Adventure to the Ecuadorian High Andes and Sacred Headwaters of the Amazon
December 2-12, 2022 — With John Perkins and Daniel Koupermann
Soar into the beauty, power and mystery of these magnificent mountains and ancient forests and their plants, animals, and native people. Join John Perkins, NY Times bestselling author and leading expert on indigenous cultures and shamanism and Daniel Koupermann, expedition guide and environmentalist, and local indigenous guides and shamans on this life-changing adventure to one of the most biodiverse and ecologically important areas of the planet.
The Sacred Headwaters begin in Andean glaciers and lakes and feed the entire Amazon region, an area about the size of the contiguous US. Nearly one fifth of the world’s freshwater flows through its rivers and five times that amount rises from the canopy to create the “flying rivers” that impact weather in many countries. Here, you will have the opportunity to feel the magic (the “spirit of Pachamama” according to the shamans), experience higher states of consciousness, receive personal healings from Amazonian and Andean shamans, and transform yourself and the world around you.
Your guides, John and Daniel, have known each other since 1969 when John, a Peace Corps volunteer in the Ecuadorian Amazon, was befriended by Daniel’s father. They have studied and worked with the Shuar, Achuar, Quichua, Sapara, Maya, Kogi, and other indigenous groups and have organized and led trips together since the 1980s.
An Invitation from nature and indigenous people to create a sustainable and just world.
Itinerary
Day One, December 2: Arrive at Quito International Airport and transfer to the Eb Hotel, eight minutes from the airport.
Day Two: Quito-Baños
We will travel south through the “Avenue of the Volcanoes.” If the weather is clear, we will see the volcanoes: Antisana at 18,874 ft. (5,753mts.), Sincholagua at 16,069 ft. (4,898 mts.), Pasochoa 13,776 ft. (4,199mts.), Rumiñahui at 15,459 ft. (4,712mts.) and at Cotopaxi National Park, the tallest active volcano in the world at 19,347 ft. (5,897mts). This route allows us to see and learn firsthand about the Andean volcanoes.
We will arrive in Baños at the base of the very active Tungurahua volcano and the beginning of one of the main river gorges into the Amazon Basin. Here the Pastaza River cuts through the Andes Mountains and provides access to this vast rainforest that reaches more than 4,000 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.
We will stay at a resort hotel and, shortly after arriving will participate in a “dreamshop” (similar to a workshop) that will include shamanic journeys into our connections with nature, help us see that we are a part of – not apart from – the Earth and set our intentions for this trip. After a delicious meal, we will have time to socialize and get a good night’s rest.
Day Three: Baños-Kapawi
We will descend through a lush cloud forest to the “end of the road” at the town and airfield of Shell in the Amazon basin.
Flying in a small aircraft over the Amazon forest, we will have the opportunity to contemplate the immensity of the largest and most pristine primary forests on the planet. Landing on the airstrip in the Achuar community of Kuzutkau which is located on the shore of the Capawari River, we will then travel downstream in a motorized canoe to Kapawi Eco-Lodge. We are likely to see fresh water (“pink”) dolphins, parrots and other birds including the hoatzin which is considered the link between reptiles and birds.
After settling in at the lodge, we will take an introductory hike in the rainforest including a visit to a giant Kapok tree that is sacred to the Achuar. Our Achuar guide will give a talk about the traditions and ceremonies of his people. We will have the opportunity to meditate and introduce ourselves to this grandparent tree and learn to hear, smell, taste, feel, as well as see, the forest.
Kapawi Eco-Lodge
Due to the isolation and lack of hunting in this area, there are wonderful possibilities for viewing wildlife: howler monkeys, macaws, marmosets, tamarind monkeys, an incredible variety of bird life, pink dolphins, wild boars, and even – if we are lucky – a jaguar.
Kapawi Lodge is a project that now belongs to the Achuar Nation. It was built through an alliance with a private tourism corporation in Ecuador. The corporation invested $1.7 million US dollars, without buying the land, and with the obligation to give back the Lodge (and the business for the Lodge) to the Achuar after 15 years. This happened in 2011; now the Achuar are the owners and operators of this community-based tourism project.
See photos and learn more about the Kapawi Eco-Lodge by clicking here.
Day Four: Kapawi
The Lodge offers many options: jungle hikes (for all levels), night hikes, bird watching (every morning), wildlife viewing, cultural experiences with the Achuar, kayaking, canoeing, tubing and swimming. Most activities include an Achuar guide who will provide information about the animals, plants and trees of the forest. The system of trails open for hiking offers a variety of ecosystems: terra firma forest (small hills that have never flooded); varzea (forest which floods seasonally); igapos (forest which is always flooded). We will explore the river/ lake system and small tributaries of the Capahuari River, a beautiful river where the lodge is located. Here it is possible and float with the easy current – and the dolphins if they choose to join us – near the Lodge.
We will take a hike through the forest and learn about this magical place and its medicinal plants. The hike will end with lunch in the forest. At the end, we will take kayaks or canoes on the Capahuari River back to the lodge.
Day Five: Kapawi
We will partake in a Wayusa tea ceremony early in the morning in the river hut in the lodge with our Achuar friends, to share dreams. After breakfast, we will visit an Achuar community to learn about their environment, their culture, gastronomy and their everyday life. In addition, they are very curious people and will want to hear all about us.
After lunch we will go on a hike with the Achuar Family, through the forest to a waterfall, where we will camp overnight. Mosquito netting tents, mattresses, sheets, pillows and blankets will be provided and dinner will be set up for us. We will do a tobacco ceremony and a cleansing, receiving the benefits, strength, and energy of the Waterfall. Spending the night there, we will open ourselves to the inspiration that comes from the forest, its sounds, and beings.
The Achuar
The Achuar are a “dream” culture. Their dreams determine their daily lives. They do the Wuayusa ceremony every morning. It is a moment to share dreams with each other, transmit the oral traditions, teach the children how to make baskets, fishing nets, and ceramics, and to relate stories that ensure that their customs and rituals are carried on.
Another important function of the Wuayusa ceremony is to provide the time and space for important negotiations, solution of conflicts, decisions about alliances and political arrangements, and other important issues that affect the entire community. Athough the wars ended at the end of the sixties, the Achuar continue their ancestral traditions and ways of life with determination and courage.
Day Six: Kapawi
We will canoe on the river back to the lodge and have the remainder of the day to ourselves – to journal, meditate, swim, rest, fast, and prepare ourselves for the Natem (ayahuasca) ceremony with an Achuar Uwishin (shaman) that will talkke place around 7 pm in the communal hut at the lodge. People who choose not to take the ayahuasca may participate in the ceremony by feeling the spirit of the plant, listening to the chanting of the shaman, and receiving healings from the shaman.
Day Seven: Kapawi
Today, we will have personal time and space to process our experiences so far, including opportunities for swimming and floating down stream in the river, hiking in the forest, and having conversations with friends - very relaxing and the river adventure may well involve connections with the pink dolphins.
Day Eight: Kapawi
Following breakfast, we will meet for drumming and shamanic journeys to integrate our experiences with wayusa, ayahuasca, the forests, and the people and to deepen our understanding of how all this relates to our future and our commitments to creating a sustainable and just world.
After lunch, there will be optional activities or just time to write, walk in the forest, contemplate, and enjoy our last day in this magical place.
Day Nine: Kapawi – Hacienda Jimenita
We will fly again over the pristine Amazon forest for nearly an hour, taking in the vastness of nature, to Shell. From there, we will meet our bus, climb into the Andes Mountains, and head to hacienda Jimenita, located in Puembo, close to Quito´s airport. It is a colonial hacienda, in the midst of a beautiful natural environment with a wildlife reserve that will offer a restful space to reintegrate with “civilization.”
See photos and learn more about Hacienda Jimenita by clicking here.
Day Ten: Hacienda Jimenita
We will have a free morning to visit the wildlife reserve or just relax and contemplate the beauty of the place. In the midafternoon, we will receive a special and revered woman who has been a friend of John and Daniel for many years…Maria Juana Yamberla and her 2 sons and daughter-in-law. Maria Juana is a Quichua Yachak (high level shaman) who follows the ancient Andean traditions. She and her family will conduct communal and personal healing and cleansing ceremonies that will facilitate our return to our world with the energy and balance that will assist us in fulfilling our missions in life.
Day Eleven: Hacienda Jimenita – Quito airport: It takes about 30 minutes from the Hotel to the airport to transfer 2:30 hours before your flight.
Or
We encourage you to extend for a few days and spend time in Ecuador’s colonial capital city, Quito, with its splendid museums, parks, churches, and handicrafts markets where you can shop for Christmas gifts of sweaters, ponchos, tapestries, jewelry, and many other items that are sold by the families who make them. You could also visit the Equator, Otavalo, and other areas within a few hours’ drive from Quito. We can help you select hotels, restaurants, and ideas if you decide to do this.
Pricing & Reservations
Price per person:
$4700 per person (double occupancy)
A deposit of $1000 will reserve your space.
Second payment of $2000 is due September 15th.
Final payment of $1700 is due October 31st.
Reservations: All reservations are subject to availability. For information about how to reserve your space and make your deposit for the journey, please contact Linda Leyerle at lleyerle@aol.com. In Ecuador it is not possible to reserve rooms, flights, etc. without a copy of the traveler’s passport. Linda will give you details about how to send a copy to us. Time is of the essence so please respond as soon as possible if you are interested in this journey.
Cost includes: Private Aircrafts in the Amazon, private tour bus or van for travel during the journey, all meals, hotels, tips for restaurants and hotels, water during meals, local guide and/or community leaders to share history and cultural information. John Perkins and Daniel Koupermann assistance during the journey.
Cost does NOT include: Roundtrip airfare to Quito, Ecuador, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, healing with the shamans, tips for the local guides, and private bus driver, personal items, souvenirs.
Health Information
Please be aware that internet and other communications will not be available from the Amazon. In cases of emergency, Kapawi has the ability to communicate outside. Planes are generally available in emergencies, except at night or in inclement weather.
This journey is for individuals ready to have an educational/experiential experience. People with physical or psychiatric challenges may find this journey too difficult or uncomfortable. We recommend a visit with your doctor at least 6 weeks in advance of departure. No immunizations are required unless you will be entering Ecuador from a country with Yellow Fever – in which case you will need a Yellow Fever immunization certificate and be prepared to show proof.
Visas
No visas are required for most people entering Ecuador (US, Canadian, UK, EU, Australia and New Zealand citizens). If you have questions about this, please let Linda know. Your passport must be valid at least 6 months after the date of your departure from Ecuador (12 June, 2023).
Once you have reserved your space, we will send you more information – packing lists, info about the country, etc. You will be fully prepared for the journey. Also, Linda is always available by email for any questions or concerns – whatever they may be.
Cancellations & Refunds
Due to availability of space on our journey and the time required to process trip reservations, payments will not be refundable after Oct 02nd, 2022.
We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance in order to protect yourself in case extenuating circumstances force you to cancel your trip. There are many different options available online.
Responsibilities: ANDEAN PATHS reserves the right to accept or reject any person as a participant at any time, and to make changes in the itinerary whenever deemed necessary for the comfort, convenience, and safety of our participants, and to cancel a journey at any time. In the event a journey is cancelled, ANDEAN PATHS shall have no responsibility beyond the refund of monies paid to it by program participants as listed.
By registering, the participant agrees that neither ANDEAN PATHS nor their affiliates shall be liable for any damages, loss or expense occasioned by any act or omission by any supplier providing services to any program participant. Reasons that Andean Paths might cancel a program include, but are not limited to, issues around safety due to impassable roads, protests in Ecuador, or similar unforeseen events.
We are available to address any questions, concerns or comments. Find us by clicking here.
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