We just spent 4 days, and 3 nights off the grid in the jungle. It was amazing!!
On Monday morning, we picked up a rental car at 7:30 a.m. to head to Tena – one of the main gateways to the Amazon in Ecuador and located only 120 miles from Quito. With a deceivingly short drive ahead, we hoped to arrive with time to spare before heading to the Itamandi Eco Lodge, accessible only by an upstream, motorized canoe trip.
Around 8:45 am we hit some traffic in a tiny town called Papallacta. As people started to put their cars in park and get out to walk, we realized it might be a while. We'd been warned that the road to Tena is treacherous and that recent landslides "might" be an issue. Turns out these landslides washed out an entire bridge, and the one-way temporary bridge a few miles down the road would only be open from noon to 1 p.m.
So, with a solid three hours ahead of us, we watched a downloaded episode of Game of Thrones, found WiFi at the mini-mart to watch the next, not-previously-downloaded episode, and Elizabeth ate a “Cup Noodles” that the mini-mart man heated up with boiling water from the restaurant next door.
The waiting for 3 hours turned out to be necessary rest for the stretch of road ahead. The once fully-functioning-yet-treacherous two-lane highway now included creeks (plural) running over the road between boulders (also on the road), and bridge remnants careened halfway down the cliffside. Did we mention we opted for the cheaper car, without 4-wheel-drive for this trip?
By the time we got to Tena, we were 3 hours late for our transfer to the river for the canoe trip. Luckily, a friendly person back at the roadblock with a cell phone (silent shoutout to Terry!) called the hotel to let them know our situation.
Unfortunately, a few things were lost in translation (literally). For one, we thought we’d get picked up at the bus terminal in Tena, and, once there, we assumed we needed to find our own parking. We convinced a hotel owner to let us leave our car in her lot for 4 days and went to wait at the bus stop.
After an hour spent waiting to get picked up at the bus stop, we concluded that something was amiss and went back to the hotel to use a phone. We soon found out that we were supposed to meet them at a bridge (??), decidedly not the bus terminal, and that there was a plethora of parking at said bridge.
We left the car at the aforementioned, graciously-offered hotel spot and took a 40-minute taxi to the bridge, which, after multiple trials and a multitude of subsequent errors, we ultimately identified as the bridge over the Arajuno River. Following one final roadside plea to borrow a phone at what we now knew to be the bridge over the Arajuno River, we saw the canoe headed for us. Hallelujah.
Tired, hungry, and very unsure about our collective decision-making abilities, we boarded the canoe. They say getting there is half the fun, right?!
Fortunately, our epic quest to successfully arrive in the canoe was well worth it – see for yourself:
Jungle Day 1
On our first day at Itamandi, we woke up around 6:30 a.m. and headed further upstream to watch the parrots and parakeets eat breakfast. Hundreds of colorful birds showed up to lick the clay on the cliff; the clay provides them with healthy mineral salts!
After watching their breakfast and eating our own, we visited AmaZOOnica, a wildlife rescue center. Having wild animals as pets is now illegal, but it was once prevalent. Unfortunately, when the government removes an animal from its former imprisonment (or “home”), the animals can’t survive in the wild. AmaZOOnica is one of many rescue centers that try to save these animals. The goal of the center is to release healthy animals back into the wild.
That afternoon, we enjoyed a picnic lunch, a hike, caiman and monkey sightings, and a chance to try out the traditional way of hunting with a blowgun (aiming at targets, not real animals!). Mike hit the target on his third try, Elizabeth did hit the target, but not hard enough so it bounced off (LOL).
Jungle Day 2
The highlight of the week was our visit with the local Kichwa Indigenous Community. The Kichwa women explained their way of life and how they balance their traditions with the modern world. Over an open fire, they prepared fresh Chicha (a local drink that tastes kind of like Kombucha), catfish, and piranha for us to try. Mike chowed down with the guide (Elizabeth tried everything, but was a little wary of the whole fish…).
Afterwards, we went tubing down the Arajuno River. Think, "lazy-river-surrounded-by-exotic-wildlife.” It was such a blast that we forgot to take photos!
We took another hike in the afternoon with our guide, Octavio, learning lots of excellent "Naked and Afraid" tips. Octavio would win the show; we wouldn't survive a single night.
(Side note: Octavio actually trained people in the Naked and Afraid episode that was filmed in the Ecuadorian Rainforest; link to episode).
Despite the struggle getting there, we would definitely go back to the Ecuadorian Amazon. We also added the Brazilian Amazon to our list of places that we want to go (...this trip is already causing us to build secondary "bucket list"). We opted for the long way home, since it included intact, paved, boulder-and-creek-free highways. Plus, this route took us through Baños, so we were able to have lunch at our favorite pizza place, Leoni's!
All in all, a fantastic trip. Next week we'll be in the Galápagos! We've heard it'll be icing on the cake. Can't wait!
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