Culinary Experience

4 day Tour Starting Mondays
Price: $960 per person

Minimum 3 to maximum 6 persons (available also as a private tour)

DESCRIPTION

This amazon culinary tour focuses on the products of the jungle, highlighting the importance of food and traditional medicine. Food is an essential part of the local culture, using traditional ingredients to prepare the dishes and learning about their medicinal properties. This experience offers visitors the opportunity to experience traditional dishes and ingredients from the indigenous communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.

TRIP CONSIDERATIONS:

Activity level: easy – relaxed
Focus: food and culture
Tour type: cultural – naturalist

Itinerary (sample)

The times and length of the hikes are flexible and defined by the guide the day before. The guide may modify the plan on any particular day based on weather, wildlife activity, recent sighting information, and other factors.

Day 1: Arrival at Mandari Panga

After arriving in the city of Coca, you will begin the adventure in the Ecuadorian Amazon jungle visiting the native products market. This market is an ideal place to learn about the diversity of products found in the wilderness and their use in traditional medicine. Then, you can enjoy the delicious and diverse gastronomy of the Kichwa culture at the Maitos del Yasuní restaurant, founded by a women's association. Here you can try the typical food of the area and talk with the women who founded this association. With this we will start our amazon culinary tour.

After lunch, you will take land transportation and then a canoe to reach Mandari Panga, a community located in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. On the way, we will have the opportunity to appreciate this forest's abundant flora and fauna and enjoy the sounds of nature. Once there, we will have time to settle into our safari-style tents and have a refreshing drink.

In the afternoon, we will walk along the deer trail to familiarize ourselves with the environment and learn about the Yasuni National Park's first species of flora and fauna. After our adventure in the Amazon region, we will return to the camp, where a delicious dish prepared by our chef will await us.

Day 2:

This morning which begins at 4am, to attend the guayusa ceremony is a unique and enriching experience. Waking up early allows participants to be in tune with nature and enjoy the sounds and scents of the Amazon rainforest before dawn. Upon arrival at the place of the ceremony, the space is prepared, a fire is lit to heat the water, and the guayusa leaves are placed in the pot for preparation. While waiting for the drink to be ready, songs and prayers are performed in a calm and respectful environment. Participants can take advantage of this moment to meditate and connect with the nature surrounding them. Finally, the drink is served to each participant, and the prayers and songs continue while enjoying the drink. As the sun rises, the ceremony is complete, and participants return to their daily activities with a sense of peace and inner harmony.

We will take a short walk and head towards the house of one of the community's founders. We will have our nutritious breakfast there, giving us the necessary strength for the next activity. Then we will be able to learn about harvesting and producing food in the jungle. During the visit, they can harvest fruits and other products from the region, which allows them to interact with the local inhabitants and learn about their lifestyle in the jungle.

After the harvest, the participants, with the help of their guide and people from the community, prepare their lunch and begin with the preparation of the typical ancestral drink of the Kichwas, chicha.

We will enjoy the sunset in this place and sail back to the campsite to enjoy a delicious dinner. After this, we are ready for a walk that will allow us to discover all the nocturnal activity that exists in the jungle.

Day 3:

The third day will begin very early with breakfast navigating the Tiputini River down while we observe the activity of the animals. We will enjoy the river until we reach the road's entrance to the black water lagoon of Zoila Cocha. We will have the opportunity to fish in the river and the lagoon. After this relaxing activity, we will hike, approximately 3 hours, back to the camp through the forest on the "Spider monkey" trail.

A delicious lunch will be waiting for us. Then we will have a couple of hours to rest. After the well-deserved rest, the participants can learn how to prepare chocolate, one of the most representative drinks of the jungle. During this activity, they can learn about the entire process of making chocolate, and we will also continue preparing chicha.

In the afternoon, our chef will guide you to prepare dinner with the products harvested the day before and with the fresh catch we have made. This is an ideal time to share culinary techniques and secrets with other travelers, learn about the typical cuisine of the region, and enjoy the authentic flavors of the jungle.

At night we will enjoy the dinner we have prepared together and discuss what we have learned on this amazon culinary tour.

Day 4: Return to Coca

The last day will start early with breakfast before heading back to Coca. Once there, the adventure in the jungle of eastern Ecuador will end. This trip will leave you with unforgettable experiences and will take you to know the culture and biodiversity of the Ecuadorian jungle.

Included:

Transportation Coca – Mandari Panga – Coca
Bilingual naturalist guide and native cook
Accommodation in tents complete with mattress and bedding
Use of rubber boots for hikes, life jacket for canoe travel
Three meals a day (starting with lunch on the first day through breakfast on the final day)
Purified water

Not included:

Transportation Quito – Coca – Quito
Additional beverages and snacks; extra meals in Coca before and after the tour
Rain ponchos (can be purchased in Coca before the tour if needed; recommended for adequate protection from heavy Amazon rains)
Tips
Personal Expenses
Travel insurance

PACKING LIST (looking for our recommendations?):

ORIGINAL PASSPORT (in waterproof plastic bag)
Fast drying, lightweight clothing including long sleeve shirts and pants
A light jacket for colder nights
Waterproof jacket or rain poncho
Sandals or walking shoes
Thick, absorbent hiking type socks
Hat or cap
Sunglasses, sunblock and repellent (no spray)
Water bottle
One small (waterproof recommended) daypack
Flashlight or headlamp with spare batteries
Plastic bags to protect electronic equipment
Camera and Binoculars
Swimming suit

INQUIRY FORM

This form will NOT result in a bill or a confirmed reservation

Other Information

CLIMATE:
The Amazon Rainforest is characterized by rain, heat and more rain and heat (usually 72°-90°F, 22°-32°C), providing the perfect environment for plants and wildlife! The Amazon is always humid with generous amounts of rain occurring year-round. Both the rainy and “rainier” seasons are great times for an Amazon tour.

Sunshine and rain showers during the day and slightly chilly temperatures at night are a rule of thumb to go by on Amazon rainforest tours.

December and January are the driest months with February and March being a shoulder that leads to the months with the heaviest rainfall.

April, May, June and July see the most precipitation in the Ecuador Amazon Basin. These months coincide with the wet season in the rest of the country. Rainfall in the Andes spills over into the Ecuador Amazon Basin-raising water levels of the Napo River and its tributaries.

August through December see a decline in the amount of rain that falls each month. The average temperature in the jungle remains around 25°C (77°F) year-round, but during the dry season, daytime temperatures can reach 40°C (104°F).

ELECTRICITY:
There is limited electricity at the camp; there is a charging station for electronics which functions from 6 pm to 10 pm. There is electric lighting at the camp during these hours.

LUGGAGE:
There is no luggage limit weight that you can bring to the campsite, but we recommend to bring only the necessary. If you have big luggage you might leave in Quito or we can hold it in Coca for you.

VACCINATIONS AND HEALTH TIPS:
Full Covid-19 (or a negative PCR test) and yellow fever vaccination are required to enter the Yasuni National Park.

Yellow fever and Malaria are the usual concern of our visitors. We haven’t had any cases at our campsite, but it is always recommendable to have a shot and bring medication for this, as well as a type of anti-biotic for Traveler’s diarrhea (TD).

Consult your doctor for the most current recommended health precautions for your time visiting the Amazon rainforest. The US Center for Disease Control is an excellent source for detailed information on preventing travel-related illnesses.

TRAVEL TO AND FROM COCA

On the first day of the tour, passengers are picked up in Coca (airport, bus station or hotel) in the morning approximately at 10 AM.
At the end of the tour, passengers will be in Coca by about 10 AM, and can take a flight or bus to their next destination. This may change upon flight availability.
To get to Coca, there are currently flights departing from Quito on our operation days. There are currently 2 airlines flying this route, please ask us for options. If there are no early flights, passengers traveling to Coca should arrive the day before the tour. Exceptions can be made if necessary, please contact us. Regular bus service to/from Coca is also available, the trip is about 7 hours.
Passengers beginning their tour in the morning will have the option to stop at a local restaurant for breakfast (not included), this restaurant is operated by a Kichwa women’s association to benefit community conservation projects.
For those traveling by bus, there are day and evening buses as well as overnight buses departing at 11 PM or 11:30 PM.
We can assist with purchasing flight or bus tickets.