Expedition in the Ecuadorian Amazon

Trip Description

Accomodation

Stay program

• day 1

  Arrival at Mandari Panga and discovery of the Amazon.

  Your local guide and the Mandari Panga driver will be waiting for you upon your arrival in the city of Coca (at the bus terminal or at the airport). You will then head to the restaurant “Maitos del Yasuní”, created by the indigenous women’s association “Challuwa Mikuna”. There, you can enjoy a delicious traditional Yasuní breakfast (not included). This is where your journey in the Amazon will begin, considered one of the greatest biodiversities in the world. The land transport journey will last about an hour and a half, and the same duration will be devoted to the motorized canoe trip. You will enter the jungle via the Tiputini River, where butterflies, birds, monkeys, and many other surprising animals coexist in a magical environment. You will arrive at the Mandari Panga camp, where you will have time to settle into your tents, which are set up on wooden platforms built with ancestral construction techniques. All tents have a comfortable mattress, sheets, pillows, and bath towels. You can also opt for a more spacious "lodge"-type tent with a bed, shower, and private bathroom facilities. The camp also has a very well-maintained shared area with dry toilets and showers. After settling in, your guide will welcome you with a short introductory speech accompanied by a refreshing local drink. You can then enjoy a delicious meal prepared with a selection of local products and served in a traditional house that also serves as the camp’s restaurant. In the afternoon, you will have the opportunity to go on a 2h30 to 3h00 hike on the other side of the Yutsu River. Along this trail, you will discover the ancestral uses of medicinal plants and the immense vegetation that populates this park. Rubber boots will be lent to you for the entire duration of your stay. At the end of the afternoon, you can admire a magnificent sunset from the canoe, and if you are lucky, you will be accompanied by the famous pink dolphins of the Tiputini River. You will return just in time for a delicious candlelit dinner. You can then opt for a nighttime adventure in the jungle, taking a small trail where you will spot species of reptiles, mammals, and many insects.

• day 2

  Hike "Pecary Trail" - Walk on the Yutsu Yaku river

  After a hearty breakfast served early in the morning (06:30), you will cross the Tiputini River to the other bank in a traditional canoe. Here you will begin your hike on the “Pecary Trail”, a 4 to 5 hour loop (snack along the way) that goes through part of the virgin jungle. You will have the opportunity to experience wildlife in all its splendor, surrounded by the enchanting sounds of nature and the cries of howler monkeys. You will make a stop at the anaconda lagoon, a place inhabited by stories and legends of nature spirits, where you may have the chance to spot this reptile so characteristic of the region. A typical lunch will then be served at the camp, after which you can rest in your tent or take a dip in the Tiputini River. A canoe trip of a few hours on the Yutsu Yaku (river) in a traditional canoe will then allow you to enjoy the relaxing atmosphere of the Amazon. You will return to savor a dinner carefully prepared for you, and you can relax to make the most of the following day.

• day 3

  Discovery of the wildlife of the Tiputini River - Meeting with the Kichwa Mandari Panga community

  For this third day, you will wake up at dawn (05:30) to sail along the Tiputini and spot animals, which are much more active at this time of day. You will be able to enjoy the sunrise, accompanied by a delicious breakfast from the boat. You will pass by the neighboring community "Pompeya" and discover a traditional Waorani house. Your guide will introduce you to the surprising local wildlife, presenting and imitating the different birds you encounter along the way. The return to the camp will be around 11:30; there you will enjoy a refreshing drink and take the canoe again to meet the Kichwa Mandari Panga community, which gave its name to the tourism project. You will discover the center of community life, a very important place for the members of the community, where many important activities take place such as assemblies, classes for children, and sports activities. You can take part in a football match with some of the community's children, then visit one of the community families, where you can taste "chicha," a homemade alcoholic drink made from fermented yuca. At 13:00, a delicious lunch will be served by the camp's chef. He will then show you around the plantations on his land, where most of the food served at the camp comes from, such as yuca, chili, cocoa, pineapple, and naranjillas. You will learn about the uses of the toquilla palm, used in particular to make the famous Panama hats, which originate from Ecuador and have been listed since 2012 as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. The return by canoe will take about thirty minutes to the camp, where you can relax while contemplating the magnificent sunset from your tent's platform. You will enjoy a traditional meal around 19:00 to end this beautiful day.

• day 4

  Visit of the "Saladeros" - Fishing and blowpipe tradition

  After breakfast, you will navigate for about 40 minutes upstream on the Tiputini River. You will then take a small stream called Rumiyacu, which will take you to the parrots' "Saladero." The saladeros are places rich in minerals where birds come to seek these nutrients. It is one of the most representative places of animal life where you will see a large number of bird species such as toucans, parakeets, and parrots. At noon, you will return to the camp where lunch will be served, after which you will have time to rest. Around 3:30 p.m., you will go down the river by canoe, looking for catfish, piranhas, and any other species of freshwater fish that you can catch. Upon returning to the camp, your guide and the Mandari Panga staff will teach you an ancestral tradition: the art of blowguns. The Kichwa and Waorani communities used to use them for hunting and to keep strangers away from their lands. Very few communities continue to use them, and visitors are now welcome in this part of the Amazon rainforest. Depending on your energy, you can soak up the nocturnal atmosphere of the jungle one last time by walking along a small trail accessible from the camp. You will return just in time for dinner, for which the chef will have cooked a delicious meal with the fish caught that day.

• day 5

  Departure from Mandari Panga

  After a breakfast served around 07:30, you will take the canoe for about fifteen minutes to reach the “Casa de la Abuela” (the Grandmother’s house), a native Amazonian construction where you will meet the joyful Grandmother of the Mandari Panga community. Her songs and stories will take you back in time, to when the jungle was still untouched by outside exploitation and the spirits of nature roamed the depths of the forest. You will have the opportunity to learn how to make indigenous chocolate, which will be used to prepare a delicious dessert for you during the last dinner of your stay. You will return calmly to enjoy the relaxing sounds of the Tiputini River, and you will have lunch upon your arrival at the camp. You can enjoy a quiet afternoon to rest, explore the surroundings of the camp, share some stories with the staff, or treat yourself to a beautiful piece of local handicraft. If you wish, you can also go for one last short hike along a new trail, close to the camp and known as the “Tucan Trail.” During this hour-long walk, observe the surroundings to spot many species of predators such as snakes and boas, as well as birds like toucans and parrots. You can go to rest early after dinner to be in good shape for the early departure on the last day.