Itinerary:

DAY 1

You'll be picked from your hotel in Quito at 8:00 a.m., to start this unique and fantastic life experience, towards the “Amazon basins”! After traveling through the Valley of Tumbaco, crossing the eastern cordillera of the Andes, and then descending through the cloud forest to reach the small village of Papallacta, you'll stop to enjoy its natural hot springs, which gives you the opportunity to enjoy it's incredible healing properties! Then you continue driving towards the Arajuno River, where your motorized canoe awaits! After a 10 minutes boat ride, you arrive to Itamandi Lodge. After having had some time to rest, you start an unforgettable nocturnal walk to get used to all the creatures and sounds that you will hear for the next few nights in the middle of the tropical rainforest! Time for Dinner, rest and relax.

DAY 2

Breakfast. You will ride the canoe for about 30 minutes, downstream, through the Arajuno River, to visit an animal rescue center, where you have the opportunity to spot a lot of local birds, mammals and reptiles in their local habitat, in a relatively short time! After this fascinating experience, you'll have a rewarding and delicious pic-nic at the Arajuno´s riverside, enjoying the mysterious sounds of the jungle at the same time! Then you continue with your spirit of adventure to visit a local Kichwa community, where you will learn all about the local people's way of living, their traditions, beliefs and daily nutrition. Walking around the community’s farmlands you will find interesting tropical products such as banana, pineapple, cocoa, coffee, papaya, etc. It will be possible to visit a swamp, home of many alligators and hoatzins! On our way back to the lodge, you will make a stop in a cocoa plantation, in order to prepare by yourselves your own dessert based in pure and tasty fine chocolate! After dinner, you'll receive an important briefing for next day, about the Huaorani tribe, to learn and understand how to behave with them during your visit.

DAY 3

After having breakfast, you will ride through the river for about 10 minutes, then you will take your private transportation to travel by land about one and a half hours through a bumpy road. You start passing a couple of control points that belong different Oil Companies. You will make different stops on your way, accompanied by a native guide, in order to spot different interesting and exotic animals! Then suddenly you start seeing naked indigenous walking through the roads that were built by the Oil Companies!! They will invite us to pass to their territory! The first contacts with the Wuaorani happened in 1956, by an evangelical mission, when after several contacts they reached the Curaray River area (Pastaza), throwing machetes and picks from the sky, to let them build a track to land on a sandy beach located at the banks of Curaray River, 1.300 meters far from what it is today Toñampari. The first 5 missionaries were found dead on January 21, 1956, pierced by several Huaorani spears! You will discover different types of flora and fauna that the Huaorani tribe knows how to take advantage of their medicinal or toxic properties! You will feel how hard life is in the jungle, how to survive in extreme weather conditions, how to collect jungle fruits, how to make traditional and useful hats, how to make different utensils. All this unforgettable life experiences surrounded by a well-preserved primary forest and accompanied by Huaorani people all the time! In the afternoon you'll have lunch, and you will organize a blowpipe competition and you can also enjoy their ceremonial dances and their beautiful and genuine handicrafts! Before dark you'll be back in your lodge to enjoy a tasty dinner, and to relax with a little bit more of comfort..!

DAY 4

Before breakfast, you will wake up earlier, to visit a parrot licking spot. You will be regaled, looking hundreds of colourful parrots and parakeets approaching to you!! After breakfast, you start your drive back to Quito, but not before visiting Misahuallí village, well-known in the region for having a big community of Capuchin Monkeys living within it, in between the houses of the local people! Finally it will be the end of this unforgettable life experience, with one of the most recent human being groups contacted by the western world!!

RECOMMENDED DAYS: Any day of the week.

Include:

• Private Transportation
• Canoe rides
• Certified English speaking guide
• Native guides
• Mentioned hotels or similar (depending on availability)
• All meals according to itinerary
• Entrance fees
• Kichwa community entrance fee
• Huaorani Reserve entrance fee
• Mentioned itinerary and visits

Exclude:

• Drinks
• Extra meals
• Huaorani handicrafts
• Kichwa handicrafts

Level de Difficulty: 

• Moderate

Recommendations:

Important outfits: Camera, sunscreen lotion, insect repellent, cap or hat, sunglasses, bathing suit, towel, sandals, binoculars, backpack or handbag, comfortable walking shoes or tennis shoes, T-shirts, long sleeves shirts, long and short trousers, windbreaker and waterproof jacket, passport, and some cash (US dollars) for additional meals or drinks.

Tour average temperature: 15 C° - 27 C°  /  59 F° - 80,6 F°  

Insurance: It is responsibility of every traveler that he/she is adequately insured against personal accidents and medical expenses during his/her trip to Ecuador, as well as having travel cancellation and baggage insurance to protect himself/herself.

Tour booking policy: Our tours are based on private transportation and guiding services. - All tour prices are given in US dollars. - All services should be fully prepaid before starting the tour. - Bookings must be done through www.ecuadorbesttours.com, or by paying directly at our offices. - For last minute bookings, our clients must request availability via phone call or email. After confirming availability, bookings must be fully prepaid before starting the tour. - Especial physical conditions, allergies and dietary restrictions must be informed to a EBT's representative in advance. - Our tours will be guided in fluent English or Spanish languages, as it is required. - EBT shall have no liability with passengers in case of accidents or sickness. Therefore, EBT deeply recommends a private travel insurance. - EBT reserves the right to cancel or suspend tours depending on weather conditions, natural disasters, government regulations, suspicious diseases, etc. Always regarding for the safety of the passengers. - Under no circumstances, EBT will refund any money on the same day that the tour takes place. - Cancellations must be done 5 days previous departure day. - Flights cancellations, or last minute flight changes are totally out of control or responsibility of EBT. - Children under 3 years old don't pay. - EBT never offers any refund if a cancellation happens within 5 days before tours departure date. - EBT always offers a 60% refund of the total amount if the client decides to cancel a tour 6 days or more, before tours departure date.