Amazon Adventures

Brazil

Flotel Piranha

With 103 thousand hectares (255 thousand acres), the Piranha Reserve is located on the left bank of the Solimões River, actually the Upper Amazon River , near the mouth of the Manacapuru River, in the Middle Amazonian corridor, and as such, it is a priority conservation area in the National Project of Ecological Corridors. The Piranha reserve was created in 1997 with the objective of protecting the richness of the area and the different ecosystems as well as promoting the sustainable development and improving the quality of life of local communities providing also a big potential for research, ecotourism and environmental education.

Here in this amazing rainforest region you will find and impressive diversity of living creatures such as scarlet, blue and yellow macaws, cobalt-winged parakeets, burbling oropendolas and spectacularly colored tanagers share the skies with vultures, hawks . Abundant insects, brightly colored frogs, howler monkeys and butterflies of many sizes and colors inhabit the various layers of the rainforest, while over a hundred species of mammals roam the forest floor and in the rivers, streams and lakes are caiman, freshwater dolphins, piranha, catfish, the giant "Pirarucu " and hundreds of other species of fish.

The Flotel Piranha's unique programs have been designed to allow you to visit the best of the Brazilian Rain Forest and Amazon Wild Life, from wet lands to "Terra Firme" forest. Typical canoes will take you up stream and creeks to see and feel the immensity of this unique and exotic part of the Amazon Rain Forest . From our observation tower you will have a bird's-eye view of the luxuriant forest canopy. The Flotel Piranha was named in tribute of the first sustainable development reserve in the Amazon state.

The Flotel Piranha comfortably accommodates 40 guest in 20 double cabins, each with private bath and air-conditioning. Our guests will have the chance to see the constantly changing view of the Rain Forest from the room's verandas..Every day, multilingual guides, specially trained in Rain Forest ecosystems , will lead you on excursions, hikes, early morning bird watching outings, canoeing on black water rivers and lakes as well as visit to bird's dormitory's. Night outing explorations for caiman watching are also planned, as well as strolls accompanied by a native expert in the secrets of Rain Forest medicinal plants - who will share his knowledge with you, are also among the many activities that will lead you to unexpected adventure.

The lodge moves! - a large and specifically for river and lake navigation built flat bottom barge, will continuously and smoothly guide us around the entire area of the reserve, moving around the 180 lakes , from time to time, depending on the water level, which may rise up to 8 meters in the flooded season. Bottom line- we have the advantages of a luxury yacht and lodge without the inconveniences of the lack of space.

Bird watching is a unique experience here . It is not by chance that it occupies the first place in our "main attractions list" . Those large wetlands , naturally preserved areas due to the difficulty of access in the low season , roughly November and December , are the ideal places for nesting to several dozen different migrating and local bird species.As a consequence, we dedicate a great deal of time to bird observation with specialized naturalist English speaking guides, using our canoes in one/two hours excursions very early in the morning, 5:30 AM ( sunrise is around 6:00 AM all year around ) , and also very late in the afternoon 5:00 / 6:00 PM , when our winged friends are leaving or returning to their resting places. A spectacular visual show , it is also a sort of modern cacophonous comic opera , since the number of branches on a designated tree and the space available , is not, most of the time,coincident with the volume of different species landing candidates , resulting in violently aggressive arguments , covering basically all tones in the sound scale ( and this can go for a long time indeed … ) .

There is a pristine rain forest highland area where we can go hiking. Therefore we can offer from now on, guided excursions that will leave our cruising Flotel when it is at the mouth of the Piranha Channel with the Great Manacapuru Lake , its nearest point. Our guides will take you , after a one and a half hours canoe ride , by foot through the dense high land rain forest which is totally different from the "varzea" flooded areas. Here we find the giant brazil nut trees, the red woods, the dry land rubber trees, the medicinal plants , the water vines , the dark mysterious spots and the furtive animals that dwell on it , guessing it's presence mostly by the noises, the tracks we find here and there , or the snack remains, proof of it's recent presence , since in the jungle , nothing edible stays for long anywhere unless it's alive and in good physical condition.

Incidentally , we customize our walking tours according to the demand , the condition and the interest of our guests ; and since our Flotel is limited to 20 apartments , groups are never very large, which is always a plus regarding any nature observation tour , and of course , your total satisfaction is our main goal.

Since all around us everywhere is a flooded area , we do not have to go very far away from our cruising Flotel to do these tours. Once you enter the Piranha Reserve , you enter a self sustainable biome and Water Planet , composed of a myriad of labyrinths , channels , lakes , short cuts , hidden ponds, islands , peninsulas , lagoons , a real paradigm of life in all its Amazonian forms and all its possible levels , underwater, slightly submerged , plainly floating , in and out , barely touching, suspended, hanging , hiding , in plain view , jumping around or slowly disappearing in the horizon…

Yes, we do fish for Piranhas at Piranha Lake , that is obvious and much too easy .Actually the variety and quantity of fish available associated with the expertise of the local inhabitants , our guides, has led us not to put over emphasis in our fishing tours , unless it is the main interest of a particular private group .

Night Tours, so many times wrongly called alligator spotting tour , hardly reflects the experience of a night tour in the Amazon , and specifically in our Piranha Reserve area .First, it is the night in itself , the raw beauty of the natural moon and star reflections without the artificial lights of civilization .Secondly the sounds , a night serenade of crickets, frogs, nocturnal monkeys , Caymans , birds, etc. And finally the observation in itself , since besides the omnipresent Caiman , we will encounter night jars, giant potoos , dart frogs , sleeping birds, insomniac birds , birds that had no problem at all sleeping until we accidentally woke them up, etc, etc.

Visit to the Native Communities. Our resident natives are called "caboclos" and they are the direct result of the genetic melting pot originated by the European colonization , the African slavery and the original Indians , accelerated on the last 150 years by the discover of the Hevea Braziliensis - rubber tree and the resulting boom , attracting thousands of immigrants from the dry lands of Northeast Brazil. Living in floating houses they are fiercely proud of their knowledge of the jungle ( an Indian legacy ) , of their knowledge in boat construction , ( a Portuguese legacy ) meanwhile the elders remember nostalgic stories of half a century ago , when the abundance of turtles and other animals was amazing ( a legacy no one wants to take credit for ) , but we sure want to contribute to reinstate this abundance , with our educational and preservation philosophies .So, by visiting these communities , educating and hiring its members we are contributing decisively to the sustainable development of this area through eco-tourism.

2007 Prices (valid till June 30, 2008):
5 day packages starting on Wednesdays = US$799 per person double
5 day packages starting on other days = $949 per person double with min. of 2 people, $849 with min. of 5 or $799 with min. of 8 people
4 day packages starting on Sundays = US$649 per person double
4 day packages starting on other days = $799 per person double with min. of 2 people, $699 with min. of 5 or $649 with min. of 8 people

Land Cost includes:
All prices quoted above are based on a minimum of 2 person sharing twin accomodations in air conditioned rooms with private baths at the lodge, including all meals, land and boat transportation, equipment, 2 to 3 daily excursions and local English-speaking guide. Mineral water is included during the whole trip. Coffee and juices are served during the breakfasts only.

Not included:
International and national airfares, insurance of any kind, optional tips to staff, item of personal nature (water, sodas, drinks, laundry, calls etc). Soft drinks and other beverages may be purchased at the bar. All reservations need to be paid in advance, at least 60 days prior to departure date, and are subject to a 20 % nonrefundable cancellation fee.

Transfers:
passengers are transferred from Manaus at 2pm and are returned to Manaus at 12pm. The transfer process takes 3.5 hours by road and boat.

Tour	Mon.	Tues.	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Sat.	Sun.
Reconnaissance Tour	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Environmental Trekking	x	x		x		x	x
Visit to Birds Dormitory (5:30 am & 5:30 pm)	x	x	x	x	x	x
Bird Watching (Day Time)	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Fishing Trip	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Night Observation & Alligator Spotting	x	x	x	x	x	x	x
Visit to Locals	x		x		x	x
Walk Way (Under Construction)	x		x		x
Primate Observation	x	x	x	x	x	x	x