Jungle Treks at Kapawi Ecolodge - Days 5/8 - Tuesday 27th/ Friday 30th March

I’ve decided to accumulate the Treks into one Blog, and then perhaps one for the river trips.

They certainly work you hard at Kapawi ecolodge. There are many options on offer, and the daily activities can readily be suited to your particular needs or interests.

Our daily routine settled into an early morning (06:30 hrs) birdwatch from the motorised canoe & back for breakfast. This was a good start to the day. We usually returned at 09:00 hrs for an excellent breakfast followed by a short briefing. Mornings were occupied by a 2 - 3 hour jungle trek. We would then return for lunch, wringing wet from our exertions, shower from the solar-heated bag and then relax on the boardwalks and verandahs overlooking the lagoon (cocha), see photo,(Kapawi Ecolodge - relaxing). The afternoon would be filled with another trek, a river trip, or perhaps fishing for Piranha and Catfish. The evening meal was at 19:00 hrs. followed by a night jungle trek or a presentation. The day ended at 22:00 hrs, just in time for a beer in the very cosy bar/lounge.

A number of different treks gave varied experiences of the distinct habitats that were represented, from wet forest floor to well drained hillocks. Rarely was the vegetation impenetrable. The density of the understory was also limited by the exclusion of light by the larger trees, see photo, (Jungle Trek ).

Our first impression of the jungle (Tropical lowland forest), is of serious information overload. One of our group, John, from New York, aptly summed this up. “Every smallest thing, every large tree that you see has its’ own immense beauty, yet taken as a whole the first impression is one of unmitigated chaos”.

The strange names, the wierd adaptations, 2000 major plant species in each square kilometre. The challenge set was to spot a plant that was similar to the one we saw five minutes previously. Diversity at its most extreme. The fascinating links, particularly between the many fungal micorrhiza, plants and trees. Chemical warfare on a major and unseen scale. Plant with plant associations, animal with plant, super complex food webs and inter-relationships.

Then there were the animals. Warning!! Do not come to the jungle for five days, noisily tramp around with a small group of chatty people, and expect to be tripping over the odd snake, puma, jaguar, tapir, peccary, or any other mammal. The same goes for iguanas and birds. Twittering ecotourists are the real reason that interested ecotourists do not realise their expectations.

If however, you would enjoy the experience of convivial company, excellent food, a cultural enlightenment, wet and warm jungle treks, exploration by river canoe, and the frequent sighting of interesting species, then Kapawi would give you all of this.

If you really want to see animals in the jungle, you can of course go it alone. Naturally, Kapawi ecolodge makes this all possible.

Just behind my lodge was the entrance to a 3 km self-guided trail. This was the first trail that we had walked. Elestino, our Achuar field guide, introduced us to the animals. We saw tracks, many many insects, see photos, (Ants Nest),(False Scorpion), (Red Stick Insect) and an Iguana stalking a Ruby poison dart frog, (Iguana) and (Ruby Poison Dart Frog)

If you wanted to see the wildlife on offer, you really had to dig deeper. At the edge of our track we see a Tarantula, photo,(Tarantula in tunnel). It was wise to watch your feet.

The many vines, decaying logs and plant runners were a continual hazard. You would not want to trip and grab at the many spines and needles adorning palm trunks and aerial roots.

Near to the start of the self-guided trail, there was a resident monkey. Several of our group had seen it, so one night I ventured along the track alone to the monkey’s tree. As instructed, I diligently knocked on the tree trunk with a piece of wood. In the light of my head torch, I saw the small shape of a head appear some 40 feet above. Then it retreated. This was so often the case with birds and scurrying insects. They were there, but only briefly showed themselves.

The eerie light of the moon dimly lit the forest floor, black and grey patches moving and changing. If you listened, the jungle was talking to you. The rasp of cicadas, see photos, (Cicada in Tree) and (Cicadas mating) The clicks and taps of the frogs. Leaves rustling suddenly as an iguana was disturbed. Occasional contact calls between monkeys. Little to see.

Only in the light of a head-torch did you see the frogs (see photo, Christmas Tree Frog) and insects such as the aggressive Conga Ant, (Conga ant) as they moved at night from the forest floor to the understorey foliage. The sting of a conga ant is described as an experience that you will soon not forget - avoid being stung at all times. Only at the edge of the forest, was it possible to make out the many bats that flew low over the lagoon and between the stilts of the lodges.

One of our treks was designed to explore the extremely comprehensive medicinal possiblities of jungle plants. From cures for muscle pain to stomach disorders, the Cinchona plant that gave us quinine, treatments for hepatitis, and the use of poison seed extracts for stunning fish, and curare for poison darts used in blowpipes. The list is endless.

The science of Ethnobotany explores the diversity of plant species and suggests that lowland tropical rainforests are a treasure trove of medicinal plants. One critical question that must be posed is, “whose treasure trove?”

Where the scientists suggest that something in the order of 75% of all modern drugs have their origins in the rain forests, it is important that this resource is maintained for the future. The knowledge accumulated over millennia by the shaman, bee-keepers and elders of the many indigenous peoples is their intellectual property. The clear-cutting of the forest for timber, cattle pasture, and soya bean culture removes the medicine library and `westernises’ the indigenous peoples. Such a valuable resource is extremely precious. Probable cures for disease are being removed before they can be identified. Equally, the indigenous peoples should be acknowledged and rewarded for sharing their `intellectual property’.

Fortunately, areas like Kapawi and the southern Oriente can help to demonstrate these relationships. The simple examples given by our Ashuar guides readily highlight the importance of the rain forest for the western medical professions.

Similary, we were treated to a demonstration of hunting and trapping techniques. Elestino built a spring loaded trap for small animals, see photo, (Ashuar setting trap). No equipment - everything came from the jungle. The spring was a young sapling. The snare and other cords made from rolled palm leaf fibres. The fence to guide the prey towards the snare made from woven palm fronds. No metal, no string or any manufacted material. The forest is aptly labelled as the Achuar supermarket. All that you need is here.

Another time we are shown how to make a blow-pipe. The pipe made from two pieces of Palm stem, hollowed out with abrasive sand. The two halves are then heated and straightened. Then these two pieces are horizontally mated together in forked sticks set in the ground. The formation of the tube takes five days, each piece being rubbed against the other with the sand. The straightened and hollowed halves are then bound together with jungle twines and finally coated with a sticky secretion that is baked on, leaving the outer surface as though it had been laquered. In all, the full process takes a month.

Next blog - Jungle River Trips

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