We’re stoked to be featured in Adventure Travel news by our friends at the Adventure Travel Trade Association. Check out the latest article here to find out more about our story, our team and our mission in the Peruvian Amazon.
Check out some snippets below from our latest feature.
On 11 June 2023, ten teams will depart on the adventure of a lifetime as they race more than 260 km through the Peruvian Amazon by canoe. Held in the heart of the remote Amazon Highlands, the nine-day challenge is hosted in partnership with the Asháninka communities who live along the Ene and Tambo Rivers.
The first event of its kind, the Amazon Canoe Challenge (ACC) aims to push the boundaries of traditional community tourism while raising awareness of the threats facing the local environment and Indigenous communities. By using the challenge as a platform to support tourism development, the ACC team hopes to boost conservation efforts in this part of the Amazon. The challenge route follows the Ene and Tambo Rivers through Asháninka territory, and participants are hosted by communities along the way.
Worldwide, almost 80% of protected land is cared for by Indigenous communities, for whom land stewardship is a deeply ingrained way of life. This includes the region of the Ene and Tambo Rivers, where the communities have been tenacious in their fight for survival – including winning a lengthy legal battle to halt a megadam that would have destroyed their homes and the surrounding rainforest. Antúnez Camacho explained that for his community, the forest is not simply a resource or place. It is part of their life, which is filled with spirits which need to be respected.
“We are referred to as the guardians of the forest many times,” he said. “But what we also want is educational and economic development for our brothers and sisters.”
Spots for the 2024 Amazon Canoe Challenge will be opening soon with the first challenge soon underway in June – Keep an eye out for some exciting content heading your way soon!
We also have a few remaining places on our supported sponsorship program – You can find out more details here.
