14:00 Community Visit & craft market 19:00 Dinner 20:00 Charla
Hunting day! And you thought this was an environmentally-friendly project? But the Huaorani are hunters and gatherers, and their main sources of protein are mammals (yes, including monkeys), fish and birds. The goals of this project are to protect the tropical rainforest and provide an opportunity for the Huaorani culture to continue flourishing, not to stop their traditional practices.
After breakfast, you go for a long hike with the Huaorani guide, also an experienced hunter. You learn firsthand about the secrets of survival in the rainforest without killing any of the creatures that live there. You learn how to set traps, make fire without matches, build a shelter in minutes, use a blowgun, practice the perfect swing of the machete, and catch fish in small creeks. Your g
uide may also show you edible insects, medicinal plants, the right clay to make pottery, and honey produced by stingless bees.
The trail has two overlooks as it winds toward the community; the first one has tree trunk seats for some much-needed rest and to allow you to enjoy the view over the forest canopy, where you may see vultures soaring and trees in bloom.
Now down to the river, where you have time to plunge into the water; the canoe will have brought up your swimsuit and sandals and there are plenty of places to change if you use your imagination. The Huaorani love swimming and playing in the water and may join you. Lunch is served on the beach.
This is your afternoon with the community. Your visit is not intended to be a pre-planned activity as such, but rather a relaxing, informal social visit.
You may call on several houses, talk to family members while sharing a bowl of chucula (a sweet drink made of ripe bananas) under the filtered light of the thatched houses, and admire their beautiful handmade artifacts, including woven hammocks and bags, blowguns, traps and necklaces.
Later on, you visit families' gardens and learn how to grow edible plants and try to harvest manioc, also known as yucca or cassava. Perhaps you will be invited to join in a game of soccer!
Some time is left aside to visit the handicraft market to buy handmade products if you desire.
You return to the Lodge by canoe at the end of the afternoon to relax and have dinner, after which your naturalist guide offers a half hour talk, or charla, on a subject of interest. - DAY 4
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7:00 Breakfast 7:30 Depart for Ceibo Trail & Hormiga Trail 12:30 Lunch 14:00 Free time 17:30 Depart Saladero Trail & night walk 19:30 Dinner
After breakfast, you take a hike of about 3 hours that traverses both terra firme and varzea (occasionally-flooded) forest, winding through majestic trees and across quiet streams (10 of them!), often following a Heliconia swamp, to the summit of a small hill on which grows a giant ceibo tree approximately 40 m/131 ft high, with an equally impressive girth, after which this trail is named.
Branching off the Ceibo Trail, you follow a path that parallels the Shiripuno River for some way, crossing several small tributaries including one that some White-collared peccaries have expanded to make a wallow - expect to see tracks and tusk marks and maybe even catch a whiff of their distinctive musk. Up and down several hillocks through some lovely open forest and you reach a leaf-cutter ant metropolis on the edge of a small oxbow lake. A mirador allows you to observe the ants at work as well as catch a glimpse of any aquatic birds (or reptiles!) that may be out that day. You follow the curve of the lake back to the river where the canoe picks you up.
After lunch at the Lodge, the next few hours are all yours! You may want to visit the Discovery Trail, try some fishing, or just relax in a hammock reading a book.
The Discovery Trail is a self-guided return trail that allows you to experience the rainforest on your own. Following numbered points, the Discovery Trail Guide reiterates some of the information that your real-life guides may have covered, and encourages you to engage all of your senses in order to get a more complete "picture" of your surroundings. This is also the trail that we ask visitors to use if they want to do some early birding on their own.
Later on, you are dropped off across from the Lodge to walk along the Community Trail briefly before turning off to climb a series of slopes to the peak of a hill and a heavily-used salt-clay lick. Before you start uphill, you come across an infamous "lemon-ant" tree, and further on a good example of an incipient strangler fig. If the lick is inactive (or they've been scared off), you still have the opportunity to see where a variety of animals have trudged uphill to gauge out the mineral-rich soil. The effort put into this activity, including the digging of a small cave over the years, is proof of the importance of this dietary supplement for rainforest creatures.
The return trip is a brief night walk. Since most rainforest animals are nocturnal - especially mammals and amphibians - this is your best opportunity to see some of these elusive creatures, or at least hear them climbing through the trees or digging for food. The stars of the night are the insects and the bats, both attracted by your lights, and other animals reveal their presence by the reflection of their eyes. - DAY 5
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6:00 Wake up call 6:30 Breakfast 7:00 Depart for Nenkepare 14:00 Visit waterfall
Camp at Nenkepare campsite Charla
After breakfast, you set off poling down the Shiripuno River in traditional Huaorani style in order to appreciate the sounds and sights of the rainforest. Leaving early, you´re sure to catch many birds unawares, and the tranquility allows you to appreciate what life must have been like before the advent of motorized canoes. You can use this time to have intimate conversations with your spouse, to review the past few days with the guide, to learn some Huaorani and/or Spanish vocabulary, or just nap. A short stop for lunch and a swim recharge you for the rest of the trip.
This 6-7 hour journey takes you near the Huaorani village of Nenkepare where you have the opportunity to visit an impressive waterfall. After a 3-hour roundtrip hike, you return to the campsite, dinner and perhaps a bonfire. - DAY 6
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7:00 Breakfast 7:30 Depart for Via Auca Bridge and continue journey to Coca
Late afternoon flight to Quito
After breakfast, you continue downstream towards the border between traditional Huaorani territory and that of the petroleum companies (although it all used to be Huaorani territory). At the point where a road built by oil companies in the early 1990s crosses the river, you leave the forest and head to "civilization".
The symbols of modern deforestation are the roads. They provide access and means for human populations to grow at a rapid rate, which affects indigenous peoples by displacing them from the best and most accessible agricultural soils (which aren't particularly well-suited to begin with); reducing territory available for hunting and gathering; and encouraging them via settler example and government policy to increase their reliance on agriculture and timber extraction and to convert their land from communal resource.
Here, you witness the crude reality of our collective thirst for oil as you ride alongside the miles of pipelines, which go from the Huaorani community of Tihuino to Lago Agrio, the oil hub of el Oriente, to be pumped across the Andes to the port of Esmeraldas. This brief journey through oil territory illustrates the reality of the threat facing the rainforest and the Huaorani people.
After a 2.5 hour ride, you reach the banks of the Rio Napo and the town of Coca, where you catch your flight to Quito.
