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The Huaorani people have inhabited the headwaters of the Amazon for millennia and lived as hunters and gatherers, entirely without contact with outsiders right up until the end of the 1950's. Indeed, at least one Huaorani clan continues to shun all contact with the outside world. Numbering approximately 1,200 individuals, they continue to maintain a largely traditional lifestyle, living from the rainforest, though missionaries and oil companies have had some influence.
We have established a close relationship with the Huaorani and under their complete control and with our guidance we have developed a joint programme to bring visitors to the territory of one of their communities on the upper Shiripuno river.
As a company committed to the principles of sustainability, we ensure that the community and ONHAE, the Huaorani Federation, receive proper economic benefit from the tourism operation. A fee is paid per visitor to the community and the Huaorani Federation, and the local inhabitants, remunerated for their work in the operation, are trained in all the different areas related to socially and ecologically responsible tourism: guidance, restaurant, maintenance, proper waste disposal methods, logistics.
Huaorani leader, Moi Enomenga, made famous by articles in the New Yorker magazine that told about the Huaorani and their struggle against oil companies, for being the main character in the book 'Savages' by Joe Kane, as well as an NBC documentary telling of his struggle to protect Huaorani land from oil companies, is our ecotourism coordinator and his community, Quehueri'ono, our counterpart in this joint venture. Moi believes that ecotourism is a means by which his people can receive an income whilst maintaining the integrity of Huaorani culture and conserving their rainforest territory.
Our programme involves the exploration of both primary and secondary rainforest in the company of Moi and one of our own bilingual naturalist guides. We will stay in cabins of local design and ecologically friendly infrastructure, close to the community. Visitors will thus experience and learn about the Huaorani culture and their close relationship with the forest, they will have the possibility of observing Amazon wildlife in the hikes and different activities, and they will receive a conservationist interpretation of the ecology and actual situation of the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest.
To sum up, this programme is a very special experience which will take you to one of the most ecologically important areas on the planet in the company of a unique rainforest culture. Although we do not provide such city comforts as hot water and private showers, we do provide the possibility to get intimate with nature at its most exuberance and to see life in the rainforest through the eyes of people who have lived there forever.
Your visit will help encourage the Huaorani to support responsible ecotourism as a viable alternative to sustainability rather than surrendering to the destructive appetites of the oil industry. Your visit will provide an important income which will reinforce and promote the long term conservation of their cultural identity and their nurturing environment.
The Itinerary
DAY 1:
Pick up at your hotel in Quito and drive East then descend along the Quijos and Cosanga river valleys into the Amazon Basin. At the small town of Shell we have lunch in a local restaurant before boarding a light aircraft around 3pm for the breathtaking 45 minute flight over the rainforest to the Huaorani village of Wentaro where we will be met by Moi and other villagers. Then we will walk for around 3 hours to Quehueri’ono village. Our packs will be sent up river by canoe to the camp while we walk for around 3 hours to Quehueri’ono village. A refreshing swim in the Shiripuno river which is overlooked by the camp will round off the afternoon.
DAY 2:
Today we will pole down the river to the village for a meeting with community representatives who will officially welcome us and talk about their environment, history and social situation. They will be interested to know of your personal motivations for visiting. After lunch in the community, we will hike into the hilly terra firma rainforest in the company of Moi who will show us a range of medicinal plants and our bi-lingual naturalist guide, arriving back at the camp before sunset.
DAY 3:
A rainforest walk to seek wildlife. While the jaguar certainly lives in the area they are very discrete and elusive. If we are lucky, we may see their footprints along the trail. We will also learn about the Huaorani's practical and spiritual relationship with their rainforest environment. In the afternoon, we visit community members in their homes to talk and learn about their traditional handicrafts.
DAY 4:
Today, after breakfast we leave the camp and head down river in dugout canoes. We will make camp on a beach on the river in the afternoon and visit an ox-bow lake. There’s a good chance we will spot the unique hoatzin flapping on riverside bushes, or maybe a caiman lurking on the bank.
DAY 5:
This day we will go down the river until Shiripuno bridge, where our driver will be waiting for us to travel to Coca. Dinner and overnight in Coca.
DAY 6:
Early in the morning departure to the airport to catch your flight to Quito.
General Information
What to bring: Sleeping bag or blanket, sun block, hat, insect repellent, rain poncho, rubber boots, binoculars, cameras, swimming gear, and towel.
About the accommodation: For 2004 possible we will have a small Lodge with cottages made from local materials - a palm-thatched roof and split palm trunk floor. At the moment our program is developed in a camp site with tenders and kitchen area.
About the food: We do not add to the pressure on the environment by consuming food that the Huaorani hunt and gather from the forest. The majority of the food for the tourist operation is brought from Quito, including drinking water. However, we do purchase locally and seasonally abundant crops such as manioc, banana and papaya.
Degree of difficulty: The rainforest hikes are accessible to anyone with reasonable fitness. During the activities, you will have to carry a daypack with your rain poncho, binoculars and camera equipment.
Important:
Itineraries may be modified to suit the interests of our clients, given the proper notice, and also in the case of weather problems.
Departure dates
As of January 2003, there will be one fixed departure per month. Please do not hesitate to request the dates.
| Tour Tariff - Private Departures | |||||
| N° of Participants | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| USD | $ 3335 | $ 1915 | $ 1352 | $ 1224 | |
| EUR | € 2768 | € 1589 | € 1122 | € 1015 | |
| GBP | £ 1867 | £ 1072 | £ 757 | £ 685 | |
Price Includes:
Transportation Quito-Shell-Community-Coca-Quito, accommodations and meals as specified, special naturalist bilingual guide and a Huaorani guide.
Price does not Include:
Tips, alcoholic beverages and extra personal expenses
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