The precious Amazonas

Can the vastest and most incredible Amazon Forest be somehow connected with technology?

Yes if we are talking about showing the impact of deforestation to promote its protection.

Explore the Amazon Forest with the Virtual-Reality docu-movie “Under the Canopy” by Conservation International, filmed in 2017 and narrated by indigenous guide, Kamanja Panashekung. Using either a virtual-reality headset for an immersive experience or watching the 360-degree video below, you will discover the people, plants and animals of Amazonia. Sloths and caimans are my favs!

This film can give you a glimpse of how it feels experiencing Amazonas. I did it two years in a row, sleeping in the forest for 2 nights both in Colombia and in Brazil. Watching again at this film, really makes me feel lucky to had the chance to live and respect a place that is at risk due to the impact of deforestation and it definitely urges protection. Learn more at Conservation.org

REMOTE ADVENTURES ANYONE?

I will strongly recommend you to book a package and enjoy 2-3 days out, in the middle of nowhere to deep yourself in this majestic landscape. It won’t be comfy, but you won’t regret it!

Eliceo has been our amazing and funny guide so drop him a line on his FB and ask for your next adventure!

We spent 1 night sleeping in hammocks in a Maloca in the middle of nowhere, 1 night in puerto Narino and 1 night we stayed at a family house in Zacambu, Perù

DAY 1 : MALOCA AND MAMBE DE COCA

When we arrived in Leticia airport we’ve been welcomed by pouring rain: just the perfect weather to enjoy a 2 hours trek in the middle of the jungle. Luckily Eliceo had already packed brand new rainy boots and this definitely prevented us from trashing our trekking shoes after 10 mins out in the forest. Ready to evaporate: k-ways, boots and a light backpack and we started our 3 nights 4 days remote adventure.

The trek to our first spot was really fun apart from a huge fly -or whatever it was- constantly following us. We crossed small water spots, improvised bridges made of wood trunks, climbed fallen trees (I can assure you some are huge  and I’m short)  ending up in a Maloca, an ancestral long house used by indigenous people of the Amazon.

After dinner we went to a night hike, and we were able to experience the sound of nature walking in the jungle both with the torch light and without, completely in the dark. Luminescent barks were astonishing!  Back to the Maloca we were welcomed by the Shaman who spoke quite a long time about the importance of this place within the tribe and letting us taste El Mambe de Coca whose consumption is very old in the indigenous cultures.

The Mambe is made from coca leaf, combined with Ambil, a liquid pasty form of tobacco. it’s said that it opens our throat chakra, sweeten our words and lend transparency and directness to our speech. This tradition of conversing with coca is called to ‘mambear’.

DAY 2: SAILING ON THE AMAZON RIVER

Once back in Leticia, heading to Puerto Nariño means having a 4 hours voyage on the Amazon river. In the wooden boat, the time goes by slowly, chatting, drinking, sunbathing and enjoying some wild life spotting (pink and grey dolphins!)  and also a close encounter with some spiteful monkeys!

DAY 3: BREAKFAST IN COLOMBIA, LUNCH IN BRAZIL AND DINNER IN PERU’

That’s the day dedicated to explore the “Tres fronteras”:  the triple Amazonian frontier. We played with a cute sloth, then went piranha fishing in the afternoon, we ate them for dinner (I caught two!) and went to spot caymans when it was dark.
But the best encounter was the sloath, the cutest animal ever!