ecuador

There can be such things as "survival experts" in our society, for to survive the wilderness, you only need to keep yourself from
freezing to death for a few days. But to be an expert at the traditional living skills of hunting, trapping and gathering as the
Huaorani and other remnants of gatherer-hunter peoples are, you must live it, every day, always. There is no wilderness to
survive.

Expedition Emphasis
1. Indigenous cultures of the Ecuadorian rainforest.
2. Native skills specific to the rainforest environment, taught by our guides, the native people.
3. Rainforest ecology , including intensive ethnobotany and entomology studies.

The area we travel is a remote and varied rainforest ecosystem, with two very distinct native cultures as our focus of study and
interaction; the Huaorani and the lowland Quichua peoples. Some of the areas we will be traveling in have probably never been
seen by a non-indigenous person.

“Of all human existence, 99 percent was life in a primitive society, as a fraction remains today. If for no other reason
than this, we should be curious about it.” -Elman R. Service ‘The Ghosts of Our Ancestors’

Before delving into the trip itinerary, we think it is important for you to understand WHY we have chosen the area we have for
this expedition. The areas that we venture into are some of the most remote and pristine in the world. All of these areas are in
severe danger of oil exploitation, timber clear cutting devastation, and colonization. The severe pressures on the Ecuadorian
rainforest and its native cultures are very real. The primary forest areas (never cut) we will explore are in danger of being leveled
to miles upon miles of sun baked clay and mud within the next few years. The World Bank has begun major and aggressive
funding for roadway development and oil and timber explorations throughout Ecuador, Peru and farther into Brazil with seemingly
no consideration to long-term environmental repercussions. Over the past several years of doing these trips we have witnessed an
EXTREMELY rapid increase in these destructive practices.

The native people in these areas are trying to join together to create feasible economic alternatives to resource exploitation
through tourism and biological resource management. The indigenous people understand that the world needs to experience what
is worth protecting in order to get the worlds' attention.The severe pressures on the Ecuadorian rainforest and its native cultures
are very real.

And time is running out. The native culture is being dismantled from many fronts by those who seek economic growth by using
them for whatever profits and cheap labor they can get out of them. We try to help the indigenous culture by utilizing them as
teachers, rather than making them change their ways.

This trip is designed in coordination with local Quichua, Huaorani and other native people to help them with their vision to protect
their way of life and their rainforest home. In fact, a few days are going to be set aside for a service project in a local village. This
is one of the BEST opportunities to connect with the people. We turn from tourists into family, and they really appreciate our help.
It is the best way to get involved and experience their culture.

Another primary focus of our trip is to become well versed in the tropical natural history of the areas we are traveling. We will
continually be immersed in experiences where we will learn about plants, fungi, mammals, birds, fish, insects, crustaceans,
mollusks, amphibians, and reptiles and everything else in a hands on, in person, and in often almost-too-close-for-comfort ways.

As well, a great emphasis will be put on learning the culture and ways of life of the Quichua and Huaorani people, such as their
uses of medicinal plants, plant harvesting, hunting and fishing techniques, and rainforest living skills. We will all finish the trip with a
deeper relationship with the natural environment and our “native” selves.

All travel after reaching the rainforest is done by river navigation via motorized dugout canoes, paddle dugout canoes and by foot.
Adventure, laughs, amazement and enrichment are what compose our everyday experience. Our accommodations will be in
traditional huts with palm thatch and also shelters that we learn to make on location. A few nights will be spent in tents. We cook
all of our food over an open fire or gas stove, and we will be living far from any electricity or need for it. These trips have been life
changing for many people!

After the trip you will have a responsibility to carry what you have learned, your stories and experiences, into your every day lives
back home.

Expedition Itinerary

During our three weeks together we will travel through at least four separate tropical rainforest environments.

Day 1-3 The trip will start in the cool high elevation cloud forest, one of most spectacular landscapes I can think of. Epiphytic
moss, bromeliads and orchids cover every bit of available surface area. This incredible biosphere in the sky is known throughout
the world for its exotic bird life such as the cock-of-the-rock and many species of hummingbirds. Then we travel over the Andes
and down to the town of Misualli and the Rio Napo river, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River.

Day 4 From here we begin our travel by Motorized dugout canoe to explore the higher elevation rain forest for a day trip to the
town of Coca. This area is referred to as the Upper Napo Region, A transitional ecosystem between the cloud forest and the
tropical lowlands. This ecosystem is rich in micro fauna, and amphibians. The Upper Napo region boasts of having the greatest
plant biodiversity of anywhere in the world, with over 250 species of trees alone per hectare! En route we will visit a somewhat
primitive "zoo" that the local people have put together to show the various wildlife of the area. It's a great chance to get up close
and personal with monkeys and Capybara's.

Day 5 We arrive in Coca, the infamous launching point for rainforest expeditions as well as oil explorations in Ecuador. We will
spend a night here to make final plans and purchases for the next leg of our trip.

Days 6-10 We travel the "Via Auca" (Savage road) to Rio Shiripuno to begin our journey into Huaorani territory. For the next 4
or 5 days we will explore this and other river tributaries for wildlife, and interact with front-country Huaorani culture along the
way. We will be accompanied by our Quichua staff as well as Huaorani natives who usually welcome our canoe as a way to
"hitchhike" to the next community. The Quichua people, native to the highlands, are professional canoe drivers that navigate the
shallow rocky waters, trained cooks (the best in the business) that create three tasty and often traditional Ecuadorian meals a day.
(We all play a part in helping in the kitchen) This land is as pristine as it was hundreds of years ago. The mammal life is abundant,
and the unexpected is always around the corner such as huge anaconda, the rare giant neotropical river otters that are over nine
feet long, trees full of toucans and macaws and with the most luck ever, a jaguar or black panther may be laying along the river
bank. Due to the remote locations we will be visiting, a lot of time is spent traveling all together in canoes and exploring the
waterways of the Conanoco river. There tend to be many chances for swimming or playing on the sandy beaches, and exploring
the forests. The days are relaxed and time changes meaning. There are no schedules. Our only routine tasks are in cooking food,
and setting up camp. There may be occasions when we take ax, machete or chain saw in hand and spend a few hours cutting a
tree that fell across the river which blocks our passage. As you can imagine, this is truly an adventure in that we don't know what
is going to be around the next bend in the river... As the trip progresses and our skills and knowledge increase, all of us will
participate as a team, regardless of each other's titles. When we reach a village our guides become Huaorani. They are noted as
being some of the last remaining hunting and gathering people still in existence. They are incredible hunters and still hunt primarily
with blowgun and poison tipped darts. Their knowledge of the rainforest and its ways are unmatched. The Huaorani are
spectacular to be in the presence of and it is inspiring to watch their movements through the forest. With very strong frames and
incredible muscle development they are unique human beings and pinnacle examples of survival of the fittest. Their examples of
raw brute strength is humbling to any non-Huaorani.

Days 11-16 We eventually reach the Huaorani community known as Bameno, the most remote Huaorani village in Ecuador.
(Called Sandoval on most maps). Here we will spend the next several days living with, helping, and learning from the Huaorani
people. We are now on "native time" and every day is an opportunity for adventure. Last year we hunted Cayman at night, hiked
a mud path looking for wild pigs, picked bananas, made pottery, shot blowguns, chased monkeys, made baskets, and this in only
two days! This year we are changing our itinerary to be able to spend more time in this wonderful community. In order to do this
we will be flying back from Bameno to Coca, utilizing an airstrip built in Bameno a few decades back to enable missionaries to
come in. (We're happy to say that despite the airstrip, the missionaries have had less influence on the Bameno community than on
most of the others. Probably because the oil companies are not exploring there intensively YET.)

Days 17-21 After flying back to Coca we will continue our travel where we left off on day 5 down the Napo river to our next
ecosystem known as the "flooded forest". This forest is inundated with up to 15 feet of water from four to five months out of the
year. Most of our travel through this area will be done via dugout paddle canoe. In the still black tea colored water there are two
species of freshwater dolphin, The Gray amazon dolphin and the amazing Pink freshwater dolphin! There is a good chance that
we will see electric eels, freshwater sting rays, and an incredible array of fish comparable in diversity to that of the entire Atlantic
Ocean! In the evenings amidst the eery howls of howler monkeys we will hunt for large catfish and piranha that we may have for
dinner (if we are lucky). Aquatic life dominates in this very unusual world, but it supports large numbers of mammals as well, such
as capybara, tapir, and many kinds of monkeys. It is not uncommon to see colonies of squirrel and capuchin monkeys in "tribes"
composed of over a hundred members leaping and foraging in the trees as we sight them from our canoes on Piranha lake.

On day 21 we will return to Coca by motorized canoe, arriving in the evening where we can have a hearty meal, celebrate our
adventure and prepare to leave that night or the next day.

Day 21 and beyond... As we end our journey there will be a lot of reflection on how we can take this intimate experience home
with us. Many have described returning home as a challenge. You will come home with a lot on your plate. During this experience,
we are not the average tourists. We will be a part of what this fourth world life is like, in which purity, family kinship, and inner
strength are primary values. To incorporate these values into your everyday life may be the biggest challenge that you have after
returning from the trip. Yet if you succeed you have gained the skills and perspective to possibly (and often inadvertently)
influence the world in positive ways. You can check out some pictures from our last trip and learn a bit more about the ecosystem
by watching our slide show. See you there! Price: $1900 - does not include airfare.

***Because of the adventurous nature of this trip, the above itinerary is subject to alteration.

Expedition Leader - Hazen Audel
Logistics Coordinator - Greg Weiss