Kapawi Ecolodge - 5 Days/4 Nights

The departure will be at 9.30 am. from the town of Shell, in Pastaza, where the main airport is located. You will prepare for the 50-minute flight to the Achuar community of Kusutkau. The flight covers approximately 160 kilometers and enters the southeastern region of the Ecuadorian Amazon. From the Kusutkau community, a motor boat is taken for a 20-30 minute trip to the ecolodge along the Capahuari river.

Upon arrival at the lodge, the resident manager will escort you to the main dining and social area, where he will give an introductory talk about the ecolodge, provide some recommendations, and take you to your cabins and rooms. Lunch will be served in the main dining room at 1 pm.

The activity in Kapawi in the afternoon will include a small introductory walk in the forest. This walk includes several stops, where naturalist and local guides explain the characteristics of the ecology of the Amazon Rainforest. It is an easy walk that can last from 1 to 2 hours.

After the introductory walk and before dinner, we will have several options to choose from. Swimming or paddling in the river from our dock is always available, as is relaxing in the riverside cabana, or lounging in the main area where the dining room and bar are located.

Dinner will be at 7:30 pm, and after dinner, the guide will go over the plan and activities for the next day with the group.

The first night in Kapawi is also an excellent opportunity to share with the Achuar hosts. We use this time to hear about the purpose and your expectations of the trip. This will help us personalize and plan travel experiences for the days ahead.

Every day, the Achuar organize a Wayus ceremony, or wayusa tea, which takes place in the cabin next to the main pier (350 meters from the rooms). The moment of the Wayus is a traditional activity in an Achuar home, which takes place before dawn, generally starting at 4 am. This moment is special for the Achuar since it is a family moment to share dreams, plan the day's activities or simply to have a conversation about family topics. The lodge staff practice this tradition every morning, and offer the optional activity of joining them and spending Wayus time with local hosts, talking about dreams, listening to Achuar stories, and sharing an aspect of Achuar culture and life.

The wayusada ends around sunrise, and after that an early activity is always offered, including an early boat ride to watch birds and wildlife, or the chance to hike our self-guided trail or search for wildlife on the lodge grounds. Breakfast is served at 8 am.

After breakfast, you will take a walk through the forest to learn about the forest from the Achuar perspective of useful and medicinal plants. Forest species play a key role in Achuar construction, food, medicine and tools, and the Achuar guide will interpret Achuar knowledge of the forest and the importance of natural resources in Achuar daily life. Return to the lodge for lunch at 1 pm.

After a short rest after lunch, we will make a second outing on the Capahuari River. This means leaving the dock at 3.30pm for a boat ride up the Capahuari River, then switching to single and double kayaks for a paddle back to the lodge following the current. This is a great opportunity to observe wildlife on the banks of the river, and to look for pink dolphins.

After dinner, you will have the option of taking a night walk in the forest that surrounds the lodge. This walk lasts approximately 1 hour and is designed to look for nocturnal insects, reptiles, amphibians, and other forest species that are active at night. The walk usually lasts from 9-10 pm.

4 am optional Wayus time. New dreams, new stories and new conversations always help to get to know the Achuar culture and understand the world.

After the wayusada, we will take a boat ride to the parrot saladero in the Pastaza river. There are usually 4-6 different species of parrots that feed early in the morning on the minerals and nutrients in the soil: Chestnut-fronted Macaws, Dusky-headed Parakeets and Amazon Parrots are usually observed from the boat. Return to the lodge for breakfast at 8 am.

After breakfast, we will leave for a community visit at 9.30 am. There are several communities around Kapawi to choose from, and we take turns visiting families in different communities as part of Kapawi's participatory and equitable model.

The visit to the community involves different moments, which include a walking tour of the community, a visit to the Ajá, or farm or family garden, a traditional lunch and an optional market to buy handicrafts and fabrics.

Return to the lodge in the late afternoon. Sometimes, depending on the weather, watching the sunset from the Pastaza River is a great way to end the day. A bonfire is built every evening in the cabin by the dock and river. It is a relaxing activity at the end of the day. You can relax in a hammock by the river or swim in the Capahuari River. Swimming in the river from the dock is a safe activity, and your guides will always be ready for a swim every afternoon, especially after a hot sunny day.

After dinner, you will have the option of a night boat ride. This trip takes approximately 1 hour. It leaves the pier to go up the Capahuari River, and then drift without the sound of the engine, with the boat's hood open for better visibility of the sky, and listen to the sounds of the forest while looking for nocturnal species, including the caiman, capybaras , and other nocturnal species of birds and bats.

So far, you will have enjoyed two days exploring the forest, the river, and community life. We generally suggest leaving this day open. Depending on the time of year, there are always special nature and cultural options to explore. Perhaps the fig trees are bearing fruit and this provides an opportunity to observe wildlife in specific parts of the forest, or perhaps one of the communities has a special event that you can participate in, or perhaps there is a specific activity that want to perform.

The Amazon jungle is a magical place that changes all the time, that's why we leave this day open to customize the best experience available at that time. Also, after a couple of full days in Kapawi, many visitors appreciate a moment of relaxation and time to enjoy the Amazon from the lodge.

Usual early activity options in Kapawi are offered, followed by breakfast at the lodge. You will get ready and leave after breakfast, around 10 am, taking a boat ride up the river to the Kusutkau community. You will take the flight to Shell around 10.30am, landing at Shell 50 minutes later. Once in Shell, the group will return to their starting cities or to their next destinations in Ecuador.