SLIME'S GUIDE TO PADDLING IN ECUADOR

With Slime's River Maps

For many kayakers gorges are those special places that offer the ultimate attraction - they represent mystery, the unknown, challenge, exhilaration, exploration, and drama. Deep, sombre places, hard of access, and by their nature committing they are also usually highly scenic..

I love paddling gorges, but right now I was having second thoughts. Skinny, Mark and myself were making a two day trip down the Hollin (pronounced 'Ocheen') river in Ecuador, which is notorious for the rapid changes in its water levels. True to form, late afternoon it started raining, the kind of torrential rain that makes breathing difficult and that you can't see through. We could see the river rising around us, "How far to the first beach" I asked Mark Potts the local expert, "another hour or two - we'll have to bivi now". We found a break in the jungle-clad cliff walls where there was a semblance of a beach and crawled up under the dense bushes with our kayaks. We were only some two metres above the river level, but there was no where else to go except up the vertical cliffs. There was just about room for each persons bivi bag between the roots of the bushes and so after a token brew we each sealed ourselves in our individual bivi bags and tried to settle down for the night.

The rain was still lashing down, there was the constant roar of the river (and the worry of how much it was rising), but above these sounds were the noises of the jungle - strange howls, whistles, barks, and yells. It wasn't a recipe for peaceful sleep, but eventually exhaustion took over and I drifted off.

Suddenly I was awoken by scream "Aaagh". "What is it?" I shouted "Are you ok?" "I don't know what it was" shouted Skinny "it was just kind of soft and heavy and it landed on me". "What did it feel like? asked Mark. "I just don't know" shouted Skinny through the rain "It's gone now, I didn't feel any claws or anything, but it was bloody heavy". "Oh just a large python or maybe a bear" said Mark, perhaps to reassure us - but raising more worries in our minds - 'Suppose it comes back? - 'Maybe it has friends?' - 'Maybe a lot of friends?' 'Perhaps this was the baby one and Daddy Bear would be coming back for his porridge?'.- 'What would it feel like to be swallowed by a large Anaconda?'. There wasn't much to say - I just lay in my soggy bivi bag and tried to think of sweet, calm, soothing things - and thought about how I just loved paddling gorges!

Pete Knowles was out in Ecuador in November 1999 and then returned again with a group of friends last Christmas, spending 5 days in Tena, 5 days on the Upano and then a week in the Galapagos.

Why Ecuador?

Great paddling when its cold and nasty in the UK

An amazing choice of rivers within a short taxi ride of your hotel

Warm water

Sub tropical climate

Exotic jungle setting

Friendly people

Cheap accommodation, food and transport

Easy logistics Clean pristine rivers

Steak and eggs (Churrasco) is the national diet!

Any negative points?

There are some bugs, mainly black fly, but few mosquitoes. These are jungle rivers, fed by rainfall, so its obviously going to rain, and the river levels can fluctuate hugely. Most rivers are in dense jungle, there're snakes, spiders, scorpions and other nasties and walking out isn't an option.

The rivers are committing and there have been 2 fatalities in 3 years.

The Paddling

The main paddling centre and kayakers hang out is Tena, a pleasant laid back, friendly town on the edge of the Andean Foothills and the Amazon basin and about 5 hours drive SW of Quito. There are about 8 different day runs here, all within an hours drive so most paddlers spend most of there time based here. On the way from Quito, and about 2 hours north of Tena is the Quijos valley with several day trips usually based on the very mellow village Baeza. There's another good week of paddling following the same river as it grows in volume down the valley, but because of its higher altitude, both air and water temperature tends to be colder. In the south of the country is a fine multi-day trip, the Upano. These are probably the most popular rivers for kayakers but there are others that are covered in the guide book.

Boring Details

Intro

Politically and economically Ecuador has been going through an unsettled time in the past two years but has now hopefully quietened down. These unsettled times have scared away some of the more conservative tour groups which means that prices have been held down, tourists get a big welcome, and you can usually bargain hotel prices down. Ecuador adopted the US dollar as their official currency in year 2000 so this is all you need to take. Quito is a big city where robbery is not uncommon so you should avoid walking around by yourself after dark, but we were pleasantly surprised how laid back and safe other towns like Tena felt. Local people here are very friendly and welcoming. The other pleasant surprise was how few bugs there were, only a few black flies (nothing like Peru, New Zealand or Canada) - we could quite happily sit out on our hotel balcony with a beer watching the sunset over the river with no insect bites.

Boat Hire

There are two first class friendly rafting operators who have a wide range of modern kayaks for rent at about $15 a day or $90 a week. Yacu Amu are based in Quito www.yacuamu.com. Rios Ecuador are based in Tena www.riosecuador.com. If you hire from Steve Nomchung of Yacu Amu then he can arrange transport to pick you up at the airport and onward to Tena.

Flights

There is a wide choice of daily flights into Quito. Avianca is normally the cheapest (we paid 365) and is reasonably direct with just a 2 hour transfer in Bogota. If you're unlucky you might get charged $70 for your kayak. KLM have a convenient flight overnight and arriving early morning but will not take kayaks or any other kind of adult toy (boring Dutch!). In our experience Iberia do not normally charge for kayaks but are usually more expensive. Flights with American Airlines are normally more expensive and you are likely to pay heavy excesses for taking a kayak. I recommend booking through 'Journey Latin America' who normally have the best deals - Tel: 0208 747 3108.

Transport

There is a taxi counter in the departure hall of the airport that can arrange a mini bus to Tena - expect to pay around $20 per person, or you could take a taxi to the bus station ($3) and a bus from there ($3). If you want to stay in Quito then I recommend the Crossroads Backpackers Hotel, which is in the heart of the tourist area and run by an American kayaker Jeff - tel: 234735.

Kayaking tips

1. Most of the rivers in Ecuador are committing and walking out is often not an option so come well equipped with spare split paddles, etc.

2. On the easier rivers around Tena, you'll normally be warm enough in just a short sleeve cag and shorts, or maybe just a tee shirt. Pack a long sleeve cag for the harder rivers and for the Quijos valley which is much colder. Also think about some minimum gear in the unlikely event that you need to survive a night in the jungle - insect repellent, socks, long trousers, thermal top, small plastic sheet, head torch, candle, matches, iodine for water purifying. (note that although probably raining its relatively warm).

3. If you're considering the longer rivers and an overnight then a bivi bag with zipped insect mesh door is a good idea.

4. Mark Potts recommends good footwear for the harder rivers - portages can be rugged, with sharp rocks, thorns, and snakes. (I was wearing my usual shorts and Tevas but traipsing through the jungle in these wasn't much fun).

5. The rivers are mainly basalt gorges with dense jungle clad sides. Get a rain storm (maybe way up out of sight in the mountains) and you then get a sudden rise in river levels and a pleasant paddle suddenly becomes an epic. Many groups have been tempted to press on instead of bivying and waiting for the level to drop. Consequently there have been many incidents and no less than 2 fatalities in 3 years although there has probably only been a few hundred paddlers here in that time.

6. If you do feel the river level rising quickly, but still have enough control it is worth keeping your eyes open for footpaths or huts beside the river - you may get lucky and find a building to sleep in and get a meal cooked for you.

Budget for a two week trip

Flight London to Quito return 375

Share of Minibus, Quito to Tena return 25

Hotels 80

Food and beer 80

Kayak hire 120

Local taxis 30

Departure tax 15

------ Total 725

Visas, money and jabs

EEC nationals don't need a visa. The usual overseas jabs, Hepatitis, Tetanus, Polio, etc. are recommended. Some c.y.a.* doctors recommend Yellow Fever and surprise, surprise, charge you lots of money for a certificate. Local experts we spoke to in Ecuador told us that the disease is not prevalent at the moment and vaccination is not necessary. Anti-malaria pills are recommended but we went in the dry season and hardly saw a mosquito so most of us stopped taking our tablets. Take US dollars and dollar travellers cheques. Credit and bank cards can be used for cash advances in Quito and some of the larger towns, but only with difficulty in Tena.

Other things to do

Climb a volcano, stay at an eco-lodge in the jungle, go mountain biking around Andean villages, bathe in hot springs, go caving at Archidona, buy some great value craft items at Otavalo.

More Information

I recommend the Footprint Guide to Ecuador which has a good river running section. Smallworld are an American Kayak Operator with a base in the Quijos valley. They publish a 'Kayakers Guide to Ecuador' which is a good guidebook but at $17 for 80 pages it is expensive. www.smallworldadventures.com. It is now in it's second edition, actually called 'revised first edition'. Very little more content unfortunately, but proper binding, some corrections. Available from Jeff's hotel or some Tena shops.

Slime's Maps of Ecuador

Rivers around Tena

Tena is a great base with a good choice of hotels from $2 to $10 ahead per night. For $10 a head we had a huge beautiful room in the Los Yutzos Hotel with riverside balconies, ensuite bathroom with big fluffy white towels (changed daily), mini bar, colour tv, etc. - for this money you've got to be crazy slumming it anywhere else! Meals in local restaurants will cost you around $2-3 and a large beer less than a dollar. The local rafting operator, Rios Ecuador have agreed fixed rates with the taxi co-operative for runs to the put ins and take outs so these will typically cost you around $4 per head per day. This also means that the favourite taxi drivers know the river access points and estimated trip times better than most paddlers!

Upper Napo (or Jatunyacu) This is the favourite play river in the area and the usual warm up river for most groups - a big volume, wide, class 3 run with excellent play waves. Kayakers normally take out at Shandia where the second footbridge crosses the river after about 12km. Rafts continue another 18km to Puerto Napo. About 1 km on the left after the first footbridge is the Napo Rodeo Hole, a favourite for local play boatersknown as 'Hatless Hole'.

Upper Misahualli 8 km of "creek boating at its best". Mainly class 4(4+) and then easing as you get down the river. Best put in is the bridge at San Francisco near Cotundo, but excellent upstream of here if you can stand the muddy walk-in.

Lower Misahualli Totally different to the upper river, this is a world classic run, Class 4 (4+), big water, with huge boulders, shoots and drops in a committing gorge. The famous 'Casanova Falls', is an entertaining portage which makes a memorable team building exercise. This is followed by the huge 'Land of the Giants' rapid below. Where else in the world can you put in for a class run like this from your hotel terrace? After the gorge the river suddenly flattens out and the take out is at Puerto Misahualli, a jungle port for the Amazon Basin with fleets of huge motorised dug out canoes, flocks of parrots and a tribe of screaming monkeys. Load your boat on the local bus, and then go for a beer - the bus driver will then come and find you when it's time to go!

Upper Jondachi Here's a steep class 5- creek run that is non-stop, hard, exhilarating and exhausting boating with no let ups. Best run with a local guide. Several groups have under-estimated this river and had epics when the water level has risen and they have had to climb out in the dark through dense jungle to the road - this is only a km away but imagine trying to crawl through a bramble bush uphill for this distance. Note that the first rapid probably sets the standard for the rest of the 3-4 hour run. (A British team had a near fatality just 3 weeks after I wrote this). A good warmup is to do the upper river, called the 'Rio Urcusiqui', slightly easier and a nicer walkin. You can then get out at the normal putin if you're not happy.

Hollin A long medium volume class 4(5) run though beautiful jungle gorges. This takes 8 to 9 hours so is often run with a planned overnight bivi. The Hollin is notorious for its rapid changes in water levels so even if planning a long day trip there's a good chance that you might be forced into an overnight bivi. Make sure you put in below the falls on the right bank, some 50m downstream of the bridge. About as cleanly runnable a 50 foot waterfall as you'll ever find upstream of the bridge, but many injuries have happened here...we bottled out.

Lower Jondachi Described to me as "kind of like a cross between the Upper Jondachi and the Hollin. Slightly bigger, harder (and better!) than the upper Mis, but a definite step down in difficulty from the Upper Jondachi. It's a long day trip - start early and don't waste time. Very beautiful, a real jungle river with lots of humming birds. We loved it.

Easier Rivers There are several easier rivers in the area for anyone perhaps looking to take a friend boating. Lower Napo, class 1: Middle Mishuali, class 2, lower Anzu, class 2+.

Quijos Valley and Baeza

Baeza is a smaller and mellower town than Tena but doesn't have quite the kayakers 'scene' that goes with Tena - but if you've got a bunch of mates looking for a mellow place to stay with a great river it's a perfect place to escape from the Yanks. Mason de Baeza in the old town is quiet, cheap, and comfortable guest house conveniently close to the best restaurant in town, 'Ginas'. There's rumours of a new kayakers hostel opening here so things may rapidly change. The alternative is the more modern Hostal San Rafael in the new town that has a telephone, pool table and friendly owner.

See the 'Kayakers Guide to Ecuador' for a description of the rivers - there are some great creek runs if the levels are right, but the main river is of course the Quijos which has some excellent paddling and playboating - about 50 miles of mostly grade 4 and 4+ with no portages. Pete Hennessy wrote "I've never had such a feel of a river growing from a small highland torrent to a mature biggish volume river". The Quijos has a road nearby for most of it's length so it's a bit safer than some of the other rivers. The most popular section is from Borja to Bombo, 20km of class 4. Small World have their lodge just downstream of the bridge at Borja so you should be able to buy a copy of their guide book if you call in there.

Rio Upano This is a scenic multi-day trip in the south of the country which climaxes in the spectacular uninhabited, jungle-clad, 'Canyon of the Sacred Waterfalls'. For the first few days the river meanders in a wide open valley between high cliffs with lots class 3 boulder rapids and stacks of white water play opportunities in a scenic jungle setting. Then, when you enter the magnificent gorge it just kicks in with some serious terminal holes, great waves to surf, but strange powerful, sucking, swirly, whirl pools, and boilly confused water. Nothing more than class 4, but in a truly dramatic, intimidating, remote setting - grey rocks, grey swirlly water, jungle-clad cliffs soaring into the clouds on either side, and some awesome waterfalls crashing down from above. Yacu Amu run this on a regular basis as a 5 day trip starting from near Macas and can supply raft support or advice on camp sites and put ins if you are thinking of a self supported trip. You could do it as several day trips if you had a vehicle in support. There are some wonderfully diverse and scenic campsites and plenty of wildlife - this is the kind of place where its nice to have a good quality tent with strong, snake-proof zips! One recommended and memorable campsite is 'Bosco's Place' on the left bank downstream from San Francisco where an entrepreneurial Indian has built a shelter hut and gives you a low key tour of a typical Indian Jungle settlement. There is a put in for the Canyon section a couple of km upstream of the Patuca bridge on the right bank. Take out is normally where you come out of the Canyon on the left bank just below a stream and wash out, a road bridge over the stream is visible high up on the left, and a trail goes up to the road. Locals report 10m long Anacondas on this river. Steve Brooks did a self supported trip in Nov 2000 and tells how he eddied out after the last rapid and ran over a 4m long black rounded thing: he says they then had a problem - they needed to put back on the river to continue, but there waiting for them, was this huge, angry snake!

The Galapagos If you have the time and money then I strongly recommend an extra week, diving or snorkelling in these fantastic islands. This really is an amazing place that lives up to all its expectations. There is no cheap way of experiencing the wild life so you just need to bite the bullet and be prepared to budget about 1000 for a week in these magical islands. We travelled on our own private diving boat called 'Seaman' booked for us through Yacu Amu. I highly recommend them - www.galapagosseaman.com.ec.

* crude American 'cover your arse'

Peter Knowles www.riverspublishing.co.uk