Preparing for your journey

  • As we will be in two distinct ecosystems, we have listed rainforest and mountains separately.

    We recommend you bring three bags, one large bag in which you can fit everything, a smaller backpack or duffle for the rainforest and a day pack for water, rain jacket, camera, etc. when hiking.

    Please note that you can leave anything you don't need in the jungle in a secure store in the Andes (jeans, jumpers etc). Everything will be waiting for you when we come out of the jungle again.

    Required Documents

    • Passport (must be valid at least 6 months after return)

    • Copy of travel insurance ( highly recommended)

    • Copy of personal health insurance information

    • Immunization certificate (for yellow fever) ONLY if coming into Ecuador from another South American country

    • Airline tickets

    • Visitors from the UK, US and Australia don't need a visa – you will be given one upon entry into Ecuador. Other nationalities please check with the Ecuadorian embassy in your country.

    Medical supplies

    We have an extensive medical kit but please bring personal medicines you may also need and …

    • Sun block

    • Mosquito repellent

    • Aspirin, Imodium etc.

    • Malaria medicine (see below)

    Rainforest Clothing

    You can buy special jungle moisture wicking shirts or just choose lightweight fast drying fabrics – synthetics or cotton-blends.

    • At least three pairs of long lightweight hiking trousers or leggings (please be aware that mosquitos can bite through legging easily so better to use hiking trousers when going for hikes.

    • Two long sleeved shirts

    • Quick dry or light t-shirts

    • Underwear

    • Quick drying socks

    • Two Swimming costumes

    • Sun hat

    • Comfortable trainers or light hiking boots- to wear in camp – we will provide you with rubber boots to wear when hiking.

    • Sandals (such as flipflops or Tevas).

    • Quick dry towel

    • Camera & batteries or charger (film if needed)

    • Light rain jacket/ poncho
      Sunglasses

    • Torch / head lamp & batteries

    • Bin liners to keep things dry and put wet clothes in

    • Alarm clock

    • Water bottle

    • Binoculars

    • Light snacks – trail mix or energy bars

    • Ear plugs – jungle very can be filled with sounds at night.

    • Journal and pen

    • Soap – please ensure that soap is biodegradable – the less chemicals we introduce into the jungle the better.

    • Light dress for ladies or shirt for men (see below for more information)

    Please note that there is a 25lb limit for the one piece of luggage that you will be able to take into the rainforest (this doesn't include your carry on bag).

    We will be walking in the jungle, canoeing in the day and relaxing in the evenings. Ladies you can bring a light dress or two to wear when on long canoe journey or relaxing in the evenings – in the communities you need to make sure you are covered in the evenings and early mornings so you don't get nibbled by mosquitos – you can wear a light dress with leggings. At Kapawi lodge there are no mosquitos so you can wear just the light dress.

    Clothing for the Mountains

    • Trainers or light hiking boots

    • Jeans or equivalent long trousers

    • Warm jacket
      Jumper (English) Sweater (American) or sweatshirt

    • Socks and underwear
      Something nice for farewell dinner – if you feel like it!

    • Bag to leave behind mountain clothes while we are in the jungle.

    All care is taken to keep luggage dry especially when travelling by canoe but we recommend that you pack all of your rainforest clothing in a bin liner. Books, documents and journals are best packed in zip lock bags. This can be done the night before we travel into the jungle.

    Mosquito nets and bedding will be provided when we spend the night in the community.

    The temperature is usually pretty constant year round as Ecuador is on the Equator. Generally the Northern Hemisphere summer months are drier in Ecuador and the winter ones, wetter. But due to climate change much of this is changing. In the mountains it is usually sunny in the day time usually 60′s to low 70′s in the day and can get cooler at night low 50′s. In the jungle it is usually warm to hot, but usually comfortable as we are often shaded by the canopy (upper 70′s), cooler in the evenings and at night.

    If you have questions and concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

    Diseases

    In Ecuador malaria, Dengue and hepatitis can be contracted, however if the necessary preventative measures are taken, these illnesses can be avoided easily.

    The following is only a guide, please consult with your doctor well ahead of your departure for further information.

    • We require that everyone take a preventative medicine for malaria and Dengue. It is unlikely but there are outbreaks in the communities at times. We recommend Malarone for Malaria which is very effective and doesn't have the side effects that Larium has. Or if you would prefer Homeopathics – Ainsworths in London has homeopathics for Malaria and for Dengue which are also very effective. There is no allopathic preventative for Dengue that we know of but the homeopathic version from Ainsworths is also excellent.

    • No immunizations are required for entry into Ecuador, EXCEPT – yellow fever immunization is required if you are passing through any other South American country on your way to Ecuador) or if you are entering Ecuador from an endemic area.

    • If you are committed to homeopathic or herbal medicines some of the following information may be useful. For intestinal protection: cinnamon and peony – 4 capsules before each meal beginning before and throughout the trip. To prevent unwanted bacteria in the intestines – 2 capsules twice a day of probiotics such as  Acidophilus and Bifidus before meals.

    Vitamin B injection or B-12 pills (100mg doses 3x daily two weeks prior to departure) can repel mosquitos, as do store bought repellents or geranium, eucalyptus, citronella or pennyroyal essential oils.

    Altitude Sickness

    Traveling to high altitudes may lead to insomnia, headache, nausea, dizziness and fatigue although individual reactions are highly variable. Usually we don’t have problems with this, people take homeopathic remedies or the traditional Ecuadorian remedy is Coca tea which is readily available wherever we stay in the mountains. And remembering to drink plenty of water when at altitude helps enormously. If you know you have previous issues with altitude sickness the medication prescribed to prevent symptoms is Acetazolamide (Diamox) taken twice daily starting 24 hours prior to ascent and continuing 2 – 3 days while at altitude. This should not be taken by those with reactions to sulfa drugs.

    Altitude when on the trip:

    Quito – (is the highest capital city in the world) with an elevation of 9,350 feet or 2,800 meters about sea level.

    Drinking plenty of water, taking it easy on the first day and drinking local herbal teas help, but if you are particularly sensitive to altitude it may be a good idea to bring Diamox or other altitude sickness tablets just in case.

    Ainsworths also has excellent homeopathics for altitude

  • Spears of Twilight – Philippe Descola

    A Choice Outstanding Academic Book of 1997, The Spears of Twilight chronicles the experiences of Anthropologist Philippe Descola, student of Claude Levii-Strauss, among the legendary Achuar Indians of South America. Combining ethnography, travelogue, and personal meditation, The Spears of Twilight is an engrossing account of the resilient and complex Achuar people, as well as an intimate and often poetic account of Descola's sojourn among them.

    The world is a you dream it: Teachings from the Amazon and Andes – John Perkins

    Deep in the rain forests and high in the Andes of Ecuador, native shamans teach the age-old technique of dream change, a tradition that has kept the cultures of the Otavalans, Salasacans, and Shuar alive despite centuries of conquest. Now these shamans are turning their wisdom and power to the problem of curing a new kind of illness–that created by the industrial world's dream of dominating and exploiting nature.

    John Perkins tells the story of these remarkable shamans and of the U.S. medical doctors, psychologists, and scientists who have gone with him to learn the techniques of dream change. These shamanic teachings have sparked a revolution in modern concepts about healing, the subconscious, and the powers each of us has to alter individual and communal reality.

    The Jivaro: People of the Sacred Waterfalls – Michael Harner

    This ethnography is one of the classics in the field of South America. The Jívaro (Shuar and Achuar) represent one of the most important and political well-organised groups of South American Indians, and Harner's work, reissued here, will become the major introduction in English to these people for future students

  • Please talk with Zoe on the trip about your particular areas of interest, they also may evolve during the trip. Zoe would love to connect you directly with different organisations or initiatives that are in alignment with your interests. Here below are some that we love and that are doing great work in the region:

    The sacred headwaters initiative

    Amazon Frontlines

    Fundacion Pachamama

    Amazon Watch

    Mujeres Amazonicas

  • Visitors from the UK, US and Australia don't need a visa – you will be given one upon entry into Ecuador. Other nationalities please check with the Ecuadorian embassy in your country.

  • The temperature is usually pretty constant year round as Ecuador is on the Equator. Generally the Northern Hemisphere summer months are drier in Ecuador and the winter ones, wetter. But due to climate change much of this is changing. In the mountains it is usually sunny in the day time usually 60′s to low 70′s in the day and can get cooler at night low 50′s. In the jungle it is usually warm to hot, but usually comfortable as we are often shaded by the canopy (upper 70′s), cooler in the evenings and at night.