Nothing could have prepared us. Nestled in the rich soils and active volcanic region between Ecuador and Peru, the Amazon Basin conjures up images of the deep jungle, poisonous reptiles, lurking piranha, nocturnal wild boar hunting, all while being cut off from modern civilization and cell phones.

It feels vast and unseen. It swallows you.

The invitation to visit came from the acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton and the Cofan Tribe, an indigenous and bio-sustainable civilization living deep in the jungle for thousands of years. Gordon has been safely traveling there annually for over a decade. Yet, it still took some ample coaxing and email volleys to say we would join in.

And boy, are we glad we went.

The invitation to join came with the careful preparation required: vaccinations for yellow fever, typhoid, lightweight tents, pee bottles, knee high rubber boots, probiotics, first aid, and DEET, lots of DEET. We carried everything. Thankfully, the amount of clothing required was exceptionally short. 3 pairs of underwear. Wait, what? For our two weeks of jungle adventuring? (More on that in a moment.)

There would be no luxurious glamping with an end-of-day indigenous shrub gin cocktail. Just a high level of uncertainty, figuring things out as we went, sometimes step by step, all the while adjusting to the massive unchecked power of nature.

We saw firsthand the brutal power of beautiful nature.

We were blessed to be under the guidance of the incredible Cofan Tribe leading us through the entire experience. Amazing people. Fede, Randy, Emmy, Fil and Miguel are deeply experienced in the ways of the Jungle having been born and bred there. Kind, curious and knowing, they only invite 2-3 outside groups annually to see their special world.

The trek to get there is arduous combining, winding mountain passes, boats, over-stuffed pick-up trucks, hand-cut wooden canoes and then hiking the final bits thru rich, matted, wet soil. It wasn’t about long hikes as much as the emotional fatigue of unknown all around us. There was an implied wondering of what would happen next?

There is a simple Cofan phrase ->  Caen'tsu daja <- which translates into ‘let it happen’ and to release a sense of control over the changing environment. Fede explains it is a written interpretation of an unsaid ancestral understanding.

Living deep in the riverside jungle for centuries, the Cofan fully understand nature. They are the vibrant descendants of a once-numerous riverine culture that has traditionally occupied what is today the northeastern corner of Ecuador. Their traditions live on as they have for hundreds of years - hunting wild boar, fishing piranha, using the forest for their daily needs with their children growing up speaking the ancestral language, A’Ingae. Their territory is among the most biodiverse on Earth. Numbering around 2k people across the region, they are custodians of sanctioned indigenous conservation efforts, taking on the task of caring for over 1 million acres of rain forest in Ecuador and adjacent Colombia. In order to survive, they are beginning to explore eco-toursom to raise needed funds to save the rainforest, based on traditional practices. More here: https://www.cofan.org/