Anthropology and Local Culture

Ecuador

ORMA Guide:
Sara Pangione
27 dec 25 - 05 jan 26
€2950
per traveler
€2750
with the discount code
Status:
Group Creation

Living with the Waorani

Join Amazon expert Sara Pangione for a unique journey into the heart of Ecuador: from the deep Amazon jungle, home to the Waorani - one of the last indigenous communities in contact with the modern world - to the capital Quito, where you’ll explore the contrasts between tradition and contemporary life.
Spend New Year's Eve in another dimension!

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Into the Most Authentic Amazon
    We will explore the remote Waorani community of Bameno, accessible only after hours of canoeing along the Shiripuno River. For 7 days, we will live like them! Sleeping in hammocks, taking part in daily life, learning traditional hunting and fishing techniques, dancing together in the ceremonial hut, and meeting the women who preserve ancestral crafts and pottery.
  • A New Year’s Eve Out of Time
    On December 31st, we will be in one of the most isolated places on the planet. We’ll celebrate the arrival of the new year in the jungle with a small ritual shared with the community - no fireworks, just the sounds of the forest and the glow of the fire.
  • Quito and the Return to Civilization
    In the final days, we will move to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Quito to discover its colonial history, modern indigenous struggles, and the urban and natural sides of the country. A gradual passage from the forest to the city to reflect on all we have experienced.

Note: The trip will be conducted in Italian, but some activities with the community will be supported by local translators and may take place in English or Spanish. A spirit of adaptability, an open mind, and… light clothing for the day but warm clothes for the night are needed: it can get cold in the forest!

TRIP PURPOSE

This journey is an intercultural educational experience that takes us beyond tourism and into a dialogue between civilizations, inviting reflection on the meaning of progress, time, and our relationship with nature. We will meet those who have lived for centuries in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest to learn from them a radically different worldview: collective, ecocentric, and profound. It is an act of listening, respect, and bearing witness

This trip has been designed based on these principles:

Promotion of the local economy
Local community and human network
Nature and hiking

Accomodations

During the days spent in the Waorani community, we will stay in a traditional Waorani house, where we will sleep in hammocks with mosquito nets, as per local tradition. Alternatively, it will be possible to sleep in tents: we will offer both options and accommodate people according to their preferences.In Waorani communities, it is rare to find conventional beds or mattresses, although in some cases there might be some.In Quito, on the other hand, we will stay in a cozy and scenic hostel: The Secret Garden.

What's included

  • Food: All meals.
  • Accomodation: 6 nights in the forest in tents or hammocks and 3 nights in a hostel.
  • Transportation: All transfers, including the domestic flight from and to "x"...
  • Tour & Activities: .....
  • Insurance: Medical and baggage insurance.

What's not included

  • Transporation: Flight to and from "x"...
  • Other: Trip cancellation insurance.
  • Anything not specified under "What's included".

Payment Terms

30% down payment at the time of booking and the remaining 70% due 30 days prior to departure.
If the booking is made within 30 days of departure, the full amount is due at checkout.
Bank transfers or credit cards can be used to make payments.

If minimum participation isn't met, the trip will be canceled, and you'll be fully refunded.

ITINERARY

Day 1 - In the Heart of Waorani Territory
The experience begins in Coca, from where we depart towards the Shiripuno River. Along the way, there will be a stop to learn more about the reality of voluntarily isolated peoples through a meeting with the Human Rights Secretariat.To reach the Bameno community, we will pass through the so-called "Untouchable Zone," which is the area inhabited by the two uncontacted indigenous groups, the Tagaeri and Taromenani, who are part of the Waorani nationality.Once we arrive at the Shiripuno River bridge, we continue by canoe along the river to Guemeneweno, where we will be welcomed by Gaba (Waorani leader and elder) and his Waorani family.Here begins our first contact with the local culture: there will be time to learn about customs, listen to stories, and share authentic moments. The day ends with a refreshing swim in the river and dinner around the fire, before retiring for the night in tents (or hammocks, as the Waorani traditionally sleep in hammocks).

Day 2 - Welcome to Bameno: The True Beat of the Amazon
After breakfast, we set off again by canoe, navigating the river towards the Waorani community of Bameno, located in the heart of Yasuni National Park, the area with the greatest biodiversity in the world.The journey offers a total immersion in the biodiversity of the Amazon: we may spot parrots, monkeys, charapas (Amazonian turtles), birds, caimans, and if we’re lucky, even a sloth hidden among the trees.Arrival in Bameno marks the beginning of a warm welcome by the community and the start of a new stage of the adventure - we are indeed in the heart of Waorani territory, in one of the most authentic and isolated communities.

Day 3 - Roots and Rituals: Discovering Waorani Wisdom
The morning begins with traditional Waorani dances and songs held in the ONKO, the traditional Waorani hut. Here the welcome party will take place, where we will see traditional clothing, body painting, and participate in the traditional dance.Afterwards, we will have the chance to practice with blowpipes and spears, ancestral hunting tools that the Waorani still use today.We will then visit the Bameno community, with a special stop at the community shaman, the keeper of ancestral medicine.The walk through the forest will lead us to discover medicinal plants and millenary trees, before returning to the community for dinner.

Day 4 - Living Forest: Camping, Ancestral Fishing, and Night Exploration
We head out for a camping experience in the jungle: a guided walk will take us to discover a natural salt lick, where we can observe parrots gathering.After lunch and some rest, we set off for a catfish fishing session, then return to camp to prepare smoked fish according to Waorani tradition.We can watch Waorani women fish using a traditional method—a kind of small fishing net made from CHAMBIRA, a natural fiber extracted from a forest palm also used for handicrafts.The evening ends with a night canoe excursion on the Cononaco River to observe caimans in their natural environment.

Day 5 - Craftsmanship, Hidden Lagoons, and New Year’s Eve in the Jungle
The day begins with a walk to a hidden lagoon in the forest, a natural habitat for anacondas and piranhas. We can try fishing and observe wildlife in one of the most remote corners of the territory.After returning to camp and lunch in Bameno, there will be time to rest and visit the community center where local handicrafts will be showcased: accessories such as necklaces, hammocks, bracelets, and other handmade items will be available for those who want to bring back an authentic souvenir.All these crafts are made by the women of the community using only natural materials derived from a palm. The women will show us the entire process and how they obtain the different natural colors used to dye the fibers.At midnight, there will be no urban countdown: we will celebrate the start of the new year immersed in the darkness and sounds of the jungle, in an intimate and timeless moment.

Day 6 - Roots and Traditions: Meetings with Elders and Ceramics Workshop
This day is dedicated to deeply getting to know the community. We will visit the oldest families, keepers of oral memory and Waorani traditions, listening to their stories and life anecdotes in the jungle.During the day, it will also be possible to participate in a traditional ceramics workshop, shaping clay as Waorani women do, using techniques passed down through generations.Currently, very few women still keep the tradition of working with clay, and in this community, we will have the fortune and honor to meet those who still practice it.Those who wish can help prepare food or simply share time with the community, enjoying songs, chats, and moments of relaxation.

Day 7 - Farewell Rituals and Final Reflections in the Forest
The last day in the forest is meant as a moment of closure and reflection. After breakfast, there will be a brief ritual to say goodbye to nature and the community, led by an elder of the village.It will be the time to share thoughts, emotions, thanks, and take the last photos together.The afternoon departure by plane to Quito is scheduled.

Day 8 - Welcome to Quito
We land in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. After checking in at the hostel, there will be a guided walk through the historic center: Baroque churches, colonial plazas, and murals of indigenous resistance. Dinner together to share first reflections on the trip.

Day 9 - Between Nature and City
We explore the naturalistic and modern side of Quito: visit to the Teleférico with views over the Andes, and the local market. The afternoon will be free to discover the La Floresta neighborhood, rich in street art, independent bookstores, and artistic cafés.

Day 10 - Goodbye Ecuador
The last day to process everything we have experienced. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport and flight back home.

Sara Pangione, 25, is originally from the Castelli Romani near Rome but now lives deep in the Amazon rainforest with the Waorani Indigenous community in Ecuador. With a degree in International Cooperation and Development, she volunteered in both Ecuador and Guatemala before settling in the jungle for love—and for purpose. Today, she works with the Fundación Waorani Waponi Amazon on community tourism and Indigenous rights, while teaching Italian online as a digital nomad. Her journey reflects a powerful choice to embrace a radically different life, rooted in sustainability, cultural exchange, and social justice.

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Booking Info

27 dec 25 - 05 jan 26
Destination:
Ecuador
Days:
10
Status:
Group Creation
€2950
per traveler*
€2750
with the discount code*
BOOK NOW
* Flight not included

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