Jungle Hotel – An experience at Tariri Amazon Lodge

Have you ever heard of a jungle Hotel? Can you imagine how it is to stay in a hotel that is completely in the middle of the forest, with zero contact with civilisation and in full contact with nature, but with all comfort?

Aerial view of Tariri Amazon Lodge

Jungle Hotel in Amazonia

There are jungle hotels in various locations and the concept is always similar. A hotel farther from civilization and completely in the midst of nature. Generally, these hotels work with packages of tours and meals included, precisely because they are more distant from other things to do. When I started researching our trip to the Amazon, I came across the concept of jungle Hotel and knew I needed to stay in one of them. My blog readers know that we usually go for economic accommodation, but my will was not for comfort, but for experience.

On a trip through the Amazon, what we want the most is the contact with the forest, the rivers, the animals and the community! If you were staying in Manaus (capital of the Estate of Amazonas and closest city), you could do all that, but you’d have to go out every day for a specific ride. Even so, the immersion wouldn’t be complete, like the one in a jungle hotel. It was for this reason that I went to search for a 3 day option and in my search I came across the Tariri Amazon Lodge. We chose it and it was our best decision. Besides feeling completely in the middle of nature, you also feel like family!

Jungle Hotel: Tariri Amazon Lodge

The jungle Hotel is conducted by the couple Germano and Fabiola, who are very nice. Germano welcomes us and is our guide in the activities, he has an incredible experience and knowledge about the Amazon jungle, a great guide! Fabiola is the one who conquers us by her food, she is a super chef and makes sure to prepare all meals in the Tariri. The cuisine is typically regional and is really delicious! We had great time during the meals, even because after a day full of activities, nothing better than a meal super well prepared. The Tariri is very far from Manaus, at Lake Acajatuba, in the Black River, 70 km from Manaus. Amid the hotel are the most diverse environment and jungle landscapes, Igapós and beaches.

Facilities at Tariri Amazon Lodge

Recreation space in the Tariri Lodge

The Jungle Hotel, on stilts, has a whole rustic environment, with simplicity and comfort. They have 10 there are 10 log-cabin bedrooms for two, three or four people. There is a recreation space with hammocks and the restaurant. Everything is very nice and organized. As you’d expect, there are beautiful animals all over the place. And I woke up a few times with the sound of the macaws and the monkeys!  Macaws and parrots are completely loose, besides a toucan, a pig of the bush and the family of monkeys, who are very affectionate. And the hotel pool is the best part: The Black River!

There is electric power, but do not wait however to find TV, Internet signal or phone. It was three days completely off-line, no news from the world! Every day I woke up every day to see the sunrise, listening to the noises of the forest, in a total relaxed environment!

Day by day

Boat ride in the Amazon

As I mentioned, jungle hotels usually work with packages of activities and meals, because they are very far from the city centers, and the Tariri is no different. They work with three to five-day packages through the jungle. In the packages are included all activities (some specific activities are not included in the package but you can pay for doing them), all meals and non alcoholic drinks and the transfer from your hotel in Manaus or airport to the Tariri and vice versa. This scheme is usually the same in all jungle Hotels. Meals were always very complete. The breakfast was filled with fruits, breads, deli products, juices and cakes, and of course, tapioca pancakes, which is always present in meals in the North of Brazil. Lunch and dinner always had vegetarian options, a choice of fish and a meat usually, plus salad and dessert with various options of juice.

Let’s detail here our itinerary prepared by Tariri. We did the Rio Negro package.

Day One in the Jungle

Para nuts

We chose to stay at the jungle Hotel as the first part of our trip. Tariri’s transfer picked us up at Manaus Airport in the morning. The driver will already be waiting for you at the exit, you just need to provide them with your arrival time and flight number.

We drove then for almost an hour before arriving on the bank of the Black River, but not before some nice stops along the way. Our dear driver took a quick stop at the Ponta Negra Beach in Manaus, so we could take a look and get some pictures. We also stopped in a tent in the middle of the road for a real acai berry. It is completely different from the Acai berry taken in Sao Paulo! And it’s sensational. Super cool and no added ice and all those other syrups, like the ones in the Southeast. It’s much more bitter, no doubt, but put a little sugar in it and eat it with tapioca flour! Mouth-watering.

Arriving on the bank of the Black River, we changed our transport by a boat, and it was another half hour of travel until we saw the roof tops of the Tariri approaching… We were then greeted with cupuaçu juice and Xuxa, one of the monkeys, jumping on my lap to receive a cuddle! It was very beautiful.

Programme of the First Day

We were able to settle down and have lunch! Soon after, our programming included knowing some riverside communities and a little of their way of life. Like any walk through there, our transportation is the boat. We sailed about 20 minutes to the first community. This tour is not available in the dry season, because the river is low and it is not possible to go by boat there. So this trip becomes possible only on foot, and is extremely distant. But it made me think how difficult it is for the riverside people, because many of them plant cassava and need to make this journey all on foot carrying their products for sale or exchange.

Anaconda

In the first community that we went, there was a pet anaconda. I confess that I was a little afraid! Also, we saw them doing crafts and we could also buy something. In the second community we’ve been, we’ve seen how they produce tapioca flour, and how they harvest acai berry from the trees. We also could taste the tapioca produced by them with butter and acai juice!

How to make tapioca

At the end of the day, we returned to the Tariri! After dinner we had the night free to rest on the nets, read a little or just enjoy the stars and the sound of the animals.

Day Two in the Forest

On the second day the plan was to go on a river beach in the morning and fishing piranhas in the afternoon. But I really wanted to swim with the pink dolphins. This tour is not included in the package but can be done if paid separately. The staff of Tariri only takes us to the place and the value is paid entirely to the staff who works with the river dolphins. So we decided to do this tour instead of going to the beach.

Swimming with the pink dolphins was wonderful and I tell everything in a separate post. But it’s worth a trip! They are free in their habitat and there are some houses amid the river that are allowed to do this activity. They can feed the dolphins for a few hours of the day only three times a week. This prevent them to lose the habit of hunting. So it’s a risk, they might not show up. I wouldn’t go if they were not free because I don’t like animal tourism. That was just one of the best moments of my life.

Fishing Piranhas

Fishing Piranhas

In the afternoon, after lunch, we went fishing piranhas. I didn’t particularly like that activity. I’m not a big fan of animal tourism like I just mentioned. We left by boat in search of regions that the guide knows that they usually appear more easily, even though they are all over the Black River. But don’t worry, they tend to get pretty deep and usually appear more at the end of the day. Therefore, swimming during the day does not offer many risks. Unless you have some injury, because they are attracted by the smell of blood. I obviously didn’t catch any, but some of the people on our boat got it. We just looked at their teeth and they put the piranha back to the river.

After dinner we again had time to relax and we enjoying while playing some card games!

Day Three in the Heart of the Amazon

We woke up on our last day at the Tariri with an amazing sunrise! I enjoyed my days there for some yoga practices in the morning! Just after breakfast we went for a walk in the jungle and we get to know a little of the native flora, always with the experience and knowledge of the Germano, showing us not only about the flora but also how the natives took advantage of it for their daily life. For this walk, I recommend hiking boots or waterproof shoes because there is plenty of mud on the way. In addition, long trousers and T-shirt are essential, because in the middle of the forest there are many insects. Hat, sunscreen and repellent were needed.

Back from the hike, we had time for a river bath and to finish packing our bags before lunch. Then it was time to say goodbye to the Tariri family and leave for Manaus. The way back by boat took almost twice as long as it did in the way to the hotel, due to the river current. We arrived in the afternoon then in our hostel in Manaus, for the rest of our trip.

Costs of a Jungle Hotel

Toucan Teco

For those, who like me, usually stay in hostels or AirBnB, it is normal to think that this accommodation will come expensive. It was also my thought, until I did a thorough analysis of everything that the hostel offered.

The transfer to the hotel and back to Manaus, all meals and all activities are included in the tariff. If you were staying in Manaus, you would do all the individual tours with tour agencies. The prices of these activities are around R$100,00 per person. And there would still be a lot of waste of time every day for locomotion to those places, while at the jungle Hotel, we are already there in the middle of the river. In addition, food spending isn’t very cheap. That way, I realized that the value pays off a lot. And of course, I thought about the experience I would have in the midst of the tranquility of the forest. No experience in another place compares to that.

General Tips

Here, you can find some tips for your trip to get even more perfect.

• No matter what time of the year it is, expect heat in the Amazon. But the hotel is in the middle of the river, so during the night it’s kind of cold. I slept with blankets every day and wore a cardigan at night;
• With respect to mosquitoes! Best NEWS!! They are not there because they find the Black river water too acidic and they don’t like it. I managed to sleep peacefully all my nights in the Rio Negro;
• Even so, repellent is important for hiking in the jungle;
• I’ve worn slippers almost all the time, but beware of ants. I stepped on an anthill in one of the riverside communities and it was not very nice;
• Take some book or card game or something. There is not much to do at night and it is a great opportunity to relax and put that reading on time or have fun with your friends or family!
• As we need to go by boat for much of the way, backpacks are better and easier to load than large wheel bags. And they may end up damaging or watering on the way.

What did you think of our experience in a jungle Hotel? Are you feeling like going to the Amazon already?

Leave here in the comments your opinions and your doubts. And don’t forget to make your reservation to stay at the Tariri Amazon Lodge and follow them on Instagram for beautiful photos of Amazon @Taririlodge.

The “Mochilão a Dois” received a discount on the accommodation at Tariri Lodge. However, we cherish the sincerity with the readers of the blog, not being our opinion influenced in any aspect regarding this post. 

For the post in Portuguese, click here!

Posted by Liany Garves

Liany is a pharmacist that worked for years in a big company. She left her safe job and comfortable life in Brazil to live an adventure in the remote Kingdom of Bhutan and, nowadays, lives in Thailand. The passion for traveling runs to her veins and she loves spending time in the travel blog, helping other travelers with her experiences or planning her next trip.