<p>Sustainable tourism has established itself as a key strategy for the preservation of cultural heritage and community development, especially in indigenous contexts where culture and nature are interconnected. In Zamora Chinchipe, Ecuador, the ShuarNum initiative has emerged as a benchmark in the integration of tourism with the conservation of material cultural heritage (PCM) and the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage (PCI) of the Shuar nationality. Through the Shuar Cultural Interpretation Center, this initiative has developed tourism experiences that highlight ancestral rituals, traditions, and practices, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources. This article examines how ShuarNum has managed to balance tourism activity with cultural preservation, generating economic and social benefits for local communities. Using an interdisciplinary approach based on Participatory Action Research (PAR), 123 cultural manifestations distributed across the six PCI areas have been recorded, and their interpretive potential has been analyzed. This has allowed the design of four tourism products focused on cultural and wellness tourism, which not only provide authentic experiences to visitors but also strengthen the Shuar identity and generate sustainable income for the communities(UNESCO. Finally, the study concludes that the link between the Shuar Nationality PC and sustainable tourism represents a powerful tool for indigenous empowerment and the conservation of natural and cultural heritage. ShuarNum’s experience in Zamora Chinchipe confirms that, with a participatory and respectful approach, tourism can be a key ally in safeguarding traditions and community development, serving as a replicable model for other similar initiatives in indigenous contexts.</p>