Amazon Kayaking and Waorani Tribe Tour

Your expedition begins in the city at the heart of the Amazon: Coca. After meeting up with the group, you will travel by car for two hours to the Shiripuno River. Then, you will kayak for about five hours down the river, looking out for wildlife that dot the riverside and water below.

With some luck you might see troops of squirrel monkeys, as well as colorful birds such as toucans, macaws, flycatchers, and others. Your guides will teach you about the different species of plants that grow on the side of the river and their meaning to the local people. In the late afternoon, you will arrive at the campsite and have a delicious dinner.

Today you will take a short hike into a pristine forest to explore a black water lagoon by kayak. Being their natural habitat, on sunny days anacondas can be found resting upon the shore. The anaconda “Ove” in the Wuao language, holds special importance to the local Waorani people who believe it to be a very powerful animal embodying the spirit of a god.

Here you will also have the chance to go fishing for piranha, which are an important staple in the local diet. If you are very lucky you may even be able to catch a catfish! Later, you will go back to the campsite for lunch and some rest, and in the late afternoon, you will go for a walk and search for insects and amphibians.

Rising alongside the mist that gently grazes the river's surface, you start the day with a delicious and nutritious breakfast before paddling along the river. Keep an eye out for more wildlife species that tend to make their way out at this time of day. If you are lucky, you will be able to spot a variety of birds such as trogons, quetzals, eagles, hawks, tanagers, macaws, parrots, kingfishers, and others.

Heading back to the campsite by canoe, you will have lunch, followed by an afternoon spent with the Waorani women. Here, you will take a short walk to their yucca crops to help them harvest these important products to make a traditional drink called Kene in Waorani. If it is the right season, you will also pick some fruits such as us, lemons, naranjilla, pineapple, plantains and banana. At night, you will go on a search for caimans, as it is easier to spot them in the darkness due to the reflection of the flashlight on their eyes.

Today you hike to the Clay Lick, a mineral rich mud pit. Many animals that live in the region sustain themselves through a diet of seeds and other small plants but supplement their diets with minerals by the clay. Due to it being such a popular spot for animals this is a prime area for hunters to catch their prized meal- the peccary, which according to locals is a delicacy.

You will spend some time here in hopes of spotting one of the many animals that frequent the zone before returning to the campsite. Spending the afternoon with the family, you will learn about blowguns, darts, and curare, a natural sedative, which are used in the hunting of monkeys before winding down for the evening.

Today after an early breakfast, you will take a canoe for 3 hours to arrive back at the Shiripuno bridge, where we will take a car ride to go back to Coca, marking the end of the trip.