Amazon Forest to Table Cooking Class with Indigenous Hosts

5.0 (4 reviews) 6 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

4 reviews

5.0

Wrapping seasonal ingredients in leaves to cook over fire — a traditional Amazon technique. — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

A seasonal forest-to-table meal prepared with ingredients harvested directly from the chakra. — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

This is not a demonstration-style cooking class, it’s a forest-to-table experience co-created with a Kichwa family on their own land. You’ll harvest ingredients directly from a traditional chakra, an Indigenous agroforestry system that mirrors the natural biodiversity of the Amazon and reflects generations of ecological knowledge.

Rather than simply observing, you participate in every step: foraging seasonal ingredients, preparing dishes using traditional techniques, and assembling maitos cooked over fire. The experience is developed and operated in partnership with the host family, ensuring tourism directly supports local livelihoods and cultural continuity.

By sharing a meal, stories, and homemade artisanal wines together, guests gain insight into a living Indigenous food tradition that is grown and practiced daily.

Dining Experiences Sustainable Tours Cooking Classes Walking Tours Lunch Short term availability Weather Dependent - Weather-Proof Agent Low Quality Product

At a glance

Duration: 6 hours
Confirmation: Confirmed within 48 hours
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–10
Guide: English, Spanish
Operated by: Shuklla Experiences

Ages: Infants (0–2 years) · Children (3–5 years) · Youth (6–12 years) · Adults (13–100 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Private transportation
Included: Alcoholic beverages: Fruit wine and infused licor
Included: Tea and coffee: Coffee and/or Tea
Included: Lunch: Meal with 100% fresh ingredients - vegetarian/vegan upon request

Itinerary

Meet in central Tena and travel to a Kichwa family’s chakra (traditional Amazon agroforestry farm) in the community of San Luis. After a warm welcome and introductions, your Indigenous hosts guide you through their land, sharing how the chakra system reflects generations of ecological knowledge. Along the way, you’ll harvest seasonal ingredients while learning about edible and medicinal plants and their cultural uses. Next, join a hands-on cooking experience led by your hosts, preparing traditional dishes with ingredients gathered directly from the farm. Assemble maitos — food wrapped in leaves and cooked over fire — using techniques passed down through generations. While the meal cooks, walk the finca’s medicinal plant trail and visit a scenic lookout over the forest. Return to share a forest-to-table dinner together, accompanied by homemade artisanal wines or infused liquors, and enjoy time for conversation and cultural exchange before returning to Tena.

Stop 1

Tortillas de yuca — Mashed yuca patties served with beans and fresh plantain chips · Maitos — Fresh fish, heart of palm, bamboo and other forest foods roasted in leaves over the fire · Assorted fresh fruits (papaya, snake fruit, dragon fruit)