A group of travelers spread among the buttress roots of a giant ceiba tree

Coca · Orellana Province

An agency that exists to sustain an island

Sumak Allpa Tour funds the rehabilitation of endangered primates on 115 hectares in the Napo River.

Portrait of a community member wearing a woven crown
The project

The agency funds the foundation

Sumak Allpa Tour is the for-profit side of Sumak Allpa, our non-profit organization. Our tours pay for the rehabilitation of the island's primates.

We work in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Our 115-hectare island lets rescued monkeys live as they would in the wild: they face the same natural threats they would find in the forest, because that is what becoming wild again is all about.

The ultimate goal is to see them breed and to relocate them to areas where their species has disappeared.

  • A 115-hectare island under biodiversity management
  • Nine primate species in rehabilitation
  • Environmental education for local and international visitors
  • Support for the region's threatened Indigenous peoples
Héctor Vargas with the whole group of travelers on the trail
The team

Who will guide you

Héctor Vargas

CEO, Sumak Allpa Tour — Director, Sumak Allpa Biodiversity Management Project

Born in the Amazon, Héctor brings 40 years of guiding experience and a background in anthropology. Fluent in English and several local languages, he helps travelers connect with the rainforest and the people who call it home.

His work has also taken him behind the scenes of documentary productions for Discovery Channel, Canal+ and the BBC.

Behind the scenes of Tribes, Predators & Me

In 2015, Héctor helped organise the local production and worked as a fixer for the series’ Anaconda People of the Amazon episode, broadcast in 2016. The film explores anacondas in Ecuador and the deep relationship between these apex predators and the Waorani people.

An environmental lawyer and activist, Héctor also works to protect the rainforest and defend human rights.

Plan your expedition

Where you sleep

Cane cabins on stilts, a mosquito net and the sounds of the forest

On multi-day expeditions the lodging is simple and built for the climate: wood, cane, a thatched roof and cross-ventilation. Every bed has its own mosquito net.

Cane cabin with a thatched roof on stilts in a meadow The cabins Wooden room with beds covered by white mosquito nets Double room Room with several single beds and mosquito nets Shared room Wooden dining hall under an open structure with a thatched roof The dining hall Open wooden lounge with hanging hammocks Hammocks Thatched-roof cabin with tall rainforest behind it At the forest's edge Room with two beds, mosquito nets and yellow curtains Room with curtains Bed decorated with towels and petals to welcome guests The welcome
A group having lunch at a long table under the thatched roof
The food

We eat what's cooked right here

No hotel menus. Fish, cassava, plantain, rice and whatever is in season, served at the long table in the dining hall.

On multi-day trips all meals are included and prepared by families from the community. Let us know in advance if you're vegetarian or have any allergies: it's no problem at all, but we need to buy everything before leaving Coca.

See the itineraries