Journey to one of the world's most remote and sustainable ecolodges to explore the incredible amazon rainforest and connect with the native Achuar people. You'll spend 5 days kayaking along beautiful rivers, hiking through the rainforest or relaxing in a hammock at your cottage. You'll also have the chance to camp with the Achuar community for a night and go out with a local guide in pursuit of the elusive pink river dolphin of the Amazon.
Right for You?
Starts at:
$1,298/person
Speaks: English, Spanish and Other Local Language
Highlights
- Get immersed in a beautiful, remote part of the Amazon
- Connect with the Achuar people and learn about their way of life
- Kayak and swim in pristine rivers, directly outside your cottage
- Relax in comfortable, private rooms with stunning views of the rainforest
- See rare wildlife, with hundreds of species of birds just outside your door
Details
Pick Up:
- Guests will be picked up from their hotel in Quito beginning at 05:30 am.
Departure from Quito:
- Guests will be driven until arriving in Shell.
- Breakfast (Lunch Box) will be provided for every passenger. Short stops will be made during the trip for bathroom breaks and photo opportunities.
Arrival in Shell:
- Guests will be welcomed by our Achuar representatives and will be assisted onto small planes.
- The 50-minute flight from Shell will pass over unbroken pristine rainforest, arriving at the airstrip of the local Achuar community.
- There you will be welcomed by Kapawi guides, who will escort you on the final leg of your journey, a beautiful 30-minute canoe ride into the majesty and tranquility of the rainforest.
Lunch at Kapawi Ecolodge:
- After lunch guests will have the opportunity to relax, unpack, and situate themselves with the surroundings.
Afternoon:
- we will have a quiet activity where guests can walk along one of the Pastaza River beaches. Here, our guides will give guests an introductory orientation session with information about the rainforest and the Achuar culture, while enjoying a beautiful sunset. Back to Dinner.
Early morning:
- Our guides will escort guests on a 30 minute motor boat ride to reach one of the best natural attractions, the Claylick, where guests will see different species of parrots, macaws, and parrots such as the Cobalt-Winged Parakeet, Chestnut- Fronted Macaw, and Yellow Crowned Amazon.
After breakfast:
- Guests can take a walk, approximately 2 hours with stops, where they will learn about medicinal plants of the area and tropical forest ecology.
Lunch at Kapawi Ecolodge and time to rest.
Afternoon:
- Guests will be able to explore, via kayak, the Kapawari River and its connecting lagoons, while looking at the local wildlife such as the pink river dolphin. As the river is quite calm, swimming is completely safe.
After dinner (optional):
- Guests can partake in a spectacular night walk, observing the many different kinds of insects and amphibians that are found around the hotel.
Early morning:
- Guests will have the opportunity to finding and spotting the great variety of birds that the southeast Rainforest of Ecuador offers like Hoatzin, Anhinga, Speckled Chachalaca, White Eared Jacamar, Cocoi Heron, Neotropical Cormorant, and the Great Egret.
After breakfast
- Guests will take a walk, approximately 2 hours with stops, where they will learn about the benefits and uses of the palms to the Achuar and the important ecological role played by insects and animals in the forest.
Afternoon:
- Some activities will be offered: including Fishing where you can fish for piranha or catfish. Cultural activities (legends in hammock house, traditional greetings around a campfire. Guests will also be able to learn the art of Achuar face painting and how it relates to their different activities.
After dinner
- Explore the Kapawari River in search of nocturnal animals such as monkeys, alligators and birds. All this coupled with a fantastic starry sky Kapawi.
Early Morning:
- Guests can go bird watching up the Kapawari River or to go to the Claylick.
Breakfast and departure for a full day activities:
- Our guides will escort guests along the Pitzacocha trail and Lagoon. During this time guests can learn about the forest and its benefits for the Achuar native people. Our guides will also teach guests about Achuar hunting techniques and ARUTAM the spirit of the forest. Picnic lunch in the forest.
After lunch:
- Guests will visit an Achuar community. This is one of our most popular activities offered in Kapawi, because of the significant cultural contribution to the Achuar people. Guests will have a chance to see a Community and its members and purchase some traditional handicrafts. Return to the lodge followed by dinner.
After dinner:
- Cultural activities (legends in hammock house, traditional greetings) Guests will also be able to learn and practice the art of Achuar face painting and how it relates to their different activities.
Early morning:
- Our guides will bring guests to specific points near the hotel, in order to locate various species of birds.
Breakfast and preparation for departure:
- In the last few hours before departure from the Achuar territory, guests can participate in a blowgun contest to demonstrate who the best hunter among the guides and guests.
Departure:
- Fly back to Shell.
- Lunch Box will be provided.
- Return to Quito along the same route as the arrival.
What's Included
Traveler Reviews
Your Local Host
Kapawi Amazon Lodge
Locally Owned Community Project
With a visit to the Kapawi Amazon Lodge, not only will you be contributing to the projects of the Achuar community that preserve the culture and the fascinating natural environment surrounding it, but you will also discover a completely different lifestyle, experience an ancient culture, travel in the past of the Amazon jungle, and bear witness to the unique way of life of the gardians of the jungle.
Getting There
