Santiago Canala
I grew up as a triathlete and an adventure racer but I've been kayaking non-stop for the past 5 years around Ecuador and the world. I felt in love for whitewater!!
For the past 5 years, I've been in Chile, USA, Colombia and Ecuador kayaking everything, but I fell in love with Ecuadorian rivers so I decided to guide, paddle and live close to the Amazon rainforest.
What places and activities do you specialize in?
"Rivers in general. Whitewater Rafting & Kayaking."
How did you get involved in travel?
"Because of kayaking! As soon as I started kayaking I realized how cool and beautiful Ecuador is. Since then my goal is to show the rivers and the perfect lines around Ecuador."
Please share a unique travel experience you will never forget.
"2005, in Salkantay, Peru. I was 16 years old and decided I wanted to hike all the way from Cuzco to Machu Picchu. So I convinced my two best friends. Our entire budget was $350 for the 3 months that it would take us to hitchhike from Quito to Cuzco, do the hike and come back. We got to Cuzco successfully and started the hike.
On Day 3, we hiked pretty high (over 4000 meters) and had to camp near the Salkantay Mountain in our $10 dollar tent. It was the coldest night of my life! The next day all our cloths were soaked and the morning was rainy and cold. So the rest of the hike is still hard to forget...blisters, heavy backpack and no food.
But getting to Machu Picchu after 7 days of hiking was something else! "