Anna Michael in the Ecuadorian Amazon Jungle

Remolino Grande

The Secoya Community of Remolino Grande is situated on the river Aguarico in the northeast of Ecuador relatively close to the Columbian border. The river is home to several different communities; Secoya, Kichwa, Shuar, Cofan and the Colonists. To reach the area it is necessary to travel to Shushufindi, which is an unsightly town full of refineries, compounds and gas storage tanks, with the occasional 24-hour nightclub frequented by the numerous petroleum workers that are employed in the surrounding areas. In Shushufindi there is one ‘bus’ per day to Puerto Gregorio, which consists of a open-sided mini-bus where people, animals and sacks of rice ride on the top and in uncomfortable wooden pews along bumpy dirt tracks. The bus ride to Puerto Gregorio is through vast expanses of Palm plantations, punctuated by the odd small village with wooden shacks and occasional ‘schools’. There is no primary rainforest left in this area

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Mushullacta

Mushullacta is a Kichwa community situated in the Cloud Forest inbetween Galeras and the Sumaco national park. In order to get there it is necessary to travel to Tena and then from Tena there is one bus per day to a little village called Papanku. The bus journey is very uncomfortable but the view is breathtaking. Halfway into the journey we had to stop at the side of the road as a mine further up was blasting. Once you arrive in Papanku (a few shacks in the middle of nowhere) you will have to walk for two hours along a very bad dirt road. The bus arrives in Papanku quite late so it’s normally pitch black and you can’t see much but you can hear the sounds of the forest around you.

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