Come and enjoy a unique adventure in the rainforest of southeast Ecuador in an ecologically friendly farm, adjacent to a 50,000+ acre Municipal Ecological Reserve, Siete Iglesias. Enjoy amazing views and witness firsthand the amazing biodiversity present on Hollywood Farms, see reforestation in action, learn and participate in organic farming activities. With over 90 acres of primary jungle, ranging in altitude from 4500 feet (1600m) to 6300 ft (over 2000m), visitors experience the adventure of a lifetime as they walk in an area under investigative research with local and international biologists, with species of flora and fauna being identified, and new species being discovered.
We offer an all-inclusive voyage that covers all logistics from transportation to translators and traditional cuisine with all safety and security measures implemented for international visitors.
There are several tours offered to explore the wonders of Jungle Dave’s Hollywood Farms
- Relaxing, easy going half day tours, for those in "vacation mode"; swim in crystalline cold water streams, hunt butterflies, and enjoy bird watching. Watch and learn about the leaf cutter ants, see the Sangre de Drago Tree, a tree which bleeds a natural coagulant with several medicinal properties, among other activities. See the spectacular views of the Andes Mountains from the comfort of a 1982 GMC Sierra!
- For those who are more adventurous but like the coziness of a warm bed, day hikes are offered to primary jungle, waterfalls, and the ecological farm tour.
- Extreme activities include repelling down a 250ft (80m) cliff into primary jungle below.
- For more adventurous backbackers, several night tours are offered, exploring different ecosystems and the biodiversity within them. These hikes include altitude changes of several thousand feet, and require a days training prior to the hike. See Pan de Azucar or Filo de Paxi for more information.
- Custom tours available!Complete custom tour packages are also available, for all ages, abilities and budgets! Like butterfiles?? We will spend however many days it takes to satisfy your buttterfly desires! Into birds?? Lets go find some! Over 120 species identified so far on the farm!
CLOTHES TO WEAR / WHAT TO BRING
- Bring comfortable clothes that you can get dirty, or even discard.
The jungle can best be described as MUDDY!!!!!! Jungle mud comes in many consistencies and colors, including, as shown in the image.
- BRING WARM COMFORTABLE CLOTHES FOR NIGHT! San Juan Bosco is at 3300 feet, and all trails go up, some reaching almost 10,000 feet above sea level!! Its cold up there! A pair of sweats or long johns can make the high altitude cold nights bearable/survivable!
- We offer tent rentals, sleeping bag rentals, everything you need to be comfortable and enjoy the jungle!
- We even cook!! Jungle meals include meat and vegetables and warm "Canelazos" (a hot cinnamon beverage with just a little "jungle juice!")
Sustainable living and low to zero environmental impact is now important as ever given the dramatic climactic changes due to deforestation due to cattle farming, mining, carbon dioxide and methane production, and other contamination worldwide. Take a guided tour with Biologist David Goucher, as he explains why and how he converted a low productive cattle farm into a novel site of organic farming, including meat production, fruits and vegetables, while protecting water sources, native flora and fauna. See the tracts of naturally reforested land, crystalline streams, and primary rainforest, as red angus beef cattle, sheep, and other small animals free range in equilibrium with the ecosystem.
Witness first hand sustainable living, and learn how ecotourism is providing alternative incomes for other subsidiary farmers in the area.
While on the tour, you will undoubtedly see dozens of bird species, see hundreds of trees within the cattle pastures, along all of the biodiversity living on each of them. Meet the free range cattle on Hollywood Farms, with such famous Stars, Actors and Actresses as Britney Spears, Kirstie Alley, Wynona Judd, Charolotte Johanson, and Brad Pitt.
Try the produce!!! Eat beef produced on the farm, from Farm to Plate… on the farm!!
Difficulty: Easy - Weather Dependant
Length: 4 hours
Distance: 5 kilometers (3 miles)
Altitude Change: 200 meters (600 feet)
$25 PER PERSON, GROUP RATES AVAILABLE
Like Birds, butterflies, orchids, bromeliads, plants, insects and jungle wild life??? If not, then stay home!
Witness the incredible rain forest ecosystem in action, and see how it all interconnects as we experience Mother Nature unleashed, year ground nonstop growth for millennium. See first-hand how she has retaken cattle pasture, recuperated landslides, and realize how she is actually in control of it all.
Difficulty: Easy - Weather Dependant
Length: 4 hours
Distance: 5 kilometers (3 miles)
Altitude Change: 200 meters (600 feet)
$25 PER PERSON, GROUP RATES AVAILABLE
For those who like to live on the edge and enjoy extreme sports, come repel down a 250+ft cliff into the canopy of primary jungle. With all the appropriate technical and safety gear, guides will literally show you the ropes on how to descend. This is an activity for all ages!
See the incredible view of Pan de Azucar as you control your descent down the cliff. Observe the flora clinging to the pure rock wall, including orchids, large bromeliads, and woody species of plants.
Difficulty: Medium
Length: 2 hours training, 4 hours repelling and hike out
Distance: From Farm, 1 kilometers (11 miles)
Altitude Change: 200 meters (600 feet)
MIN 3 PEOPLE, $50 PER PERSON, GROUP RATES AVAILABLE
This hike offers views of 8-10 waterfalls (depending on the rain), water which will travel over 3000 miles to reach the Atlantic Ocean. These waterfalls are located in little explored areas of the rear basin of the mountain Pan de Azúcar. While it is possible to enjoy the hike in 1 days time, it is recommended to camp 1 night in a small cabin.
TOPOGRAPHIC Map of the hike
Highlighted in ORANGE and Black dots (GPS data) is the route from the base camp.
Blue X represents the camp site, located on the tour route.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Difficulty: Hard (Weather Dependant)
Length: 1-2 Days, 1 Night (Recommended)
Distance: From Farm, 4 kilometers (5-6 miles) round trip
From San Juan Bosco, 20 kilometers (12 miles) round trip
Altitude Change: 1000 meters (3000 feet)
($30 PER PERSON, GROUP RATES AVAILABLE)
Hiking Pan de Azúcar is a spectacular hike of endurance, with views of over 12 waterfalls, an incredible diversity of fauna and flora which drastically changes as you ascend in altitude, over 1 vertical mile in total from San Juan Bosco. Traverse pristine rivers, hike thru primary jungle, and witness the raw power of Mother Nature. From the crest, on a clear day, you can see Peru and beyond, an amazing view of the Andes Mountains and the basin where the head waters of the Amazon River arise.
From Hollywood Farms to the top of Pan de Azúcar is possible in a single day, hiking 10 hours. We provide guides and an assistant to carry the tent and food. For a more relaxed ascension, from the farm to a camp site is 5 hours, allowing visitors to enjoy natural pools in the rivers, photography of waterfalls, flora and fauna, etc. The second day begins with a complete breakfast in the jungle, and then we begin the climb, taking time to enjoy the views, feel the altitude change, and witness the incredible change of biodiversity on the way up to the top just shy of 10,000 feet (3000m). Lunch atop the mountain, with an optional overnight stay, witness a geographical oddity of how this mountain formed, with areas less than 50 feet wide, and drops of over 2000 feet on either side!
TOPOGRAPHIC Map of the hike
Highlighted in Orange and Black dots (GPS data) is the route from the road.
Blue X represents the camp site, located on the tour route.
Click on the image for a larger view.
Difficulty: Fuckn' HARD
Length: 3-4 Days, 2-3 Nights (Camping A Must - Weather Dependant)
Distance: From Road, 18 kilometers (11 miles) round trip
From San Juan Bosco, 28 kilometers (17 miles) round trip
Altitude Change: 1908 meters (6964 feet, over 1 vertical mile!!)
STARTING FROM $150 PER PERSON
The hike offers amazing beauties of nature, including water falls, as shown below.
The Point
After a long mile, the top of Pan de Azúcar is finally reached. Literally translated, Pan de Azúcar means "sweet bread", but after the climb up, you will realize that the person who named the mountain never climbed it! The view is spectacular from the top; to the east, you can see Peru.
Climbing Pan is exhilarating, the views are spectacular, the air can get no purer, and the dramatic change in ecosystem over such a short period of time is indescribable. The recommended trip time is 3 days, two nights, but for those who want to enjoy the trip thoroughly, with ample time to photograph orchids and birds (as hunting of all types is strictly prohibited), 3 nights or more is better.
Rooms available with private bathroom, hot water, electricity, comfortable beds, and the sounds of the jungle to guide you to your dreams.
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