PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
The AMAZONICA Academy is situated in two locations in the Ecuadorian Amazon region:
• In Sharamentsa in the territory of the Achuar, Pastaza Province, and
• In Yuwints in the territory of the Shuar, province of Morona Santiago.
The academy is year round at both locations.
LOCATIONS
Suitable study programs
All subjects at universities, colleges, institutes and companies with emphasis on research and practical application, where the periphery “Man and nature in an intact tropical forest ecosystem” can be useful. Forty-two academic courses were analyzed and deemed appropriate. Including, for example, the media field, where one would not spontaneously consider this in context.
Past visitors came from the following departments and programs: Engineering, aerospace, renewable energy, hydromechanics, biology, wood construction, architecture, landscape architecture, pedology, organic and analytical chemistry, medicine, ecological sanitation, tourism, geoinformation, ethnology, audiovisual media design and media production.
The groups usually consist of students and their local faculty. Individual students will also come alone as part of their internship.
Anyone interested in studying abroad can contact us. We also provide guidance with regard to suitable courses of study and work topics.
Participant groups and length of stay
Depending on the task, both individuals and groups of up to 20 people can register.
As part of the consultation, we will recommend which academy location is the most suitable for you. The entire stay can be divided if both sites are deemed suitable for research and work activities.
Experience has shown that students will stay between 14 days and six months or longer for doctorate work. The faculty gladly returns each and every year – always with new students in tow.
Languages
The national languages spoken in Ecuador are Spanish, Kichwa and Shuar. English is not well understood there. An exception is the tourist area in the cities and the main tourist attractions.
The indigenous peoples all have their own languages and those that speak Spanish learned the language in school.
The leaders at the AMAZONICA Academy strive to learn English. This means that at least one person should speak Spanish per participant group. For individual stays and longer periods of research, scientists should have a good working knowledge of Spanish.
The academy takes great care in providing employees that speak Spanish, English and German during the main visiting season.
Prerequisites for scientific work
Indigenous territories in a primary tropical forest with a high worldwide biodiversity represent a unique as well as a particularly sensitive site for the academy operations. As a result, a prerequisite for working with scientists and their institutions or companies must include an agreement to provide all work executed under this project to the AMAZONICA Academy library and thus to the municipalities. Any revenue generated from the research results are to be shared with the indigenous communities involved with the AMAZONICA Academy. The protection of intellectual and material property of the ethnic groups that own their territories with land titles should be safeguarded as best as possible.
If universities or companies repeatedly send study groups to the academy, a cooperation agreement will be signed by AMAZONICA and the university/company/organization concerned.
Faculty and students must sign a “Participation Contract” before each trip. This also applies to employees of companies and organizations.
The academy, in collaboration with the villagers, developed a set of “house rules” that are binding and are available to all visitors prior to embarking on their journey.
Registration and costs
Each application for a stay at the AMAZONICA Academy must be filed at least three months in advance. The minimum stay at one location is 4 days, for both locations 7 days.
Student groups are generally registered by their faculty. Students and scientists can register themselves for individual stays. Companies can register their participants in a workshop.
The Academy will confirm a study trip abroad or an internship, should this be of importance for funding or acknowledgement of the stay.
The AMAZONICA Academy sites can be reached from the Ecuadorian road network by airplane only. The academy will organize and invoice the round-trip flights between its two sites as well as the entire stay in the forest.
Flights to Ecuador, transport within the road network, hotel directories and transfers, etc. are available on demand.
Once all travel information has been exchanged, the academy will issue an invoice according to the traveler’s wishes to the individual participant or to the university or company. The invoice amount must be credited to the academy account according to the terms of payment. Otherwise, entry into the respective indigenous territory is not possible.
The cost schedule
(The prices are valid until 31st of December 2022)
Daily rates
The daily rates per person include accommodation, full board, purified drinking water, local support, telephone via satellite (depending on weather conditions) and availability of a paramedic.
International visitors
Students
per person/day*
Faculty
per person/day*
Tourists / bunk beds
3 nights package*
5 nights package*
additional night
cost per person
Tourists / single beds
in a double room
3 nights package*
5 nights package*
additional night
cost per person
Tourists
in a single room
3 nights package*
5 nights package*
additional night
cost per person
Flights
Shell – Yuwints – Shell
upon availability of the aircraft
95,00 $
135,00 $
627,00 $
1.024,00 $
+172,00 $
762,00 $
1.269,00 $
+217,00 $
1.030,00 $
1.717,00 $
+306,00 $
approx. 293,00 $
* Prices are for bank transfer/cash. There are 8% charges when using a credit card
AMAZONICA at
