Ecuador

Starting Price:	$1,482.00
Trip Length:	5 days

Huaorani Inhabitant

Sunset at the Huaorani Community

Huaorani Ecolodge

Huaorani Ecolodge 5 Days / 4 Nights

Description Pricing Itinerary

The Huaorani are a timeless tribe. Huaorani translates as “The People”. The Huaorani maintain their traditional lifestyle. By inviting small numbers of people to share their world for short periods they intend to keep their culture alive. They have opted for sustain¬able tourism. This is Huaorani Ecolodge.

Huaorani Ecolodge is small. It has been designed to be intimate, har¬monious and environmentally sus-tainable way to share time with the Huaorani and experience the rich¬ness of their natural environment, while creating the least possible im¬pact on the surroundings.

Additional information on this trip:

Days of Week the Trip can Start:
Monday, Thursday

Go Back To Huaorani Ecolodge

Day 1

Monday and Thursday only
Starting in Quito, early morning transfer to the Ecuadorian Amazon (4.5 hours). Heading south, we will pass by the Andes following a stretch of the Pan American Highway. We will have the opportunity to see beautiful haciendas and towns protected areas before we descend towards the rainforest. If weather permits we will be able to see all high and steep-sided volcanoes like the famous Cotopaxi, the Tungurahua and the Antisana. You will feel the change climate when entering the jungle. We will make a brief stop near a waterfall to eat our lunch box.

Arriving at a town called Shell (named after the oil company), transfer to the airport to take a light aircraft heading northeast to the green vastness where the Huaorani community lives. Upon arrival, our staff we will take care of your luggage while you board a shallow dugout canoe and sail along the Shiripuno River. Enjoy of the scenery and the wildlife before arriving to the intimate setting of the Huaorani Ecolodge. Check-in, briefing and dinner.

Day 2

Prices include ground transportation from Quito to Shell, domestic airfare from Shell to the Huaorani Community and from Coca to Quito, transfers including one piece of luggage, accommodation at the Huaorani Ecolodge, all meals and drinks (except soft drinks and alcoholic beverages), tours in English, a bilingual naturalist guide, a local Huaorani Guide and entrance fees. Local airport taxes that are payable at the country of destination are not included.

Day 3

The Huaorani are hunters and gatherers, and their main sources of protein are mammals, fish and birds. In order to not stop their traditional practices, today we will follow them on a hunting journey after a long morning hike. Also we will learn surviving skills in the middle of the jungle: you will 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 guide may also show you edible insects, medicinal plants, the right clay to make pottery, and honey produced by stingless bees.

Day 4

After breakfast, we will set off poling down the Shiripuno River in traditional Huaorani style (7 hours) in order to appreciate the sounds and sights of the rainforest. This is time to see unaware animals in their habitat, to have a nice conversation with your trip fellows or just take a nap. After lunch, a replenishing swim will make your day. Upon arrival to Nenquepare, visit of an impressive waterfall and a 3 hour hike. Later, we will return to the campsite for dinner and perhaps a bonfire before we go to sleep.

Day 5

After breakfast, we will head to the “civilization” crossing the border between tradition Huaorani territory and the oil companies’ zone. Modernization and everything that comes with it have displaced the Huaorani from their original belongings. Government’s positive attitude towards oil exploitation and deforestation can be seen in this part of our journey as we pass by miles of pipelines, roads and soils that cannot be used for agriculture: a cruel threat to the Huorani community and other indigenous cultures. After this 2.5 hour transfer, we reach the bank of the Rio Napo and the town of Coca where we catch our flight back to Quito.

5 days , from $1482

Occupancy Type	3-Star
Double	$1482
Single	$1998

Prices shown above are per person, in US Dollars ($).

Prices include ground transportation from Quito to Shell round, domestic airfare from Shell to the Huaorani Community round, transfers including one piece of luggage, accommodation at the Huaorani Ecolodge, all meals and drinks (except soft drinks and alcoholic beverages), tours in English, a bilingual naturalist guide, a local Huaorani Guide and entrance fees. Local airport taxes that are payable at the country of destination are not included.

Cabins all contain: a pair of twin beds (which can be joined to create a double if desired); a private bathroom equipped with a shower and flush toilet; drinking water at all times; a porch with comfortable chairs. Electricity is provided 24 hours a day by solar panels. Environmentally-friendly soaps and shampoos are provided. For those days when relaxing is the priority the Lodge provides a hammock house on the banks of the Shiripuno River.

Transportation from Quito to Shell/Puyo and back is by small bus, from 4-5 hours each way, and the 40-minute chartered flights from Shell/Puyo to Quehueri’ono and back are via either a 3- or 5-seater Cessna.

Transportation around the Lodge is by foot and by poled, dugout canoe. Return to Quito on Extraordinary Programs is by dugout canoe, small bus and regular flights from Francisco de Orellana (Coca). Prevailing weather conditions may delay flights, and programs will adapt accordingly.

The restaurant provides nutritionally balanced meals, hygienically prepared with care and artistry by the local chefs. Locally grown produce is used wherever possible. Fruit, tea and coffee are always on hand and a bar is available for beer, wine and soft drinks. Locally made handicrafts and souvenirs can be bought from the community shop.

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.

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