Gerardo Chongo
Founder of Sacha Waysa, Ecuador
Tourism that Cares for the Forest
Gerardo Chongo walks among trees that, not long ago, didn’t exist. What used to be open fields for cattle ranching is now a thriving reforested area hosting around 140 native species. At every step—between the song of birds that have returned and the murmuring stream where the otter reappears—one can read the story of a crucial decision: to halt logging and cattle raising and instead embrace community tourism as a livelihood and as a defense of the territory.
That vision has deep roots. It began with his grandfather, a native guide with profound territorial knowledge, who saw potential where others saw only forest or pastureland. He understood that the Amazon was not simply a place for extracting timber but a landscape of immense natural, cultural, and spiritual richness. Gerardo inherited that insight—and turned it into the driving force behind Sacha Waysa, the initiative that today energizes the life of the Kichwa community of Ñukanchi Sacha Waysa in eastern Ecuador.
Yet Gerardo’s path to tourism was far from linear. As a young man he dreamed of being a doctor and studied chemistry and biology. But university was too expensive. He worked with children, then as a construction worker in a hydroelectric plant, later as a teacher. None of those paths fit. Eventually, he found work in a lodge as a cook, and there he learned every dimension of the business: housekeeping, guiding, cooking, and administration. That was where he discovered tourism—not just as a job but as a calling—and decided to return to his community.
Sacha Waysa already existed in an early form but lacked documentation and legal status. Gerardo saw that without an organized structure, the project could not grow, develop, or defend its most important asset: the territory itself. In 2018, with community support, he led the process of formalizing Sacha Waysa as an association.
From that moment on, they strengthened their approach to community tourism, offering experiences rooted in everything they already had: crafts, ancestral legends, music, dance, medicinal plants, and traditional agriculture. They built small cabins and began to host groups from France, Germany, and the United States who sought immersion and volunteer experiences.
Formalization opened doors. Through the Regional Indigenous Incubator for the Amazon—promoted by NESsT and CONFENIAE—they accessed resources that allowed them to improve infrastructure, strengthen accounting systems, and develop a marketing strategy to expand their reach.
Today, tourism is the community’s main source of income, but its impact goes beyond economics. By offering authentic cultural experiences, Sacha Waysa has contributed to a renewed appreciation of Kichwa customs, strengthened the transmission of ancestral knowledge, and become an essential tool for conserving the forest. “Tourism is nature conservation, because visitors want to see flora and fauna,” Gerardo says.
So far, Sacha Waysa has reforested more than 19 hectares of forest and witnessed the return of species once absent. “The fauna is coming back. Those birds we didn’t have before have returned, and the wild animals too… We are proud to see them again,” Gerardo reflects.
Here, conservation is not an abstract principle; it is the most reliable way to sustain the community’s livelihood. When tourism creates opportunities for everyone, it stops being a business and becomes a way to honor memory, revalue traditions, and protect the forest that sustains life.
Every visitor is now invited to plant a tree. It is more than a symbolic gesture—it makes them part of the forest’s regeneration, leaves a living mark in the community, and reinforces the belief that conservation is a shared responsibility.