Kayaking the Amazon in Ecuador

Spend 6 days kayaking the Amazon deep into the rainforest to visit a local Huaorani community. Paddling through flooded forests, local guides will introduce you to the Amazon’s magnificent plants and wildlife as well as teaching you about their exceptional heritage.

The Huaorani communities of Ecuador are dotted along the tributaries of the Amazon as it leaves the Andes mountains and its course flattens into tropical primary forest. The tribal groups that make up the 1200-strong Huaorani, live in Ecuador’s largest national park and had no contact with the outside world until the late 1950s.

There are caiman, monkeys, snakes and over 100 species of tropical birds living in flooded forests that in parts are made up of Ceibo trees up to 500-years old. Masters of their environment, the Huaorani make full use of the Amazon jungle’s diverse ecosystem. Formerly hunter/gatherers most now live in villages, though one clan continues to shun all outside contact.

On this 6-day trip, you will be kayaking the Amazon through primary rainforest to get nearer to wildlife you would otherwise spook with outboard engines. Your bilingual Huaorani guide will navigate your way through waterways and flooded forest lakes. Back on dry land, you will also be taken along forest trails, learning the medicinal properties of plants and spotting monkeys, snakes, tropical birds and giant ant colonies.

You will also have the chance to meet a tribal family and discuss their world and version of Creation as well as their day-to-day activities like hunting and weaving, before heading off for a night-walk in search of nocturnal wildlife like the area’s once-endangered black caiman. Once you’ve learnt how to feed yourself with a blow-dart lesson, you can finish your days camping wild and soaking up the sounds of a jungle night the Huaorani way.

If you are an intrepid traveller and watched Bruce Parry’s ‘Tribe’ TV series, wishing you could do it, then this is for you. This 6-day trip is designed for people who care about the natural world and the tribal cultures that still manage to survive in small pockets across the globe. You need to have a sense of social responsibility and to be able to empathise with the people you will meet.

The length of this tour would fit in well with a longer stay in Ecuador or South America in general. This trip is for keen explorers, as the days are long and physical. Be aware also that you are venturing into an undeveloped and remote area. Any hazards associated with hiking and kayaking may therefore be greater than normal.