SANGAY
Macas
Time to wake up: sun has not rised yet, but birds are already starting to sing. There's an intensity around: It's alive and it's all around us. This is the Amazon: towering trees scrape the sky and tiny flowers are blooming in the shadows. There’s multiple habitats on every square meter: you’ll find plants and animals that you won’t find anywhere else.
❧ Macas, the Emerald of the East, is home to a number of shuar indigenous communities. Visit the Amazonic Women Market and you’ll get to taste fruits like the caimito, the pambil and the oros; of course, there’s chicha for all. Dwell a little deeper and get a tour inside the community, where you’ll gain a new appreciation for the complex relationship between people and nature.
❧ The Sangay National Park was chosen as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO for it’s biodiversity. What this means you’ll be able to see toucans, macaws, otters and river dolphins in a single trek. And if we’re lucky, we might get to meet an elusive harpy eagle, an hoatzin or an adult jaguar.
❧ After our stealthy birdwatching trip, we’ll head to the Upano River. If you’re into rafting, you’ll very much enjoy its strong currents and rapids, but it’ll be a thrilling experience one way or another.
