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Ecuador Tours and Travel

Huaorani Amazon Ecolodge

Huaorani Ecolodge is small. It has been designed to be intimate, harmonious and environmentally sustainable way to share time with the Huaorani and experience the richness of their natural environment, while creating the least possible impact on the surroundings. To that end the lodge provides accommodation for a maximum of ten people housed in five comfortable, traditionally built, palm thatched cabins. All cabins are fully meshed to keep you safe from biting insects, and are spaced to provide privacy and a chance to enjoy the sounds of the balmy Amazon nights. 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.

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.

The Huaorani (sometimes written "Waorani") are a timeless tribe. Their origins are unknown and their language (Huaorani translates as "The People") has no relation to any other known tongue. For thousands of years they have made their home in the lush forests of the Amazon, moving silently through the jungle, living amongst the animals and plants, leaving little trace of their presence. "The People" still maintain their traditional lifestyle. But unlike some closely related tribes, who shun outside influences and can be dangerous to approach, they are no longer nomadic hunters. The Huaorani now lead a more settled and open existence in the humid tropical forests of Ecuador.

Huaorani territory takes in some 1.7 million acres, but the presence of western life can be felt even here. The missionaries, the loggers and the oil companies have all had negative impacts on this isolated, but culturally significant people and the health and diversity of its tropical environment. Faced with the destruction of their surroundings and the possible disappearance of their way of life, the Huaorani have chosen to resist. By inviting small numbers of people to share their world for short periods they intend to keep their culture alive. They have opted for sustainable tourism.

The Via Auca is a potent reminder of the presence the oil industry in the Amazon and why sustainable responses have become a necessity if the Huaorani are to survive. The fight to protect their culture and environment first came to the fore in the mid nineteen nineties. Moi Enomenga of the Quehueri’ono community was featured by the New Yorker magazine and was the principle character of Joe Kane’s book ‘Savages’ (1995); an NBC television documentary later told of his struggle to protect his people’s land from oil companies. Moi’s experiences gave him a new perspective. He came to believe that ecotourism could provide a means by which his people might receive an income while maintaining the integrity of their culture and conserving their rainforest territory.

The Ecolodge is one of the outcomes of Moi’s vision. The project to build and run the lodge was developed by the Ecotourism Association of Quehueri’ono - representing five communities on the upper Shiripuno River - and a well know pioneer ecotourism operator based in Quito. The fundamental requirement was that this Lodge be different. Low impact and local participation were given priority. As part of the planning process other tourist lodges were analyzed for common faults and for ideas on how Huaorani Ecolodge could improve on the experience of the standard lodge while also reducing impacts.

Wood for the construction of the Lodge came from trees chosen by the Huaorani together with a forest engineer, while the location was determined based on its distance from Quehueri’ono. Huaorani community members were involved in the Lodge’s construction and form the majority of the employees; there are also plans to create complementary low impact small businesses to increase local employment. Produce is purchased locally. Buildings are lit via solar panels which also power the shortwave radio, refrigerator and water pump. Biodegradable products are used in housekeeping services and bathrooms, and a bio-filter renders all waste products either recyclable or harmless before being discharged into the river. A constant effort is made to improve performance and minimise impacts.

Four day program

Day 1 - After being picked up early at your hotel (7am) , 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 of the 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 -After breakfast, you take an introductory hike of about 3 hours that traverses both terra firme (never flooded whose composition is predominantly tall trees with little understory vegetation) 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. An overlook, or 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, 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).

Rather than returning to the Lodge, you are dropped off across from it to climb a brief series of slopes to the peak of a hill and a heavily-used salt-clay lick. 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 3 - 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 guide 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 - After breakfast, a 2-hour hike along a series of ridges through terra firme forest takes you to a picturesque waterfall. A mirador along the way 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 overlook 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.

You return to the Lodge for last-minute packing and farewells before heading upstream while eating a box lunch in order to catch your flight to Shell and from there the drive to Quito, hopefully catching some glimpses of the volcanoes along the way. Since you are not personally experiencing the effects of the influx of roads, settlers and petroleum companies on the Huaorani and their territory, a DVD about these issues is played on the drive back.

5 Day Program

Days 1-3 - same as above

Day 4 -This is a full day trip away from the Lodge to visit a larger oxbow lake far downstream (Cocha Grande). Most of the day will be spent scouring the banks for birdlife and listening for monkeys before getting out at the trailhead for a short hike to the lookout point and a box lunch. You may feel like taking a siesta on the trip back upstream, although a quick swim should perk you up for late afternoon birding before arriving at the Lodge.

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.

or you can return to Quito the same way as on day 4 of the 4 day program.

6 Day Program

Days 1-3 - same as above

Day 4 - 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.

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 -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.

Rates and departures 2009:
6 Days / 5 Nights - Thursday to Tuesday - Double / Twin = US$ 900 , Single Supplement = US$ 450
5 Days / 4 Nights - Thursday to Monday - Double / Twin = US$ 750 , Single Supplement = US$ 375
4 Days / 3 Nights - Monday to Thursday - Double / Twin = US$ 600 , Single Supplement = US$ 300
Prices are per person

Please note that these rates exclude transportation charges. The basic transportation package cost US$250 and includes: journey by mini bus from Quito through the valley of the volcanoes to Shell, flight in small plane from Shell to the Huaorani Ecolodge; bus from the Shiripuno River Bridge to Coca and commercial flight from Coca to Quito. The option to return by the same inbound route will still be available, and is recommended only for the 4 day program. Transportation charges are subject to change without prior notice

Our operations are scheduled for departures on Mondays and Thursdays. Any departure from the Lodge other than on scheduled days is subject to a supplement. There are no available departures on Sundays due to flights availability.

Included in all programs:
Accommodations at the Lodge
All meals & drinks (except soft drinks and alcoholic beverages)
All activities
Local Huaorani guide+ Bilingual naturalist guide
Use of camping gear, Use of rain poncho (from Quito on),
Use of rubber/Wellington boots up to sizes: European 44 American M 10.5 / F 12; British M 10 / F 9.5
Use of umbrella (in cabin at Lodge)
Biodegradable soap & shampoo

Not included: Transportation outside of the vicinity of the Lodge area, Entrance fee to Huaorani Territory (US$10 per person), Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, Accommodations in Quito or Coca, Transfers from and to airport in Quito, Rubber/Wellington boots greater than sizes: European 44 American M 10.5 / F 12; British M 10 / F 9.5

The way home is also a journey of discovery, not just a retreat to our own workaday world. It is the complement to the primary experience. Travelling along the Via Auca we pass the limits of Huaorani lands and enter the domain of the oil companies. This land once belonged to the 'The People' but now threatens the way of life of the community we have so recently come to know and appreciate. To know the Huaorani and truly appreciate what the Ecolodge represents, we need to know the alternative future. 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.