15-year Ecuador guide Craig finished up a day on the Quijos this year exclaiming that “this is hands-down the best surfing and boofing year we have ever had here!”

This year was a good balance between high water and knowing limits, choosing the right rivers given the conditions and having a great time wherever we were. That is where the smiles came in.  There is a complete lineup of photos for all the trips.  And following are some of our favorite shots:

We have a whole collection of photos for each trip of the season!  Check them out….

Vitamin B - for beer, a good post-kayaking elixir.

Vitamin B and Vitamin C in the kayak world are defined as b for beer & c for chocolate. In planning a kayak vacation that combines the best of both, Ecuador is a great place to come. The Pilsener is big, cold and inexpensive.  And the chocolate is delicious.  Chocolate has a long history in the Americas that explains why it is more than just the elixir of kayakers in need of a post-river indulgence.

Sharing the love, Ecuador style

The Legend of Chocolate
Life about 400 BC was difficult, and the God Quetzalcoatl was fond of mankind, so he brought them the cacao tree to make their life easier. This tree bore the fruit that was the magical food of the Gods and the secret of their power. Quetzalcoatl stayed with Mankind and taught them the fruit’s uses before returning to the Garden, promising he would return some day.

If only a cacao opened up to a chocolate bar!!

Where it all Began
Cacao was first discovered tucked away in the tropical rainforest, in what is now Venezuela. The fruit of the cacao tree is a football-shaped pod. When you cut through its thick skin, you do not have a Hershey Chocolate Bar waiting for you. Rather, a group of beans encased in a white flesh.  If you pop a bean into your mouth the white flesh is rather sweet – but not chocolate sweet. If you inadvertently bite into the actual bean, you learn where the bitter chocolate flavor comes from!

The Aztecs called the bean Xocoatl. The word Cacao comes from comes from the Mayan word for the plant was “Cacau,” which morphed into cocoa, and finally from this word came the European word “chocolate.”

The path of the cocoa bean started in Venezuela, moving north with the Olmec Civilization. From there it is thought that the Mayans brought cacao up to Yucatan (Mexico).  From there, the Aztecs picked up on its deliciousness.  By the time the Spanish arrived in the New World, there were already numerous uses of the cacao bean.

For many years, the cacao beans were valued more highly than gold and were used as currency throughout Central and South America.

The most well known way that Cacao was used (and the way that made the deepest impression on the European conquerors) was as a drink.  The early Central American people – including the Olmecs, Toltecs and Maya – fermented and dried and then roasted the beans. After roasting, the beans were ground to a paste and mixed usually with hot water to make an oily liquid.

The Spanish Conquistadors quickly picked up on the benefits of chocolate.  They were responsible for taking it to Europe — where it almost immediately became a high society “drug” alongside British tea and opium, coffee and the young USA’s tobacco.

The elixir of Love
If you have ever bitten into a cacao bean, you know it is very bitter (like pure bitter chocolate).  Early on there was no sugar, so honey, vanilla and ground maize were used to add flavor. Once the taste was improved with any of these delicious ingredients, chocolate turned into quite the love potion for women and men. The Mayans used the chocolate in marriage ceremonies, where couples gave each other the chocolate drink in preparation for the wedding night experience.

Like Chocolate for Water
The title of the novel and 1992 movie Like Water for Chocolate, is based on a popular phrase in Mexico, describing the sexual passion of a person being as “hot” as the water that is necessary for melting chocolate to create the chocolate drink.

Chocolate continues as the love potion of choice in modern time – as proven by the quantity of chocolate that will be given on Valentine’s Day!!

Growing Cacao
Mexico and Costa Rica, Ecuador and Venezuela, for many years were the main suppliers of chocolate.  In the late 19th century major companies started growing Cacao on large plantations, generally clearing rainforest to provide open land. It was at this time that the extremely low pollination rate of Cacao (1 in 3000) was noticed.  There is now a concern that the planet is consuming more chocolate than can be produced.

Chocolate in Ecuador
Ecuador chocolate is in demand by chocolate connoisseurs. Germans (a discerning chocolate culture) consider Ecuadorian dark chocolate an after-dinner treat.  The best-known chocolate out of Ecuador is arriba chocolate.  Arriba originates from a variety native to Ecuador – the National – known for its unique, high quality flavor. It is cultivated on the “costa” or west coast of Ecuador.

Only in the last few years has Ecuador begun to market their chocolate to the international world. There are now several well-packaged chocolate brands.  The emphasis is on their dark chocolate, which runs from 50% – 85%.

While a 70% chocolate might not be the right treat with a cold beer at the end of a great day on the river, it is definitely a great follow-up!!

These three cupids would be a welcome arrival on Valentine's Day!!

Enjoy your favorite post-river treat and a Valentine’s Day full of “amor y amistad.”

Desfile dia del Oriente en Borja

The Quijos Valley is celebrating “Dia del Oriente.” The celebration is in recognition of the day that Francisco Orellana embarked on a journey that eventually sent him down the Amazon River, February 12, 1541.

Orellana was part of a group of conquistadors headed up by Gonzalo Pizarro. The mission of the group was to find canella (cinnamon) and el dorado (the legend of a kingdom so rich in gold that the king would have himself painted in powdered gold and then swim and wash it off). The Spanish embarked on their grand adventure out of Quito, coming through the Quijos Valley following the Quijos River past San Rafael Falls, and continuing downstream to the Napo River. When Orellana broke from the group and headed down the Napo River he never intended to continue all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.  He was on a 12-day mission to find food for the starving conquistadors.  The problem was once he got going, there was no turning back.

In late June of 1542, Pizarro returned to Quito in rags after his failed expedition.  In August of 1542, Orellana successfully reached the Atlanta Ocean, becoming the first European to navigate and descend the Amazon River. For a short time after his journey, the Amazon was actually called the Orellana River.

For the entire story of this, River of Darkness by Levy Buddy. We are adding this to our trip reading list!!

The Mulberry Fork Race is just one of the great spring events for kayakers!

With such a mild winter, we stand the chance of spring sneaking up on us before anyone realizes it is here. And there is a whole calendar full of spring events coming up. Many of the events that occur in the southeast have a long history.  Enjoy a little history on just a few of the events that make the southeast such a great place to catch up with folks in the spring–and throughout the season……

1.  If a cold front hits home, it makes the trip down south worthwhile.
2. If  you want to do a week of high-quality whitewater–and have an excuse to not think about work, take some time away from your backyard favorite runs and go international.
3. New rivers to explore. New rapids to run. New holes to surf. Waves to catch.
4. New cultures to explore!  And that is what makes a trip stand apart.

A change of scenery is good for the soul!

The rivers of Ecuador are the highlight of the trip, but the cool things that we do off the river really create the memories!

Starting with Quito…..It would be disappointing to visit Ecuador and not spend a little time exploring Quito – one of the most interesting cities on any continent!  From its early Quitus population to the Incas to the Spanish to modern day, Quito has a wealth of history. When the small country was liberated from Gran Columbia by Bolivar and Sucre, the name Quito was almost adopted, but with its position on the equator (and some protests from Guayaquilenos), the name Ecuador stuck.

A cititour in Quito includes the Panecillo overlooking the city

Ecuador earned its name because of its location on the equator.

And it is super easy to take a few extra days while in Quito and check out mountain biking down a snow-capped Andes Volcano!

For a change of scenery, biking down snow-capped volcanoes is awesome!

For such a small country, there is so much to explore from north to south, to the Galapagos Islands– just a plane trip off the west coast of Ecuador.

To travel to Ecuador sets you up for a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

Once we head over to the Oriente – the paradise of paddling, there is so much to do.  There are more rivers to paddle than time in just one week. The amazing wonders of the Oriente are not just on the river, so we make it a point to take time for side trips!

Taking time out to enjoy the scenery in the Oriente - using the pipeline as a sidewalk!

It is worthwhile skipping that last surf to check out San Rafael Falls

One gorgeous waterfall after another, a side trip to Cascada Malo is the way to finish off a great day on the Quijos River.

We are always on the hunt for new, super cool side trips. And this year we found the coolest side trip ever! The Cuevas de los Tayos.

A side trip can include a little cross training with a hike into one of the newly discovered wonders of the Oriente: Cuevas de los Tayos

The rivers of the Oriente are not the only natural wonders, newly discovered Cueva de los Tayos

Adding a 75 acre reserve to our Quijos Eco-Lodge includes the option of a hike up the Quijos Ridge for the view of all views of the Quijos Valley

Enjoying another "boating" option of the Oriente with a boat trip down the Napo River

When guide becomes victim, learning the art of blow darts

And then there is just hanging out time - something not done enough at home!

Hanging out time and sharing fun with the kids

Hanging out time includes getting to know the natives

Just kill'n time, part of the benefits of taking a vacation!

Enjoying a little time out after one great day of paddling following another

A week of paddling makes a soak in the hot springs worth the time out!

And shouldn't a vacation include time on the water slide...into the hot springs pool!

So take time out for a paddling vacation with us that includes exploring new rivers, new cultures, and just enjoying a Vacation!!  Check out all we have to offer for ideas that can create your definition of a vacation….

by Mary Mills
I was headed to Ecuador to go kayaking with Endless River Adventures.  I planned  on an extra week before the kayaking week, and with the help of Ken and Angel chose to spend the week visiting the colonial town of Cuenca and spending time at the Cuyabeno Reserve.

Many people I know were amazed that I would travel alone, especially as a woman, to a foreign country with a language I only know a little. But I found that traveling solo in Ecuador had its perks.  I met new people and experienced things in an a way I just could not have if I had been traveling in a group. Sitting alone in a restaurant the waiter would start to chat, and I spent time talking with the locals who were more than willing to help me with my Spanish.  Often times during my week I met up with other travelers–fellow Americans, Europeans, or Canadians and ended up sitting together and having great conversations.  Every tour I went on had many solo travelers who shared my same sense of adventure.

First up: the colonial city of Cuenca
Cuenca is the third largest city of Ecuador. Declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO,  its churches, parks, colonial houses, cobbled streets, and near-by archaeological sites make it the perfect city to visit and explore.

the charming colonial city of Cuenca

Day One: Arrival in Cuenca
My adventure started at Posada del Angel Hotel, a beautiful hostel converted from an old colonial house within walking distance of many of the must-see sites of Cuena.  I dropped off my things, grabbed a map and went exploring. One of my favorite things to do when traveling is to just get lost in a city. Unplanned finds and the people you meet make for unforgettable memories. It was about a 4 hour walk which helped me get used to the altitude and gave me a feel for the city.

Exploring the Ingapirca Ruins

Day Two:   the Incipirca Ruins.
Incipirca is a Cañari and Incan archeological site.   Here the Cañari people built structures to the moon, about 3000 years ago.  Among the ruins was a stone, which still shows the summer and winter solstice perfectly, and another with 28 holes that accurately shows the entire lunar cycle with a reflection lining up perfectly in each hole on each day.

Exploring the high altitude Parque Nacional Cajas

Day Three: Parque Nacional Cajas
We started out with a walk around a beautiful lake at an elevation of about 10,300 feet.  Half of the walk was in an incredibly unique high altitude rain forest.  We heard toucans; saw birds, bromeliads, and tons of plants and flowers.  Wild llamas and alpacas wandered around.   A huge waterfall cascaded down the mountain as well.   It was so different from any forest or ecosystem I’d ever seen.

Day Four: The Homero Ortega Hat Factory for a tour how they make Panama Hats.
The hat factory was an interesting tour and I walked out with my own new Panama hat.  Following the tour was lunch at the famed Tiestos.   We had 10 dishes of sauces, fruits, and vegetables that you added to your main dishes and side dishes that were already on the table.  We ordered an Ecuadorian curry chicken and a bacon/ mushroom chicken served with 6 sides.  The chef came to our table and helped us created incredible dishes, each one better than the last.  I think it’s the best food I’ve ever eaten.

The days flew by and it was sad to say goodbye to Cuenca.  It is a beautiful city and I had so much fun there, but I had another adventure lined up!

Next stop: Cuyabeno and the Guacamayo Lodge
Established in 1979, the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve is an area of ​​600.000 hectares of protected land, where a remarkably diverse creatures make their home. Located in the northeastern Amazónica region of Ecuador, just getting to Cuyabeno is an adventure!

Next stop: Cuyabeno. The trip to the park was half the adventure!

Sunset in Amazonica Ecuador - with the pink dolphins

Day Two: Birds of the Jungle and Swimming with the Dolphins
Up at 6:30am to hike up the stairs to the observation tower (26 meters high) to bird watch.  Our guide, Wilmer, pointed out many different species of parrots, macaws, swifts, and many others, too many to count.   It was a spectacular view.  Following was an afternoon canoe ride. I can actually now say that I swam on a river in the Amazon jungle with pink river dolphins as the sun set.  Words cannot describe how beautiful that was. On the way back flocks of long nosed bats and fisher bats kept up with the boat, swooping down to catch food in the water.

Boots mandatory for the jungle hike!

Day Three: Bird watching and a jungle hike.
I have now hiked through mud up to my knees, crawled over logs, and slippery roots and explored primary rainforest.  We stopped many times for birds, monkeys, and plant lessons.  I got to eat quinine plant that cures malaria (tasted awful) and resin from another tree that cures stomach ailments.

My first piranha!!

That evening we went fishing for piranha.  This was what I’d been wanting to do.   We each got a cane pole and raw cow meat to bait the hook.   At one point a piranha went flying by my head snapping as it landed by me.  Never thought I’d say” stop throwing piranhas at me”. There are three different species of piranha and we got to see them all.  I lost bait a few times then finely caught a white piranha—a big one!  I can’t believe I caught a piranha!!!

Toothy creature is the piranha

Day Four: the boat ride back, which was rainy and so beautiful. I finally got to see my Anaconda on the trip back! Beautiful yellow belly.  My jungle trip was perfectly complete.

Sigh, departing the jungle

Cuyabeno is one of those places you say, “I don’t know ” when you first get there.  But the trip was incredible and I am so glad I got to experience it.   My clothes are filthy, I haven’t had a shower in 3 days except in the river, and I am sure I will sleep well when I get back to Quito, but I will miss setting the mosquito netting at night, everything I have being wet and dirty, chatting every night with people from so many countries, the animal sounds as I sleep, and the peaceful surroundings of the Amazon rainforest.   It is hard to believe a week of exploring went by so quickly. I am so glad that I took the extra time to see more of Ecuador!

Mary enjoying the Rio Cosanga in her week of kayaking

The Upper Mishaulli varies any where from a Class III-IV to a Class IV+ run depending on water levels.  It is not the difficulty of the run that makes it such a favorite,
but the boofs,

the cool eddy turns,

the beautiful rock formations

the fact that on a given day the only people you will see on the river are the ones you have chosen to paddle with – and maybe a few local “whitewater enthusiasts”

did we mention that there is one boof after another?

and a big advantage on the Miss is that there are not huge consequences for messing up a boof here or there… With good recovery after most of the key moves in the run, there is also time to stop and figure out what went wrong with the boof – because there will be more downstream!!   In the words of our own Craig, “Tons of creeky boofs without tons of creeky consequences. It is the perfect river to push yourself to the next level in creek boating without  the risks that sometimes come from learning how to run hard creek moves.”

Finishing up this awesome run, if you have a good friend (like Angel) you can also find beer in the take-out eddy!!  How’s that for a prize day on the river?!?

Thanks for a great week of boating your guys!! We would not be here without you!  Enjoy just some of the photos from the trip:

Man against the river, a short lived success in geologic terms

To stand at the site of a dam construction project elicits conflicting emotions: a sense of awe at the engineering feat man undertakes; as well as an overwhelming sense of despair knowing that the ground you are standing on will one day be enough concrete and rebar to tame a river from free flowing greatness to lake.

Initial work on the dam site for the Coca-Sinclair Project

And then there is the deja vu – having stood on the river side, or beneath the machinery, or looked upstream one last time to bid farewell to many sections of rivers: the Bio Bio, San Pedro, Penas Blancas, Toro, Balsa, Reventazon, Toachi, Topo, and now the first of several sections of the Quijos River.

Upstream view of the Quijos Canyon at the union with the Salado River, eventually a lake

The Coca-Sinclair Project, Quijos River, Ecuador is the poster child project for the Chinese-Ecuadorian partnership. This project encompasses the most downstream section of the Quijos – a river that begins on the glacier of Antisana and finishes over the 500-foot drop of San Rafael Falls (at which time it changes name and becomes the Coca River, turning east and heading towards the Napo and on to the Amazon).  This section of river is known to paddlers as the Bon-Bon to Salado section of the Quijos.

the Chinese - Ecuador partnership

Downstream view of the much abused section of the Quijos River

There has been no international outcry opposing this project. There will be no large impact on indigenous land, no relocation of cities, and in fact many environmental organizations have given this project their blessing.  The politics of the Coca-Sinclair project make it untouchable. To understand the inside politics of a project that never even received a positive environmental impact study,  it would be necessary to study the history of the World Bank, or reference material on “economic hitmen.”  The same playbook is being used for Coca Sinclair.

One of the landmarks of Ecuador: San Rafael Falls, Quijos, soon to find itself lost between the dam and the power plant.

The greatest direct impact the public will witness will be the loss of San Rafael Falls – as it stands between the dam and the power plant. On a rare high-water day the 500-foot landmark will recapture its glory, but typically no more than a trickle will wet the lava flow walls.  And from this point, it will be possible to follow the transmission lines upstream all the way past the river’s birthplace of Antisana Volcano – marking the points where future dams could be put into place.

Antisana's glacier is the birthplace of the Quijos River

And what is a paddler–for whom there is the perception that the river is nothing more than a playground for the international boating community, to do?  It is important to demonstrate that for one, battles must be carefully chosen.  Advocates like Matt Terry of Ecuadorian Rivers Institute work hard to collect data, bring awareness of the environmental issues at stake, and even work with the project managers themselves to find compromise between the construction and the paddling community.  Support organizations such as ERI in their efforts.

Matt Terry of ERI, working to find compromise within a vast project such as Coca-Sinclair

Paddlers can also demonstrate the economic viability of whitewater tourism.   Support the businesses on the river – and in the towns; be good stewards; make an international paddling trip a goal.

The rivers available today may be gone tomorrow.

Enjoy rivers today as they may not be here tomorrow

the Oriente

So how/why did kayakers end up in the area of Ecuador they did – the area called “the Oriente?”  Back it up….the country of Ecuador is a divided into three geographic regions: the Sierra, the Costa and the Oriente.   The Oriente starts on the eastern slope of the Andes and creates the Amazonia of Ecuador. The Oriente is one-third of Ecuador with less than 10% of the population of twelve million plus.  Whitewater kayakers have become part of that small population that calls the Oriente home.

oil opening up the Oriente - and adding sidewalks to the community!

Prior to kayakers were the oilmen; and prior to the oilmen were the Spanish.  But the original residents of the Oriente were a scattered number of indigenous groups. Most notable of groups included the lowland Quechua, the Siona, Secoya, Huaorani, the Shuar and Achuar, the Cofánes, and other names that are more familiar to kayakers – the Yumbos, Oyacachis, Cosangos and the Quijos.  Needing a common language to bring all the groups together, the Spanish conquistadors brought Quechua into the Oriente as the “native tongue” of the indigenous slaves.

variety of indigenous groups that helped populate the Oriente originally

To understand the influence rivers of the Oriente had….the Inca language of Quechua is a language of fairly limited vocabulary.  One exception is anything to do with water, for which there are a number of descriptive words including cocha – the Quechua word for laguna/lake and yacu – the Quechua word for rio/river.  If there was ever an inspiration for expanding on the language of quechua it is here in the Oriente, a place which finds its heart in the rivers that are considered the headwaters for the Amazon basin flowing out of Ecuador.

heart of the Oriente - the rivers

It is not difficult to see where this inspiration came from.  Rivers flow off the eastern slope of the Andes to create the magnificent watershed found in the Oriente. This watershed is influenced by two key geological factors: the snow-capped mountains that tower above the passes leading into the Oriente and the Amazon Basin to the east.  Water is collected in the glaciers off of Antisana, Cayambe, Cotopaxi, Tunguragua and Altar.  Meanwhile, water is collected in the paramo on top of the Andes.

snow gathering on the glaciers of the Andes

For new visitors coming over the pass of the Andes into the Oriente, the scenery looks more like the Scottish Highlands.  This is the paramo, and it is a rain shield. Because of the high altitude (up to 20,000+), hot humid air coming from the east out of the Amazon and over the Andes rises and forms rain. At the same time, humid hot air from the Pacific travels west until it too hits the Andes and must rise up and form more rain. In other words – the Oriente is hit from both sides of the Andes by weather patterns of rain.

when it rains....there is a lot of water in the Oriente!!

From the Andean glaciers and the paramo, the trails of water begin descending down the eastern slopes.  A map of the Oriente shows an amazing network of rivers that begin to come together.  The rivers come out of the llanganates, off the glaciers, down from the high altitudes, through the high elevation cloud forests, gathering momentum and volume as they head downstream.   All the watersheds of the Oriente head east towards the Amazon itself, which eventually ends at the Atlantic – all 3,ooo,ooo+/- cfs of it.

and then it is the Amazon....a long ways from the headwaters of the Oriente

It is no surprise that the Oriente, which inspired descriptive words from the indigenous, has now become a favorite destination for whitewater kayakers.

it hardly gets any better than boating in the oriente!