The “Living Amazon Immersion CEO Peer Group Journey” of the Bullens Heimann & Friends Foundation has been designed for conscious CEOs, who want to experience indigenous wisdom and value the exchange with like-minded leaders about how to transfer this wisdom into their organizations. 

You will have the opportunity to meet and hear from leaders of First Nation communities who are on the front lines of addressing climate change, reforestation and protection of different bioregions in the Amazon. This journey offers the rare privilege to have a profound immersion with intact Indigenous people. You will be invited into their ancestral culture, providing direct experience to learn from an uninterrupted lineage of wisdom amongst the vibrant forest. This remote environment becomes curiously familiar as it awakens an ancient memory, stored in our very DNA, of a natural and harmonious way of living and being. This remote environment becomes curiously familiar as it awakens an ancient memory, stored in our very DNA, of a natural and harmonious way of living and being. You will be welcomed at Indigenous-owned lodges and villages that offer the unique opportunity to engage in intimate conversations and activities such as interpretive rainforest hikes, river trips in canoes and kayaks, cultural practices and traditions, and shamanic ceremonies.

A part of your investment in this deep immersion journey will go directly to funding the Living School of the Amazon, the leadership school for and by indigenous leaders from the Amazon who are acting as earth guardians of climate regeneration. This school is training the next generation of first nation leaders who will work towards mitigating climate change and regenerating our planet.

 Each Journey is skillfully curated by trained leaders and expert guides on the ground.

• Our Journey Leaders are volunteers who have experience as a Journey participant and have gone through an extensive leadership training to effectively hold a safe and dynamic space for you on your Journey.
• Our Ecuadorian guides have been guiding for decades and are dedicated to supporting the rainforest and Indigenous people. Their knowledge, understanding, trust, and relationships are an invaluable part of the Journeys experience.

 The group meets at 5:00 pm at the historic Quito hotel, Cultura Manor, for a welcome and orientation followed by a group dinner. Accommodations at Cultura Mano 

After a gourmet breakfast and an orientation meeting at Cultura Manor, we'll head south on a beautiful drive descending the Andes through the Avenue of the Volcanoes, stopping in the town of Salasaca for a traditional Andean meal with our indigenous hosts and a purification ritual with a Salasacan elder. Continue through the waterfall-laden Pastaza River canyon to the gateway to the Amazon rainforest. Accommodations at the Miramelindo Hotel along the beautiful Verde River.  

We will visit the Living School of the Amazon in Puyo, where we will observe classes, meet with students and teachers, and even participate in a class. After lunch, allies of the Living School of the Amazon will attend a formal presentation followed by a Q&A session. Dinner and evening discussion about entering the rainforest and the Achuar and Sápara territories. 

Following breakfast, we will head to the nearby town of Shell, where we will take a flight to the Sápara village of Llanchamacocha. Receive a warm welcome with smiles, and embraces, followed by an individualized purification ritual. Our guides will take us by canoe to get settled into our village encampment, which we'll stay at for the next three nights on the banks of the Conambo river. We'll spend time with the leaders and elder grandmother discussing their history, customs, and vision for defending their forest for future generations of all life. After an introduction and orientation to the Naku project and the inspiring vision the Sápara have for the future, we'll take a refreshing swim in the Conambo river and settle into their community lodge. An evening conversation with Manari to prepare for the following evening ceremony.  

Early morning dream-sharing with Manari, and purification ceremony using time-tested ancient techniques. After breakfast, we'll hike through the primary forest to learn about the Sápara's unique physical and spiritual connection to the rainforest, visiting a medicinal plant garden in the primary forest followed by a sacred tobacco waterfall ceremony. Afternoon rest before meeting with Manair to prepare for the evening ceremony. 

After breakfast, we will have a debriefing session with the community leader to reflect on the experiences and insights gained from the previous night's ceremony. We will have time to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate in the afternoon. We can choose to take a swim, relax, or walk in the rainforest to connect with nature and ourselves. As evening approaches, we will participate in a significant sharing session with the community leaders.

 In the morning, we will have a dream-sharing session with Manari to share our dreams and receive insights from the community leader. After this, we will take a walk in the forest to connect with nature and the beauty of the Amazonian rainforest. Later in the afternoon, we will have a cultural exchange with the community to learn about their customs, traditions, and way of life. 

 After breakfast, we will board small planes to fly deeper into the Achuar territory and land in the community of Sharamentza. This will be our base for the next three nights. After our orientation meeting with a local guide, we'll have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the Achuar culture and enjoy relaxing activities in the afternoon. Closing with an optional night walk in the evening. 

 We'll travel by canoe across the Pastaza river to visit a remote Achuar village to learn about the Achuar culture and rituals. Afternoon session to meet with an Achuar elder to learn more about his dream of the Living School of the Amazon. After dinner, you can go on a night hike or ride on the river to look for cayman. 

Early Guayusa Tea Ceremony followed by a canoe ride to the far banks of the Pastaza River to view the Parrot claylick. After breakfast, hike to the ancestral Mente/Kapok tree for a tobacco ceremony, followed by a rejuvenating cleansing, meditation, and journaling session. Later afternoon (let go and go with the flow), casual sunset cruise in the canoe on the Pastaza River.   

After breakfast, we'll say goodbye to our host and board flights out of the forest to travel to the beautiful Papallacta Hot Springs. Here, we'll take some time to rest, reflect on our experiences, integrate our learnings, and gain a deeper understanding of the work of the Pachamama Alliance. Together, we'll prepare for our return home, having been part of the Living School of the Amazon, Sacred Headwaters - connected through a shared purpose.

Enjoy a morning of self-care and relaxation with a rejuvenating massage in the stunning Pappallacta. After lunch, we will return to Quito for a farewell dinner at the Cultura Manor. The evening will include a completion circle and ceremony, followed by a farewell dinner.

After breakfast and our final goodbyes. 

End of Journey.