We are an organization of the Sapara, an indigenous community in the Ecuadorian Amazon, who have inhabited the rainforest for centuries. Our culture was recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Our ancestors have taught us to live sustainably from the tropical forests, which have sustained throughout generations. Colonization in the Amazon and the extractionist pressures that have increased throughout the past few years have brought external cultures closer and closer to our communities, and a key challenge for us facing the future is establishing a balance between external influences and our traditional lives in the forest.

It is essential for our communities to create a harmony between development and the preservation of our culture, language, knowledge, and the riches of our traditional forest home. This harmony means developing sources of income, as our communities’ needs will increase with the coming changes. For this reason, Naku was born as an initiative by the Sapara to share with the world what our culture represents, teach our knowledge of plants, and demonstrate the importance of the rainforest in combatting climate change and improving livelihoods within our communities. We provide this understanding through tourism to the Sapara Nation in Llanchamacocha in the Province of Pastaza, Ecuador, where visitors can participate in a transformational experience of physical and spiritual healing based on our ancestral practices.

The Sapara are recognized in the Amazon for their knowledge of traditional healing using this amazing ecosystem’s many species. Far from being a tourist, you will be invited to live among the Sapara, to visit our many sacred and beautiful lagunas, waterfalls and beaches along the river, and to experience our many services for mental and physical healing.