ITINERARY

Physical Rating: Moderate

Accommodations: Participants will stay in a traditional hut where all participants will have an individual bed to sleep in. If you prefer a more private space you may bring your own tent.

DAY 1

Arrival and Connection in Shell, Ecuador April 14, 2027

Whether you arrive early or on this day, you will be greeted at the Mariscal Sucre Quito International Airport by Tatiana and drive to Shell city where you will stay for one night at a local hotel. Here you will rest for the night and connect with your fellow travelers.

DAY 2

Travel to Cuya Cocha April 15, 2027

The day starts early in the morning to catch the charter flight of 1hr that will take you to the community of Cuya Cocha in the Ecuadorian Amazon Rainforest. Once you arrive to the community all participants will get a traditional energetic cleanse to welcome you into the forest. You will have time to settle in and join everyone at the community for formal welcome and formal presentations by the participating guests.

DAY 3

Daily life and Gastronomy April 16, 2027

Wake up in the heart of the Amazon and join the families in the chacra (ancestral gardens) while learning and documenting about cooking traditional dishes. Learning about food sovereignty through yucca and plantain cultivation. You will have the opportunity to interact and share in community in their daily activities.

DAY 4

Pinduk Yacu River and Sacred Site Seeing April 17, 2027

The Cuya Cocha community is a place where forests are still untouched by oil extraction, mining or deforestation. You will be joining community members to take you on a canoe in the river to see and learn about local wildlife and the Sapara’s spiritual connection to water systems and sacred places in the forest. You will have the opportunity to document the pristine forest that is still healthy and have lunch at the riverbanks. Along with the community members you will set up a temporary campsite and learn about arrow-making and ancestral hunting practices.

DAY 5

Ancestral Skills of Hunting and Fishing April 18, 2027

The use of the bodoquera (blowgun) in an ancestral practice that is still used in some Sapara communities.You will have a demonstration of the bodoquera and the extraction of natural pigments and poisons. After lunch you will enjoy of free time to rest or take a swim in the river. This can also be a time to meet families and continue developing and documenting your story. At night you will be guided by community members for traditional night fishing and caiman spotting. You will have the opportunity to document the entire experience. Please ensure the documentation respects the sacredness of the practice.

DAYS 6 - 8

The Guardians Trees, Medicinal Plants and Sapara Spirituality

Learning about the importance of healthy forest and the process of creating traditional plant medicines by the Sapara. The community of Cuya Cocha conserve a vast knowledge of medicinal plats, millenarian jungle sacred trees, and remedies. With the guidance of the community members and their elder you will deep jungle trek to identify medicinal plants and collect them. You will have the opportunity to create a visual botanical record of the plants, trees, and remedies you find during the trek in collaboration with the community. This is also a time to hear stories about Sapara cosmovisión and their relationship with all living beings and dreams.

DAY 9

Traditional and Community Games, Interchange Art, Songs, and the Sapara local fair. April 22, 2027

Join the Sapara for intergenerational games and cultural exchange. Finally, it’s time to put together your final story together and share it with the group and community for final feedback. Followed by an evening of traditional songs, crafts, and dances to close our time together.

DAY 10

Departure April 23, 2027

On our last day, you will be taken back to the airport in Quito for your flight home the following day. *this itinerary may be subject to change, though the dates will remain the same. We recommend that participants going back to their home countries book their flights for the night on the next day after departing the community because the traveling back to Quito can be exhausting. Also depending on whether it’s important that the participants know charter flights might get delayed or posponed to the following day if weather is rainy. It is the responsibility of each participant to book their hotel and transportation after the expedition ends. If they need recommendations and guidance Tatiana would happily help.