Perhaps the best way to summarise this small, under funded adventure touring company was neatly put by one guest as, ´A lovely family, a surprise around every corner, but be prepared for a little disorganisation.` There is no doubt that many travellers will be put off by the chaotic and unpredictable nature of the tour. Some may even be asking for their money back by the time they meet the lead guide, a mumbling, smelly man with gold teeth called Luis. Others will become impatient with his lack of communication of exactly where you are being driven to or what you are expected to pay for on top of the original fee. But underneath this shabby, and frankly unprofessional, exterior lies a tour operator with real character and purpose, unlike other more commercial operators in Tena.
The ethic of the company, although not publicised, is admirable. It recruits local indigenous teenagers with deprived backgrounds, and trains them to be tour guides, giving them the necessary experience to become independent guides themselves. Both Luis and Gonzales, two of the teenage guides for the tour, said that this was their main ambition in life. Gonzales has had to overcome an especially difficult childhood in which, as one of 14 children, he was sent to Quito aged 8 to live with a stranger who could provide for him. When he returned to Tena, Luis took him into his home and now sees him as his son. The company therefore provides the opportunity for children like Gonzales to fulfil their dreams, and escape a life of poverty.
The company, however, is not simply a charity for deprived children. The activities themselves are extremely enjoyable and adventurous. They offer a wide range of trips, including tubing, jungle and cavern tours, fishing, and white water rafting. The hour tubing trip down river into the centre of Tena is not the type that many will be accustomed to; it is by no means sitting on your ass with a beer in hand as you slowly drift down river getting sunburnt, as many sections require serious paddling to avoid rocks and overhanging branches. The tour of the jungle is especially exhilarating. It includes a breathtaking ascent of a 200m waterfall surrounded by butterflies of all shapes and sizes, with nothing but a rope with no harness to support you. The guide, Gonzales, is also keen to show you a few tricks of the trade, such as how to make a bed or make a distress call when you are alone in the jungle, as well as a range of medicines that can be extracted from various plants. The 25km raft is a little more expensive than other tour operators ($55 for the day), and cannot operate on rivers of Class IV or above (due to a lack of insurance cover), and so is certainly not for experienced or thrill seeking rafters. But it is nonetheless a good introduction for beginners, and the guides know how to show you a good time.
There is also a cultural aspect to the tour. On the second night you are taken to stay in a hut far on the outskirts of Tena, where you are entertained with traditional dancing and singing (and also, rather embarrassingly, called upon to participate, and drink the rather disgusting local liquor, borra). The hut is a little damp, and you may expect to see a huge nest of termites to be on the ceiling directly above your bed, but you are nonetheless well looked after and given a pleasant meal of fish and rice.
It does not take long to realise what is keeping this tour operator afloat; the young guides. Gonzales and Luis were both fun loving and knowledgeable, and excellent company (although at first a little shy). You sense that they are showing you their home, the place they love, and they are eager for you to have fun and learn about the way they live. It would be easy to reject this company in favour of the other English speaking and more professional tour operators that line Tena´s high street , but if you look past the rather unappealing appearance (and manage to avoid Luis´s smell), they will show a more rough and ready side to life in the jungle, which is ultimately more fulfilling and adventurous.
