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Hi Berliegirlie

There is so much to do and see in Latin America you could spend a lifetime exploring the region and still have more to discover.

But fear not - with just ten days, it's still possible to enjoy a great introduction to a small part of this fantastic continent!

So, where to begin?

This probably depends on a couple of key questions:

1. When would you plan to do the trip?
(The UK winter is an ideal time for Patagonia, for example)

2. What would you most like to do when you are there?
(Are you looking for local culture, food, wine, beaches, rainforest, Inca ruins, Mayan heritage, activity, chill-out, trekking, day hikes, biking, kayaking, volcanoes, shopping, wildlife, diving, desert... or something else entirely!)

Avoiding the temptation to answer 'everything' if you can, what would be your ideal??

Hi Berliegirlie

You paint good picture – and I’m with you. For me, a truly rewarding trip includes an authentic local experience, where you can engage with people and take unique memories away with you.

Based on what you have said, I could recommend any number of places... Bahia in Brazil, Cartagena in Colombia, the Highland market towns in Guatemala (if we include Central America)...

But let me start with one of my most memorable cultural experiences, which was when I visited the remote Huaorani Tribe deep in Ecuadorian Amazon.

Up until the 1950’s, the Huaorani people lived deep in the rainforest, without contact with the outside world until, when missionaries and oil companies began to encroach on their land and way of life. Since this time, life in the rainforest has changed, with modern pressures for wood, oil and pasture forcing indigenous people off their land. Abandoning their ancestral homes, recent years have seen them forced to seek a future in ramshackle shanty towns or by providing cheap labour for the very oil companies that are slowly destroying their resources.

In an attempt to provide an alternative income for one of the few remaining Huaorani villages in the jungle, as well as a desire to conserve their culture and way of life, the award winning Huaorani Ecolodge opened just one year ago that is owned and operated by the Huaorani village of Quehueri’ono.

Flying in over the jungle to a tiny landing strip close to the village, before walking through the rainforest to the small ecolodge of just 5 cabins, the experience allows visitors to spend time with the Huaorani people, learn about their lives and traditions, as well as understanding the pressures on their way of life.

The experience becomes complete when you select the 2 day journey down the Shiripuno River by dug-out canoe in the company of the Huaorani. Discovering life along the river, the boat trip ends at "The Bridge" built for oil transportation. As you travel by road to the Amazonian city of Coca, this is a rare opportunity to witness the point at which two very different worlds collide.

If you are interested, click on these links to read more about the Huaorani Indigenous Reserve, the Huaorani Ecolodge, trips to the Huaorani Ecolodge and Conservation in Action who are working to support this community.

This 4-5 day visit can easily be combined with other incredible places in Ecuador, including Quito, charming Colonial Cuenca, a train ride on the Chiva Express, the fabulous Otovalo Market, the impressive Cotopaxi Volcano and the hot springs at Termas Papallacta.

How does that sound?