Preparing for your trip

This page contains a listing of books, any one of which will add richness and depth to your experience at Kapawi.

• Amazon Beaming, by Peter Popescu from Viking Press. This book is difficult to find but often available from your library or through www.abebooks.com. It is a great introduction to the mysteries of the Amazonian rainforest and cultures.
• Neotropical Rainforest Mammals. Emmons, Louise H., The University of Chicago Press, 1990.
• Savages, by Joe Kane, from Alfred A. Knopf. Excellent account of the struggles between indigenous peoples and oil development in Ecuador.
• Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Eliade, Mircea. Penguin Books, 1989.
• The Jivaro. People of the Sacred Waterfalls. Harner, Michael, J. University of California Press Ltd. 1984
• The Spears of Twilight, Life and Death in the Amazon Jungle, Descola, Philippe. The New Press, 1996. Currently the best book about the Achuar.
• The World Is As You Dream It, by John Perkins, from Destiny Books
• Tropical Nature. Forsyth, Adrian; Miyata, Ken. Macmillan, 1984. A good introductory book for the layman.
• Birds of Colombia. Hilty, Steven L; Brown William. Princenton University Press. 1986. The best available field guide.
• Birds of Ecuador. Greenfield, Paul, et al., CECIA, 1990. An excellent checklist for birders.

TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• Please make sure your vaccinations are current and that you take appropriate prophylaxis medications.
• The Ministry of Public Health (MSP) of Ecuador requires that every traveler entering Kapawi Ecolodge and any of the eastern Amazonian provinces of Ecuador be able to show proof of vaccination against yellow fever.
• You can insure that your clothing does not get wet on the trip to Kapawi by packing all of your things inside plastic bags (generally garbage bags work best) and then placing everything inside your luggage. Your luggage will always be well cared for on the trip in but this provides extra insurance in case of a rainstorm while in the canoe on the final leg of the journey to the lodge.
• It is possible to minimize the amount of clothing that you will need to bring with you to the lodge by having a "night-time" a set of dry clothes at the lodge, which you change into in the evening after returning from each day's activities. And having a "day-time" set of clothes that you re-use each day when you go out on the various daily activities.
• Do not bring audio gear unless you also have personal earphones to keep the sound private and to yourself.
• Please do not bring presents, sweets or other gifts for the Achuar children or other community members. Educational materials (pens, note books, colored pencils, etc.) or sports equipment, however, can be appropriate to donate to the communities. The resident manager at the lodge can arrange for such donations to be distributed properly
• The Achuar are very pleased when you buy their handicrafts in the communities. To do this, we recommend you bring some amount of money with you to the lodge in small bills as the people in the communities will not be able to make change for your purchases.