JUUNT ACHU

We are Juunt Áchu, a community tourism centre located in the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. The centre belongs to the Achuar indigenous group. Juunt Áchu was created as an alternative source of income that respects nature, our culture and our traditions.

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We promote socially and environmentally responsible tourism where visitors learn about tropical biodiversity and from a community rich in cultural expressions and ancestral traditions. The term "Juunt Áchu" is an Achuar term that can be translated as "Great Moriche Palm" . The moriche (Mauritia flexuosa) is a very valued palm to our people. As a matter of fact, the term "Achuar" itself comes from this palm. Click here for more information about the Achuar indigenous group.

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Juunt Áchu is based in Saapap Entsa,  an Achuar association with more than 7000 hectares of well-preserved tropical forest. It is home of a vast number of mammals like the Jaguar (Pantera onca), Tigrillo (Leopardus pardalis), Guatusa (Dasyprocta fuliginosa), mono chorongo (Lagothrix poeppigii), birds like Tucán (Ramphastidae), Lora amazónica, reptiles like the infamous boa matacaballo (Constrictor constrictor), Tortuga de agua (Podocnemis unifilis), and Tortuga charapa (Podocnemis expansa). You will also find a great variety of trees and plants that the community uses as tools, food, and medicine.

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We believe that tourism and environmental education are closely linked.  Through walks to the places of supply of water, and to the hunting and fishing areas, plus the experience of living with an indigenous community which has protected the natural resources for centuries, the tourists will understand the value of every drop of water and realize the privilege of a piece of meat in the dish.