AMAZON AWAKENINGS
Exploring Ecuador with Gordon Hempton
“All roads to lead to quiet.” —Gordon
Future Dates Pending
‘Ccaeńtsu Daja’ (Let it Happen)
Join internationally acclaimed acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton and Explorer X co-founder Jake Haupert in one of the wildest and most sonically beautiful places on Earth, the Amazon Rainforest, as you reawaken your senses and reconnect not only with yourself but also with Planet Earth. Once viscerally guided by our senses, especially the animal alert of 360-degree hearing, most modern men and women, buffeted by noise pollution in man-made concrete and glass city canyons, and increasingly addicted to mass social media and earbud escape, have become disconnected from a world they seldom experience firsthand. In the natural amphitheater of the Amazon Rainforest, select members of the indigenous Cofan tribe will guide us safely through their homelands, interpret the natural history, share their knowledge of edible plants and animals, and care for our needs while we immerse ourselves in a rare, still-pristine nature setting.
We Encourage a Growth Mindset
Community
Travel introduces you to new cultures, communities, friends and acquaintances. By looking introspectively, we are better able to understand our own role and how to interact in the world. This trip with Explorer X fuses human connection with self-understanding.
Conversation
Traversing to areas physically and mentally out of our comfort zone naturally exposes new thoughts, ideas and perceptions. Jake Haupert will create the space for you to comfortably interact and understand these experiences which in turn, adds depth and meaning to each day of travel.
Conservation
The heart of this trip leads travelers to spending intimate time intently listening to the drumbeats, violins, raindrops & chorus that fills the air immersed within the rainforest around them. Gordon Hempton will lead you on an incredibly unique interactive sound journey in the most sonically beautiful place in the world.
Your Travel Companions
Gordon Hempton
The Soundtracker
I am acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton. I care very deeply about quiet. I live near Olympic National Park in the rugged northwest corner of Washington State, quiet enough to be a recording studio — and it is. As The Sound Tracker®, I have circled the globe three times over the last 35 years in pursuit of Earth’s rarest nature sounds—sounds which can only be fully appreciated in the absence of manmade noise. I hope that you will join me in Ecuador.
Jake Haupert
The Mindful Wayfarer
Jake has a deep appreciation for the power of travel and its ability to incite change by breaking down the walls within and between us. He brings his unique qualities, genuine personality, big heart, and an unquenchable thirst for the unknown into his work, his professional expression. As an inspirational agent of change, Jake calls on the modern art of ancient travel to raise consciousness and bring about peace, unity, love, and equality. Learn more about Jake!
More About Gordon …
Your Journey
After arriving in Quito, we’ll descend from the Andes into the Amazon Basin. First by car, then by motorboat, canoe, and on foot, we’ll progressively shed the modern world, gradually awakening our senses while discovering a rich jungle concert. Our immersion in the jungle begins with a float down the Zabalo River as insects weave complex rhythms and rainforest birds serenade the day’s end. During our time in Zabalo Village, you will have the opportunity to learn from the Cofan culture and the option to camp alone far within the jungle for a night. What does it mean to be all alone, far from the nearest human being at the center of spectacularly abundant biodiversity? Cofan Chief and Shaman Randy Borman will help answer such soul-searching questions. Amazon Awakenings promises an unforgettable life-shaping opportunity.
Tim’s Journey
“Whether you’re in the jungle or on the streets of Seattle, you don’t know how many days you have left … you might as well get as much experience out of life as you can! that’s why I’m here.”
Olivia’s Journey
“When you’re listening, it’s about the feeling that arises. Really just being able to tune into what’s happening inside of yourself as a result of being in a particular place.”
Basecamp
A Space for Reflection & Rejuvenation
Our adventure to the Amazon consists of a variety of spaces for relaxation, rejuvenation, and reflection. In Quito, you can expect a delightful hotel as your jumping point into the depths of the jungle. During your time around the Zabalo River, a rustic cottage will provide a quiet haven in the village. In the heart of the jungle, a basecamp for camping! Variety keeps us engaged and constantly open to new and deepened conversation.
The Dance of the Unseen
“All Roads Lead to Quiet.”
—Gordon Hempton
About Quiet Parks International
We are proud to share our support for our partners at Quiet Parks International for awarding the Cofan Nation of Ecuador's Amazon rainforest the highest award as First Wilderness Quiet Park.
“Until now, not one place on Earth has been off-limits to noise pollution; natural quiet has become an endangered species without people knowing it,” stated Gordon Hempton, QPI Co-Founder. He went on to say, “Science has made it abundantly clear that noise pollution is not just an annoyance, it causes health loss and dramatically impacts wildlife’s ability to survive. By certifying the Zabalo River as the world’s first Quiet Park we are paving the way for many more Quiet Parks around the globe.”
Images of this Adventure
Join us in the Amazon Rainforest?
Price: $5950/pp
Travel@explorer-x.com | +1 (206) 212-0227