Amazon Two Ecosystem Tour
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Two lodges have come together to offer the visitor a hybrid experience in two different Amazonian ecosystems. In this experience get to know indigenous agricultural techniques, watch species of fauna and flora typical of each region. Uakari Lodge floats in the waters of a channel of the Japurá River, at the Mamirauá Reserve. There, most of the tours are made by boat - in the flood season you navigate through the rainforest, at the height of the canopies. On the other hand, another jungle lodge is located about 2 hours drive from the city of Presidente Figueiredo, where local plants and animals are most easily found on walking trails and you can climb trees
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DAY 1 (any Friday, subject to availability) - At 9:00 a.m. you will be transferred from Manaus by car to a jungle Lodge on 667 acres of natural rain forest within the Cave of the Maruaga environmental protection area and located at Km 144 of the BR-174 Manaus-Boa Vista highway, just outside the township of Presidente Figueiredo. It’s about a two-hour drive and
along the journey, the vegetation changes from colonized deforested areas to virgin rainforest. On your way to the lodge, discover some amazing local art, tapestries, books, bows, arrows and other one-of-a-kind souvenirs at Waimiri Atrorari’s indigenous store, located in the small town of Presidente Figueiredo. Leaving the town we will visit one of the spectacular and refreshing waterfalls in the jungle that this area is known for. From the parking lot, the hike to the waterfall then takes 10 minutes, and the landscape is beautiful – with moss-covered trees, bromeliads and orchids everywhere. This trail ends with a beautiful waterfall – over 10 m high. After the waterfall, you’ll arrive to a warm welcome at the jungle lodge. Meet for an orientation snack with their team. In order to spend more time in the jungle, they serve only two main meals: breakfast and a lunch or dinner. They are happy to provide snacks in between those meals and fresh fruit is always available for your convenience at no additional cost. Not to worry: you and your group will not go hungry! The lodge, tucked deep within the rainforest, is family-owned and operated as a venture that will allow them to share the wonders of the Amazon with visitors while at the same time preserving the environment. Every evening, for all guests interested in learning more on their own, there is an opportunity to spend the evening exploring the area around the jungle lodge – learning more about the local life in the jungle. DAY 2 - We will gather at the jungle lodge before heading over to the Edible Forest Gardening Experience in the “Garden”. This trail starts at the side of the main road, across areas where the forest is regenerating and there are large patches of pristine forest. For this reason this trail is ideal to showcase how the jungle recovers from deforestation and the importance of forest conservation for the Amazon region. In the Garden we consciously apply the principles of ecology to the design of home-scale gardens that mimic the structure and function of the forest ecosystem structure, for our food production methods. Learn how the locals use the plants and fruits of the jungle on this cultural excursion. Experience local tradition, and learn about Amazon nature, history and culture.
For the afternoon, prepare for an exciting tree climbing adventure! From our lodge you will embark on a guided walk along a trail that meanders beneath the Amazon rainforest’s thick canopy. Our tree climbing adventure begins with an Angelim Tree (Dinizia excelsa), soaring 200 feet above the forest floor, specially selected for your adventure. You’ll receive thorough instructions in tree climbing techniques, and your guide will be alongside you as you ascend into the canopy. Once high up in the tree, there will be a canvas hammock waiting for you to rest, relax and observe Amazon nature life from a bird’s eye view. Ahhh… we call this Tree Time! The canvas hammock is safely and securely tied to the tree and your safety rope remains locked and secured, permitting you to relax and enjoy your experience in this marvelous treetop canopy. 
tree climbing
The forest is transformed completely during the night: sounds and smells are intensified and other senses are awakened. On a night experience, unlike a daytime ascent, our guests find the beauty in the small details, such as the croaking of frogs or the hum of insects. And if you turn off your flashlight you can observe the sparkle of fireflies in the woods, or hear the flutter of bats – and if you look carefully at the ground, you might see the faint glow of bioluminescent fungi below. When you turn on the lights again you can see the reflection of hundreds of tiny insect eyes all around. As we come down from the tree and make our way back to the lodge you can hear the call of cicadas, owls and other night birds. No doubt, this is an overwhelming experience! Enjoy your evening dinner at our jungle lodge, learn about the family’s efforts to preserve the land and the traditions of the local people.
DAY 3 - Venture out into the jungle with your local guide for a great opportunity to spot unusual insects and animals. You and your guide have the day to explore the forest, with a focus on how to live in the wilderness. Learn how to climb a palm tree without any ropes, and (depending on the time of year) how to retrieve the açai fruit – and enjoy making a delicious, exotic juice from it. Contribute to science participating in our Amazon Jaguar Vision Project, and help set up cameras to capture shy jungle wildlife. The subtly placed cameras often snap animals, especially mammals, that people rarely see elsewhere. As you help our naturalists collect data from the camera traps and install new cameras, you’ll learn all about their exciting work. Finally, you’ll study the captured footage and discover what rare, fascinating animals the cameras captured. This is an experience not to be missed. Afterwards, you are invited to enjoy dinner and meet with our team at the jungle lodge.
bedroom at lodge near Presidente Figueiredo
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DAY 4 - Rise and shine to enjoy your breakfast at the jungle lodge and prepare for your return to Manaus. Departure is at 9:00 am. Our driver will take you to the airport to catch a flight to Tefé.
Once you land at Tefé Airport, Uakari Lodge’s team will be waiting for you. We then are conducted to the harbor of Tefé Lake, where our boat departs for a 1 hour trip. Right after departure, we experience the "encounter of the waters", where the black waters of the lake meet the white waters of the Amazon River. The trip is a complete experience itself. We learn how long the Amazon River is and once we enter Mamirauá Reserve we see local riverine communities and their stilt houses, many of the 350+ species of birds, mammals and aquatic animals such as caimans, river dolphins and the pirarucu, the biggest fish in the Amazon waters. We are welcomed in the impressive floating lodge by the local manager, the naturalist guide and all staff, when we are introduced each other and instruct on the program and safety procedures. Right after check-in we go on a trail or canoe trip for an interpretation of local nature. After dinner, we watch a presentation on the history of the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve and the projects that are being developed by Mamirauá Institute Sustainable Development, a research unit funded and supervised by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil. DAY 5 - Mornings start early at Uakari Lodge! By 06:30 we have breakfast and we depart for activities at 07:00. The first thing we are doing today is visiting a local riverine community. A local guide takes us on a tour around his/her village, shows the daily life by the river in a floodplain forest - water levels rise and fall about 12 meters every year, and that demands a lot of adaptation from local people! We go back to the lodge at lunchtime - always very fresh food, mostly produced locally in the communities. We follow the local tradition and take some rest until 03:30 - 04:00 PM, when we head to our second activity of the day - a trail or a canoe trip if it's the rain season. Dinner is served around 07:00 and tonight we go on an adventure: a night trail! It is always impressive to go on this activity once we get to observe different animals and listen to very unique noises from the forest. If it's the rain season, we go on a night boat trip. DAY 6 - After breakfast (with many of the local fruit and delicacies made out of the very-Brazilian manioc) we depart for a morning hike. Today the trail is longer and we get to see many of the impressive Amazon trees and animals. If we are in the rainy season (and walking trails will be under water), we depart on a small canoe journey through the flooded forest - an experience you will never forget. The silence of the canoe sliding through the waters, very close to the crown of the trees, will be interrupted by the screaming of the howler monkeys, the chant of the birds or by the diving of the aquatic animals. We go back for lunch and relax for a couple of hours in the hammocks of our room' s porches that lay over the river. We depart at 3:30 for a boat tour on Lake Mamirauá. It is our longest journey in the reserve and you'll get to learn more about the history of the area, right from the local guides. When reach the lake, we have some snacks while appreciating the always-dramatic sunset. On the way back, spotlights are used to see nocturnal animals like the huge black caimans, that can be up to 4 meters long. Dinner and free time at night. DAY 7 - After breakfast we depart at 07:00 to go fishing for piranhas, very abundant in this region. With the help of the local guides, you will learn why they can be so dangerous! We head back to the lodge, have lunch and some free time to rest, talk to locals, read in the lodge's library or watch a documentary. In the afternoon we have our last immersion in the jungle, taking a trail or canoe trip. At night, after dinner, biologists who conduct researches in the area will come to the lodge to introduce you to the world of science, bringing information about a local animal, the result of their work and how scientific research helps the development of conservation strategies in the reserve. DAY 8 - It is our last moments at Uakari Lodge. We have breakfast at 07:00 am, check-out and depart at 09:00 AM to Tefé (airport or hotel). 2023 Rates per person: Single = R$ 13,7900, Double = R$9850 no children under 10 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, flights Tefe is accessible by local flight from Manaus on Trip/Azul airlines |
