Ecuadorian Rivers Institute

From the Andes to the Amazon: preserving Ecuador’s water resources

By increasing global awareness of watershed issues in Ecuador, we hope to minimize the exploitation of the environment and the people who depend upon it.

RallyUp to help protect free-flowing rivers in Ecuador!

Thanks to everyone who donated to our recent fundraiser on “RallyUp” and congratulations to the winners of the Jackson Gnarvana, a kayaking trip in Ecuador with Small World Adventures, and many more amazing prizes from our incredible sponsors: Alpacka Raft, Immersion Research, Werner Paddles, Kokatat, Astral Designs, Strive Superfoods, Kayak Session, NRS, and GSI Outdoors!

JANUARY 17 – 19, 2025  /  TENA, NAPO PROVINCE, ECUADOR

WORLD CLASS JUNGLE WHITEWATER  – CELEBRATING  THE FREE-FLOWING JONDACHI!

The 11th annual Jondach Fest will be held January 17 – 19, 2025. Plan ahead and mark your calendars now!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 10th annual Upper Jondachi Kayak Race held on January 19, 2024, and the huge turnout for the group descent of the Jondachi-Hollín Rivers held on January 20, 2024! 

Likewise, we appreciated all of the participation in the rest of the activities of the tenth annual edition of the Jondachi Fest, which were held March 22 – 23 – 24, 2024 in Puerto Misahuallí and Ahuano, after being suspended in January and rescheduled due to the restrictions imposed by the state of emergency in Ecuador, due to violence and insecurity on the coast. The interventions by the police and military during the state of emergency have improved security and reduced violence at the national level, and no recent incidents have occurred in the Napo province. For these reasons, the rest of the activities contemplated in the Jondachi Fest were authorized to move forward in March.

While most areas where we paddle are considered to be relatively safe, there are certain hotspot areas predominantly in and around large cities on the coast that are known to be dangerous and should be avoided.

If you are currently visiting or planning to travel to Ecuador, we suggest avoiding large, urban areas and traveling during the day with local transport services and tour operators who are familiar with local conditions, and participating in focused ecotourism activities with local guides in safe areas.

Thank you for joining us to celebrate, honor, and promote the Jondachi River as an invaluable resource of global importance for tourism and natural heritage, in Ecuador.

¡Salvemos al Río Jondachi!

The Jondachi, one of the last remaining free-flowing tributaries to the Amazon and Ecuador’s premier kayaking destination, is threatened by poorly conceived hydroelectric development.

The Jondachi was slated to be dammed in January 2015. The Ecuadorian Rivers Institute’s legal defense of the Jondachi and the exposure generated by the first Jondachi Fest have effectively stalled out dam development…for the time being.

We need global support to continue fighting for this legendary and iconic river. Our goal is to secure a protected river designation for the Jondachi watershed, which will set an important precedent for future conservation of threatened rivers within the Amazon Basin. 

The ERI’s defense of the Jondachi River represents a pioneering strategy for international river conservation, engaging local stakeholders and promoting a clear alternative for resource management by preserving the Jondachi as a wild and scenic, free-flowing ecological corridor from the Andes to the Amazon, and to the Atlantic Ocean.

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Jondachi Fest Afterparty

Learn more about our efforts and the Jondachi River below:

ABOUT THE JONDACHI  /  BIODIVERSITY  /  PADDLING
PROPOSED HYDRO PROJECT  /  OPPOSITION  /  ERI’S LEGAL ACTION  
PROPOSED ECOLOGICAL CORRIDOR  /  MEDIA  /  JONDACHI ALL STARS

4 thoughts on “Ecuadorian Rivers Institute

  1. Please do everything you can to stop this project. The losses and devastation it would create are so monumentally large and long term.

  2. Great scenes of the Jondachi Fest and the gathering of local people and international kayakers, clearly showing the spirit of conservation and reaffirming it’s importance as both a cultural resource – core to the identity of local communities – and a world treasure in biodiversity and ecotourism!!!

  3. I stay in 12/2016-1/2017 the first time in equador.I paddled the pia tua for 4 runs.
    I like this river so much.Its one of the greatest river i saw ever.
    Hope we could save this river for us and the next generations.
    Jürgen from southgermany.

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