Imagine yourself above the Andes on a private aircraft, gliding over volcanoes and marveling as the scenery transforms from snow-capped mountains to a deep, green sea of trees that follows the horizon. This is the rainforest canopy, home to the majority of living creatures on earth. Fortunately, this aerial view is interrupted only by small isolated communities, one of which houses the small landing strip.

You?ll touch down. Then, take a dug-out canoe ride down a tributary of the mighty Amazon River. The canoe ride is a leisurely and
all-encompassing journey through the dense forest. Hear the colorful birds and see the fish below that will lead the way to the lodge. After the boat ride, it?s a short walk to the Kapawi cabanas. Now, deep into the rainforest, there is a calmness here that will continue throughout your stay.

The lodge was built by the Achuar, so naturally it resembles an Achuar village. The twenty thatched-roof cabanas are the hub of the lodge ?village? and each sits on the edge of the lagoon so you don?t miss an ounce of activity. Each cabana uses solar power and has its own balcony with a hammock to gaze away the day. Complete with a private bathroom and beds draped in mosquito netting, this is an eco-luxurious stay in the heart of the rainforest.

Kapawi offers an array of activities. Each evening you will select which activities you want to do the following day. Sign up for as many and whichever activities you want to take part in. It?s very flexible. As part of a small group (no larger than 10 people per naturalist and Achuar guide), you can fully customize your daily itinerary with any of the following activities:

- Day/night hikes in the rainforest
- Canoeing/kayaking
- Bird watching
- Wildlife viewing
- Achuar community visits
- Fishing
- Star gazing
- Jungle camping
- Cultural talks/lectures
- Plain old relaxing in a hammock

Meals are enjoyed in the common dining area so everyone can meet, greet and share their day. The food is classic Ecuadorian fare--fresh and local. Vegetarians and other special dietary requirements are happily accommodated with advance notice.

Canodros, the tour operator for Kapawi Lodge, and the Achuar Federation (FINAE) began Kapawi Lodge in 1996. Over the years, Kapawi Lodge has developed a reputation of service of the highest standard. The local Achuar Indians are the majority of the staff and great care is taken to ensure your utmost comfort.

Presently, Canodros pays rent to FINAE for use of their land and Kapawi Lodge will be under Achuar control in 2011. By that time, almost $600,000 will have been paid to FINAE plus another $150,000 in visitors? fees. All in all, this arrangement has worked out well. Cattle ranching used to be the base of the Achuar economy, now they have been able to preserve their culture and land through ecotourism. And the statistics are good: almost half of FINAE?s total income comes from direct employment at Kapawi Lodge and supplying products like handicrafts to the ecotourism project.

- The Achuar nation will inherit Kapawi Lodge outright in 2011 (after 15 years of slowly taking it over). The rent paid to the Achuar Federation by Canodros in the meantime goes directly to funding a variety of Achuar projects which are all intended to enhance the Achuar?s ability to manage integration with the modern world in their own time, on their own terms, and to defend their lands against encroachment.
- One tree in the Amazon may contain more species of ants than those found in the entire United Kingdom.
- The rainforest surrounding the Kapawi Ecolodge is home to more than 500 species of birds, four times the number living in the broad-leafed forests of all of North America.
- Ecuador?s tropical forests contain over 15,000 plant species (all of Europe has 13,000 plant species).
- Twenty-eight billion gallons of water per minute flow into the Amazon River, about 10 times the flow of the Mississippi River.
- In tropical forest regions, over 2,000 tropical plants have been identified as having anti-cancer properties.
- Experts estimate that at the current rate of destruction, the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years.
- It is estimated that we are losing 130 species of plants, animals and insects every single day as they become extinct from the loss of rainforest.

--Proximity to nearest major city: Kapawi is located near the Ecuadorian and Peruvian border, in the Southern Ecuadorian Amazon Basin on the Pastaza River, a major tributary of the Amazon. Kapawi is one of the most pristine and isolated points in the Amazon Basin, accessed only by air. The closest town is within ten days walking distance.

-- How do I get there? Despite its isolation, Kapawi Lodge is still accessible. You will fly into Quito and a private plane will take you from there to the Kapawi Reserve in less than two hours. An additional canoe ride (1 1/2 hours) is necessary to reach the lodge.

--Fixed departure dates? There are fixed departure dates because of the expense and logistics of the charter flight, so you must fly on either a Friday or a Monday. Your options are:
- Monday ? Friday (4 nights/5 days)
- Friday ? Monday (3 nights/4 days)
- Monday ? Monday or Friday ? Friday (7 nights/8 days)