24 reviews
Duration: 7 days
Group size: 1 - 999
Kapawi Ecolodge Amazon Experience 7-night Program
Kapawi, Pastaza, Ecuador
24 reviews
$NaN
Duration: 7 days
Group size: 1 - 999
About this trip
Kapawi Eco-lodge's 7-night trip itinerary runs Monday-Monday or Friday-Friday. This travel experience allows our guests to customize their experience, with activities ranging from wildlife, birdwatching, relaxed or hard-core adventures, hiking and paddling, fishing, and cultural immersion. Our 7-night program allows our guests and visitors to spend 1 full week in the Achuar territory, which provides enough time to include more natural and cultural activities in their travel itinerary, with the option of spending one night in one of the neighboring Achuar communities, or visit more than one community. Sometimes it is not necessary to leave the ecolodge to enjoy the Amazon Rainforest, or the Achuar culture!! Our 7-night travel experience also allows our guests and visitors to have more time to relax at the ecolodge, enjoy the sounds of the forest, observe wildlife on site, or go swimming or kayaking in the Capahuari river right from our dock.
Suggested Packing List
Clothing
- 5 to 6 pairs of lightweight long pants; quick drying material preferred. Avoid jeans, as weather is hot, humid and wet.
- 5-6 long-sleeved shirts; quick-drying material preferred.
- 5 or 6 short sleeved t-shirts.
- 1 pair of hiking socks for each day in the rainforest.
- 1 light windbreaker, sweater or fleece jacket.
- 1-2 brimmed hats (suitable for both sun and rain).
- Bathing suits.
- 1 rain poncho.
Footwear
- 1 pair of comfortable walking shoes.
- 1 pair of sandals.
Equipment
- Sun block lotion. SPF 45 or higher is recommended.
- Insect repellent (plenty of, as also useful to spray directly onto clothing).
- After bite/itch relief
- Anti-malaria pills (please check with physician before).
- Small flashlight. Headlamp models recommended.
- Refillable Water bottle.
- Binoculars (optional)
- Diarrhea medication, rehydration sachets, probiotics and electrolytes.
- 1 quick drying towel
- Wet tissues or supplies of small tissue packs
- Light snacks/energy bars (just in case)
- Black bin liners/or zip lock bags to keep belongings dry
- Journal/camera/sunglasses etc
- Personal toiletries
* Please bring US dollars in small bills for purchases made in the communities (handicrafts, others).
What’s included
- AccommodationPrivate accommodation in double rooms.
- All meals
- GuidesLocal and naturalist bilingual guides
- All activitiesIncludes hikes, river activities, community visits and overnights.
- Boots and rain ponchoWe will require shoe size confirmation prior to the travel experience.
- ConditionsAll prices are per person and in U.S. Dollars
- Untitled ItemPrices are based in double accommodation
- Untitled ItemSingle supplement 30%
- Untitled ItemChildren under 12 years old get 30% off regular program price
- International airfareInternational flights to and from Ecuador
- Alcoholic beveragesPlease bring US dollars in cash. Unfortunately we cannot take credit card payments at the ecolodge yet.
- SouvenirsHandicrafts, ceramic, weavings
- Overland TransportationThe Kapawi experience starts when you board the plane in Shell. We can arrange private transfers to Shell from different starting points: Quito, Baños, others. Please ask for a personalized quote.
- Private flightsChartered two-way flight Shell-Kapawi-Shell. Includes a 50-minute flight each way in a small 3-, 5-, or 9-seater plane over the Amazon basin. Price per person is USD 290.
Available Packages
Standard double room price per person
$2,149
Available options
Your Organizer
Kapawi Ecolodge
24 reviews
Inaugurated in 1996, Kapawi Ecolodge is an award-winning Achuar indigenous ecotourism enterprise, located in Ecuador's last large tract of Amazon Rainforest in southeastern Ecuador.
Kapawi Ecolodge offers a unique and authentic natural and cultural travel experience deep in the Amazon Rainforest, in the lower basin of the Pastaza, Capahuari, and Kusutkau rivers.
Kapawi is owned and operated by the local communities, and offers an immersion in nature and culture, and an experience with Achuar communities, forest, and Amazon rivers.
Reviews
FO
The staff at Kapawi looked after us very well. The huts were comfortable and the food basic but nice. We loved the chilli spice! We enjoyed very much the community visit and going to Mass in the little church on Sunday was very special. The morning vomiting ceremony was interesting and something to tell the kids about!
Our guides Ricardo and Alex were informative and friendly. We enjoyed the birdwatching and kayaking.
We would have liked to learn more about the cultural aspects of the community, their spiritual beliefs and natural medicines.
When our plane couldn’t pick us up because of bad weather, Juan Carlos was wonderful and helpful in changing our onward flights and we managed to fly out the next day. It made us aware of the remoteness of the place and the risks with flying in small planes.
Overall a memorable and wonderful experience.
By Francesca Osborn for Lucy Osborn x2 extra services May 9-10, 2023 on May 21, 2023
Kapawi exceeded our expectations. We were looking to stay somewhere run by the local Achaur people and Kapawi ecolodge was the place.
The guides were absolutely fabulous. Ricardo, Sicha and Choompi were extremely knowledgeable, hospitable and amazing wildlife spotters. We were so well looked after, the food, the accomodation, and the activities were exceptional. The location of the lodge around a lagoon was spectacular and we were lucky enough to see capybara’s swimming in it as well as cayman. I cannot recommend this place enough. I hope the future brings us back to Kapawi ecolodge.
Thank you y muchas gracias a todo en Kapawi ecolodge.
By Sylvie Heywood for Sylvie Heywood x2 Kapawi May 1-5, 2023 on May 14, 2023
This is an excellent place to stay if you are interested in both learning more about the rainforest and the community of people who live in it. This is resort is owned by the local indigenous people and we were very happy to support their efforts. I researched different places we could stay and based on a very positive experience when my friend stayed here nearly 20 years ago, we booked this experience. There are some "Out of Africa" moments as you touch down on the grass landing strip, the arrival is very memorable. The lodge itself is nicely appointed and the staff is very courteous. The individual cabins are nice with mosquito netting. The meals were very good. What really made our experience stand apart was out guide Chumpi (Ramiro). He has been aligning the various communities around this sustainable ecolodge project and this is very important work. His way of caring for us for the four days we were there, as three generation family traveling together was really something special. His excellent command of English allowed all of us to ask any questions about the wildlife, nature, people and customs and really learn from his thoughtful responses. Highly recommend!!
By Candic Chevaillier for Candice Chevaillier x5 Kapawi April 9-13, 2023 on Apr 16, 2023
My husband and I had an amazing time at Kapawi. Everyone at the lodge went above and beyond to take care of us for the 7 nights we stayed there, especially our wonderful guide Diego. It is so magical and peaceful at Kapawi Lodge, it's hard to describe what it's like to be a guest there. We booked directly with Kapawi and were not traveling as part of a larger group. We had one guide assigned to us (Diego -- so knowledgeable, helpful, & friendly) and one boat driver (Marcello -- so patient, a gentle soul). Every day we met with Diego to come up with an activity plan for the next day -- fishing, kayaking, visiting villagers, visiting schools, hiking, bird watching, etc. Every day included a siesta time (never slept better than in the rainforest!) Our best meals while traveling in Ecuador for 6 weeks were at the Kapawi Lodge -- fresh fish or chicken, lots of fruit and vegetables, small delicious desserts, all artfully presented on the plate.
We were also extremely lucky in the timing of our visit as we were able to attend a celebration in nearby Wachirpas for newly elected Tiyua Uyunkar, President of the Achuar Nation, who in February became Prefect of the Morona Santiago region. What an amazing honor it was to meet Tiyua and to spend time with the Achuar people in celebration. The day at Wachirpas and our week at Kapawi was so special that we wish we had done more research ahead of our travels.
If you go, and you should go, spend some time reading about the Achuar people and their traditional customs and modern day challenges. Trips like this are life changing if you are open to learning about different cultures and remote regions of the world. We will be forever thankful and honored that we were able to spend a week with the Achuar people.
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By Julia Gilbert for Julia Gilbert x2 Kapawi February 17-24, 2023 on Mar 14, 2023
An oasis of luxury in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Kapawi is a wonderful place from which to explore the wild beauty of the most biodiverse place on the planet, to be among the teeming wildlife, while being nurtured, safely and gently.
The lodge is elegant and beautiful, everything hand crafted, locally built using traditional materials and design. It was a deeply relaxing and peaceful place to rest between adventures and exploring the forest and rivers. My local guides were wonderful and generous, showing me the many treasures of the rainforest - river dolphins many different monkeys, butterflies, insects, special plants, giant sacred trees.
The food was amazing! Delicious, fresh and healthy, presented with care and creativity. The fruit sculptured frog was delightful! The coffee was delicious and perfectly invigorating for early morning birdwatching. I loved eating sandwedges in the canoe while fishing, snacking on fresh heart of palm as we walked under dripping trees, and the fancy hot lunch in the forest, complete with desert.
Thank you Kapawi! I miss you already and I hope to return again soon.
Mandy
By Mandy Leathers for Mandy Leathers x1 Kapawi February 20-24, 2023 on Mar 12, 2023