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RECIPIENT OF  MERITO JOSE TOBAR TOBAR AWARD FOR 2002:

ECUADOR MINISTRY OF TOURISM AWARD HONORS

KAPAWI ECOLODGE AS "CLOSEST TO PERFECT"

          The Ministry of Tourism of Ecuador, has recognized Kapawi EcoLodge & Reserve in the Amazon as the winner of the Merito Jose Tobar Tobar award, saying Kapawi represented “Ecuador's closest approach to the perfect ecolodge”. With the assistance and backing of Canodros, S.A., Kapawi began operations in 1996. In 2011 Kapawi will be fully managed by the Achuar people.

          Kapawi's total ecology theme is recommended to visitors seeking soft adventure in one of the last undisturbed centers of biodiversity in the world. Prior to this recent recognition, the award-winning Kapawi EcoLodge was widely recognized as the premier eco-tourism complex in South America.

         Kapawi is on the Pastaza River in the most remote area of the Ecuadorian Amazon basin accessible only by Monday and Friday 50-minute flights via Austro Aereo Airlines to Macas
 and then a 20 minute commute to Kapawi aboard an 8-seater. Visitors reach Kapawi

after miles of breath-taking views as they fly above the Andes, gliding through the “Avenue of The Volcanoes” and snapping photos of the scenery as it changes from snow capped mountains to the deep green sea embracing the horizon and the rain forest canopy, the natural home of a majority of the living species on Earth.

          Built in partnership with the indigenous Achuar Indians and the privately owned enterprise, Canodros S.A., Kapawi is a state-of-the-art project. The lodge was created in the Achuar concept of architecture without the use of a single metal nail. Environmentally-friendly amenities and necessities such as solar energy, biodegradable soaps, and trash recycling systems are among the most who had remained isolated for centuries. With age-old traditions still intact, their land has remained untouched by logging or oil companies.

         Isolation doesn't mean a lack of comfort. Kapawi offers 20 double rooms with wide terraces to observe the myriad daily animal visitors; private bathrooms; sun heated showers; and electricity provided by a photovoltaic system. It is located on the shore of Kapawi Lake.

          Cuisine-wise, the lodge serves international and Ecuadorian specialties. A library remains

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MINISTRY OF TOURISM CITES KAPAWI AS 'CLOSEST TO PERFECT'                                        page 2

            open throughout the day. A small boutique stocks essential items as well as handicrafts and souvenirs. Kapawi programs are offered in three levels: easy; moderate; and difficult. Journeys to virgin areas are occasionally offered, excellent physical condition is required for the difficult program.

          Kapawi, and the rain forest in general,  is like no place else on Earth, for instance:

·        The area of Kapawi EcoLodge is home to 528 known species of birds (and continues to grow). That’s four times the species in all the broad-leaf forests of North America and more than in all of Europe….in an area no larger than Manhattan;

·        Ecuador’s tropical rain forests contain more than 20,000 plant species, some 7,000 more than throughout all of Europe;

·        More than 2,000 plants in tropical rain forests have been identified as having anti-cancer properties. At the current rate of destruction the remaining rain forests of the world will be consumed in 40 years;

·        The Amazon River discharges 28 billion gallons of water to the sea each minute, more than 10 times the flow of the Mississippi;            

·        One tree in the Amazon may contain more species of ants than in the entire United Kingdom;

                    Per person commissionable rates begin at $600 for 3 nights/4 days. Roundtrip transportation from Quito is $150 additional, as is a $10 Achuar community fee. Not included are any national or international taxes, beverages, or souvenirs. Ecuador departure tax at the airport is $27 in cash.

          Canodros also owns and operates the 100-passenger, all-suite luxury cruise ship Galapagos Explorer II which operates 3, 4, and 7-night cruises in Darwin's fabled Galapagos archipelago, visits up to 10 ports on the longer cruises. The archipelago has  thirteen "large" islands, six small ones, and more than 40 islets.