Amazon Adventures

Brazil

Mamiraua Reserve

The ecotourism program at Mamirauá is just beginning. But the beauty and the information accumulated by the scientific research and the traditional understanding of the caboclo people, are already available for small groups of visitors. It is possible to admire concentrations of Amazonian fauna never before recorded. Thousands of caiman can be easily observed in the dry season. Concentrations of up to 15 000 cormorants and herons are seen fishing in the lakes, which boil with fish.In the trees, numerous groups of monkeys share the branches with sloths and with beautiful bromeliads and orchids. River dolphins, legendary creatures in the flooded forest, enchant all who see them.

Mamirauá is also home to approximately 400 species of bird and at least 45 species of mammal. One of the strangest is the White Uacari Cacajao calvus, a monkey of four kilos which feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of unripe fruits. Uacaris live in bands of up to 50 individuals, and travel many kilometres every day, in search of their favourite foods. Also endemic to Mamirauá is the Black Headed Squirrel Monkey Saimiri vanzolinii, and the lakes and rivers provide a refuge for the Amazon Manatee Trichechus inunguis and the Red River Dolphin Inia geoffrensis. Some of the most important tropical timber species are still found in the area protected by the RSDM.

The Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve (RSDM) was created in 1990 as an Ecological Station by the Governor of the state of Amazonas. In 1996, with the completion of the Management Plan, its status was changed to that of a Sustainable Development Reserve, again by the state government. Scientific research is one of the principal activities within the Reserve, and various theses (Masters and Doctoral) and scientific articles have been produced and published about Mamirauá. This research was essential in the drawing-up of a Management Plan for the Reserve.

Mamirauá is one of the areas protected by the international Ramsar Convention of the IUCN, as a wetland of global importance. In addition, it has been proposed that the Reserve should form part of a future UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Brazilian Amazon. At present, it is included in one of the Ecological Corridors to be implemented by the PPG-7 Program for the Protection of Brazilian Tropical Forests.

"Absolutely excellent - fantastic facilities and loads of wildlife. Thanks so much for all your help...I won't hesitate to use you again or to recommend you to friends". - Mark

Package from Tuesday to Saturday

Day 1 - Pick up in the morning at airport in Tefé and transfer to the Areia Branca Pier. Usually we visit the Mamiraua store and ecotourism office to make some payments of the tourists. Departing from Areia Branca Pier, by speedboat, you can enjoy the breeze and the magic scenery. You might even be able to spot wildlife, such as pink dolphins (Inia geofrensis) and tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) at Tefe Lake in the Amazonas
River. The arrival is around 14:00 at the Uakari Lodge, our staff will be waiting for you. There will always be an English-speaking person at the lodge. Our staff will give you rapid recommendations and explanations on the running of the lodge (meal times, solar power, water, no swimming, etc) and you
will be asked to fill in the visitors registration form. At this time you will be able to meet all the employees responsible for making an excellent stay. All outings have to be accompanied by a local guide and some of them a naturalist guide, you must listen to the their recommendations at all times, specially those regarding your own safety. The local guides don’t speak English fluently. At 15:30 the local guide will accompany you in a trail or in a traditional canoe, in the heart of the forest, where you will have the opportunity to view various species of animals. The dinner will be served around 18:30. After dinner you will have the opportunity to hear a talk about the ecosystem and about the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute – its work, its research, etc. The naturalist guide will do the presentation at 19:30. After the presentation you can watch a movie or go to sleep hearing the sounds of the forest.

Day 2 - If you choose to visit a local village, the morning is the time to do it. The Ecotourism program has had plenty of discussion with the local communities about those visits and agreed an informal itinerary with a series of attractions they would like to show and talk about. A person from the community will meet your group and show you around (please see the detailed information sheet about village visits). Depending on the village,
you might have the opportunity to buy locally produced handicrafts - take small change with you. If you choose not to visit a village you can go for
another tour with your local guide. The lunch will be served at 12:30. After lunch, you can rest in a hammock, watch a video about researches done at Mamirauá or an award-winning BBC documentary on Mamirauá, read a book, or just chat - outings will only be carried out when the sun goes down a little. In the afternoon you will go to another hiking or canoe tour, always exploring a different region of the reserve. This night, we invite researchers that are working in the ecotourism area for dinner, after the dinner they give a presentation about their works.

Day 3 - Animals in the forest wake up at sunrise, so if you are interested in sighting as much wildlife as possible, you have to wake up early. The breakfast is served at 06:30, at 7:00 the activities begin; you will be ready to go on a walk (during the dry season) in one of the trails. You will be taken with your whole group to do an Interpretative Trail. The naturalist and the local guide, joining scientific and traditional knowledge will help you to
interpret the varzea’s environment (flooded forest). Our trails are designed not to be physically straining and most of them can be walked in three hours at the longest. During the flood (May-July), all trails will be done in a small paddle canoe (your guide will paddle you through the trail). In the afternoon
you have a choice to accompany a researchers team and participate of their field works and supplementing the technical information given last night. Or if you prefer, you can go to another wildlife viewing tour, travelling around the landscapes, channels and lakes system that compose part of the varzea’s
ecosystem. After the dinner, be ready to do a night tour with high chances to see the nocturnal fauna, as tarantula spiders, opossum (Didelphis marsupialis and Philander opossum), two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and brown throated three toated sloth (Bradypus variegatus), amazon bamboo rats (Dactylomys dactylinus), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio leporinus), etc

Day 4 - In your last day in the Reserve, you are more used to the forest, if you are really quiet and set out early enough, you might see even more wildlife like capuchin monkeys (Cebus paella)), howlers (Alouatta seniculus), uakaris (Cacajao calvus calvus) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri vanzolinii), three toed sloths (Bradypus variegates), hoatzins (Opistochomus hoazin), etc. If you prefer you can practise a traditional fish or piranha fishing. In this afternoon you will be taken on a motorised canoe to lake Mamirauá, a beautiful lake inside the total preservation area of the Reserve. At the lake you will probably have memorable encounters with pink river dolphins (Inia geofrensis), hoatzins (Opistochomus hoazin) and perhaps the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) fish. You will stay there until the sunset and on your way back you will spot black caimans (Melanoschus niger), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio leporinus), night birds… The Dinner is at 20:00 So you can enjoy your last night to talk to the staff, to see another kind of documentary or just pack for the next morning.

Day 5 - Before leaving, we would be grateful if you could fill in the assessment’s form. It is very important for us to know your thoughts about the trip; in this way we can always improve our services. The return to Tefe is by regional boat.

Package from Saturday to Tuesday

Day 1 - Pick up in the morning at airport in Tefé and transfer to the Areia Branca Pier. Usually we visit the Mamiraua store and ecotourism office to make some payments of the tourists. Departing from Areia Branca Pier, by boat you can enjoy the breeze and the magic scenery. You might even be able to spot wildlife, such as pink dolphins (Inia geofrensis) at Tefé Lake and tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) in the Amazonas River. Upon arrival at the Uakari Lodge, our staff will be waiting for you. There will always be an English-speaking person at the lodge. Our staff will give you rapid recommendations and explanations on the running of the lodge (meal times, solar power, water, no swimming, etc) and you will be asked to fill in the visitors registration form. At this time you will be able to meet all the employees responsible for making an excellent stay. All outings have to be accompanied by a local guide and you must listen to the their recommendations at all times, specially those regarding your own safety. At 15:30 you will be ready to go on a walk (dry season) in one of the trails. You will be taken with your whole group to do an Interpretative Trail. The naturalist and the local guide, joining scientific and traditional knowledge will help you to interpret the varzea’s environment (flooded forest). The local guides don’t speak English fluently. Our trails are designed not to be physically straining and most of them can be walked in three hours at the longest. During the flood (May-July) all trails will be done in a small paddle canoe (your guide will paddle you through the trail). The dinner will be served around 18:30. After dinner you will have the opportunity to hear a talk about the ecosystem and about the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute – its work, its research, etc. The naturalist guide will do the presentation at 19:30. After the presentation, be ready to do a night tour with high chances to see the nocturnal fauna, as tarantula spiders, opossum (Didelphis marsupialis and Philander opossum), two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and brown throated three toated sloth (Bradypus variegatus), amazon bamboo rats (Dactylomys dactylinus), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio
leporinus), etc.

Day 2 - If you choose to visit a local village, the morning is the time to do it. The Ecotourism program has had plenty of discussion with the local communities about those visits and agreed an informal itinerary with a series of attractions they would like to show and talk about. A person from the community will meet your group and show you around (please see the detailed information sheet about village visits). Depending on the village, you might have the opportunity to buy locally produced handicrafts - take small change with you. If you choose not to visit a village you can go for another tour with your local guide. At 15:30 the local guide will accompany you in another hiking or traditional canoe (rain season), in the heart of the forest, where you will have the opportunity to view various species of animals. This night, we invite researchers that are working in the ecotourism area for dinner, after the dinner they give a presentation about their works.

Day 3 - In your last day in the Reserve, you have a choice to accompany a researchers team and participate of their field works and supplementing the technical information given last night. Or if you prefer, you can go to another wildlife viewing tour, travelling around the landscapes, channels and lakes system that compose part of the varzea’s ecosystem. In this afternoon you will be taken on a motorised canoe to lake Mamirauá, a beautiful lake inside the total preservation area of the Reserve. At the lake you will probably have memorable encounters with pink river dolphins (Inia geofrensis), hoatzins (Opistochomus hoazin) and perhaps the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) fish. You will stay there until the sunset and on your way back you will spot black caimans (Melanoschus niger), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio leporinus), night birds… The Dinner is at 20:00 so you can enjoy your last night to talk to the staff, to see another kind of documentary or just pack for the next morning.

Day 4 - Your departure will be early, during the beautiful Amazonian sunrise. Before leaving , we would be grateful if you could fill in the assessment’s form. It is very important for us to know your thoughts about the trip; in this way we can always improve our services. The return to Tefe is by regional boat.

Sat.-Sat. or Tues.-Tues. Package

This is a special package for people who have more time and want enjoy a little more of the amazon-flooded forest. You're going to do longer hiking and canoes tour that you have the opportunity to view the fauna and longer interaction with the communities. This longer package was developed for people who don't care with the discomfort of the forest like the heat, mosquitoes and for people wish to know deeply the wonders of the forest.

First Day - Usually we visit the Mamiraua store and ecotourism office to make some payments of the tourists. Departing around 11:00 "Flutuante do Jorge, by speedboat, you can enjoy the breeze and the magic scenery. You might even be able to spot wildlife, such as pink dolphins (Inia geofrensis) at Tefé Lake and tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) in the Amazonas River. The arrival is around 12:30 at the Uakari Lodge, our staff will be waiting for you. There will always be an English-speaking person at the lodge. Our staff will give you rapid recommendations and explanations on the running of the lodge (meal times, solar power, water, no swimming, etc) and you will be asked to fill in the visitors registration form. At this time you will be able to meet all the employees responsible for making an excellent stay. All outings have to be accompanied by a local guides and some of them a naturalist guide, you must listen to the their recommendations at all times, specially those regarding your own safety.
The local guides don't speak English fluently,
At 15:30 the local guide will accompany you in a trail or in a traditional canoe, in the heart of the forest, where you will have the opportunity to view various species of animals. At night you will have the opportunity to hear a talk about the ecosystem and about the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute - its work, its research, etc. The naturalist guide will do the presentation around 20:30.

Second Day - If you choose to visit a local village, the morning is the time to do it. The Ecotourism program has had plenty of discussion with the local communities about those visits and agreed an informal itinerary with a series of attractions they would like to show and talk about. A person from the community will meet your group and show you around (please see the detailed information sheet about village visits). Depending on the village, you might have the opportunity to buy locally produced handicrafts - take small change with you.
If you choose not to visit a village you can go for another tour with your local guide.
The lunch will be served at 12:30. After lunch, you can rest in a hammock, watch a video about researches done at Mamirauá or an award-winning BBC documentary on Mamirauá, read a book, or just chat - outings will only be carried out when the sun goes down a little
In the afternoon you will go to another hiking or canoe tour, always exploring a different region of the reserve.
After the dinner, you can watch a movie or go to sleep hearing the sounds of the forest.

Third Day - Animals in the forest wake up at sunrise, so if you are interested in sighting as much wildlife as possible, you have to wake up early. The breakfast is served at 06:30, at 7:00 the activities begin; you will be ready to go on a walk (during the dry season) in one of the trails. You will be taken with your whole group to do an Interpretative Trail. The naturalist and the local guide, joining scientific and traditional knowledge will help you to interpret the varzea's environment (flooded forest). Our trails are designed not to be physically straining and most of them can be walked in three hours at the longest. During the flood (May-July), all trails will be done in a small paddle canoe (your guide will paddle you through the trail). In the afternoon you have a choice to accompany a researchers team and participate of their field works and supplementing the technical information given last night. Or if you prefer, you can go to another wildlife viewing tour, travelling around the landscapes, channels and lakes system that compose part of the varzea's ecosystem. After the dinner, be ready to do a night tour with high chances to see the nocturnal fauna, as tarantula spiders, opossum (Didelphis marsupialis and Philander opossum), two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and brown throated three toated sloth (Bradypus ariegates), amazon bamboo rats (Dactylomys dactylinus), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio leporinus), etc.

Fourth Day - Today you are more used to the forest, if you are really quiet and set out early enough, you might see even more wildlife like capuchin monkeys (Cebus arieg), howlers (Alouatta seniculus), uakaris (Cacajao calvus calvus) and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri vanzolinii), three toed sloths (Bradypus ariegates), hoatzins (Opistochomus hoazin), etc. If you prefer you can practise a traditional fish or piranha fishing.
In this afternoon you will be taken on a motorised canoe to lake Mamirauá, a beautiful lake inside the total preservation area of the Reserve. At the lake you will probably have memorable encounters with pink river dolphins (Inia geofrensis), hoatzins (Opistochomus hoazin) and perhaps the pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) fish. You will stay there until the sunset and on your way back you will spot black caimans (Melanoschus niger), bats (Rhynchonycteris naso and Noctilio leporinus), night birds…

Fifth Day - In the morning you go to a longer visit in another community, there you have the opportunity to visit the preserved lakes, the brush where is planted the manioc - the main food of the river people.The return will be around 13:00,so bring your sunblock. In the afternoon there are more wildlife view, hiking or canoe tour.

Sixth Day - After the breakfast, around 7:00 h, you go to know the Araçazinho Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes of the Mamirauá Reserve, there leaves howlers (Alouatta seniculus) e and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri vanzolinii), several species of birds like parrots (Amazona sp), toucan (Ramphastus sp), etc. In the afternoon you make a tour by canoe or trail, completing a full day of wildlife. At night you can watch a video about the flooded forest.

Seventh Day - In your last day in the Reserve, you'll visit another project of research, developed in the Ecotourism area. At the research floating station, you watch a presentation where you have the opportunity to go out with the researcher and understand their works. To finalize your programming, you visit again the Mamiraua Lake and view the last sunset of the Reserve. You can enjoy your last night to talk to the staff, to see another kind of documentary or just pack for the next morning. Your departure will be early, during the beautiful Amazonian sunrise.

Eighth Day - Before leaving, we would be grateful if you could fill out an evaluation form. It is very important for us to know your thoughts about the trip; in this way we can always improve our services.
“It is important to mention that the activities described above can be changed because of environmental factors, water level variation and climate conditions”.

Package Prices: (land only - no flights)
Tuesday to Saturday - US$630 per person double
Saturday to Tuesday - US$550 per person double
Saturday-Saturday or Tuesday-Tuesday - US$990 per person double (minimum of 4 people required)
Single supplement is $50 per night.
no children under 12 allowed

Prices include: all meals, water, juice, coffee, tea, standard tours and guiding

Prices do not include: soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, insurance, extra transfers

Tefe is now accessible by local flight from Manaus. Our contact in Manaus can arrange the flights for you. Current flight info is:

depart Manaus at 10am on Rico Airlines, arrive Tefe at 11am
depart Tefe at 1120am on Rico Airlines, arrive Manaus at 250pm