February 12 - 25, 2011 MushRoaming Ecuador's Rainforest

Join Fungal Jungal's Larry Evans, an expert on Amazonian fungi and Ecuador's Jungle Chocolate Lodge. Mushroamin participants will be based in a beautiful and clean Canadian-run jungle lodge connected to an organic chocolate plantation located in Ecuador's Amazon Rain Forest. Arrival and departure from Quito, Ecuador's beautiful capital.

COST
$1950 (10 to 18 people)
$2350 (5 to 9 people)
($100 late fee after January 1, 2011)

All expenses on the ground including accommodations, food & transfers & river boat transportation and canoe excursions. Participants will need to organize their own flights to Quito. (Miami - Quito starts at $400, LA - Quito $650)
New: 2 day Cloud Forest extension Feb.-25-27 added - see below

Pre-registration & Registration

ITINERARY
Day 1 - Feb. 12, 2010 (Saturday) We meet in Quito (2850 m / 9350 ft), Ecuador's historic capital located in the Andes. Airport pick-up, Orientation, stay at Quito hotel (Hostel del Maple). Some may arrive earlier.
Day 2 - Feb. 13 Minibus transport to Misahualli (driving time 4 hours), crossing of the Andes, stops for short nature walks in the mountain environment, descend to the Amazon Rain Forest. Arrive at Misahualli, transfer by canoe to Ecuadorian Jungle Chocolate Lodge, relaxing & dinner.
Day 3, 4, 5 - Feb. 14-16 Activities around the Lodge and canoe rides: Cacao forest & tropical agriculture tour, horseback riding, Daily mushroom walks & hikes to foray for tropical fungi in a variety of habitats, from pasture to jungle. Mushroom & flower photography workshop. Workshops and hands-on cultivation of oyster mushrooms Excursions by canoe: Visit nature preserves for funga, flora & fauna walks, Misahualli town (population 600), La Cascada waterfall & butterfly farm. Attend activities and festivals with local indigenous Kichwa people. All these activities will be conducted by licensed guides fluent in English, Spanish, or German and knowledgeable about the local ecosystems.
Day 6 - Feb. 17 Excursion by canoe to AmaZOOico, a wildlife rescue center and Kichwa museum.
Day 7, 8, 9 - Feb. 18-20 Visit to Lago Agrio area, a five hour highly interesting canoe ride down the Napo River through varying jungle ecosystems to Coca and 1 hour bus ride to Lago Agrio, Ecuador's oil drilling center. Touring the extraction spill cites and visiting test myco-remediation sites for oil spill cleanup. Return by bus.
Day 10 - Feb. 21 A day of recreation at the Jungle Chocolate Lodge. Horseback riding, night jungle walk looking for bioluminescent fungi.
Day 11 - Feb. 22 All day excursions to Satcha Jungle Preserve via canoe.
Day 12 - Feb. 23 Napo river tubing, fishing and farewell traditional Kichwa fish dinner.
Day 13, 14 - Feb. 24-25 (Saturday) Return to Quito, Stop in high mountain ecosystem, Otavalo market visit, shopping and entertainment in Quito. Group disperses on February 25 in the morning.

New: On special request added: Two day extension option to spend time in the cloud forest! Feb. 25 -27 (Saturday - Monday) Saturday morning we drive up to the Cloud Forest (1 to 2 hour drive) to enjoy and explore funga, flora and fauna. We will spend Saturday night in a Eco-Lodge and return Sunday late afternoon to Quito. (incl. hotel two nights , transportation and food ) $360 per person.

For questions and payments please inquire with:

BLOG ARCHIVE: We made it back to Ecuador after an enjoyable, if busy, time running up and down the West Coast of the United States. The Amazon Mycorenewal Project has reached its first birthday and what a year it has been! To commemorate, we had ourselves an AMP board meeting in Northern California with lots of tasty food and lively conversation. I wanted to thank all of our team members, both here in Ecuador and back in the States for all of their fantastic support in helping us get to and participating at speaking events, feeding us occasionally and focusing their considerable collective brain-power to steer our endeavor in the proper direction.
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