My last stop on this #onlyinsouthamerica journey took me deep into Brazil. 2 planes, 3 buses, 2 boats and a handful of hours later, I found myself at the Juma Amazon Lodge tucked away into the Amazon Rainforest.
I arrived to the lodge after witnessing a beautiful amazon sunset and then proceeded to spend the night gazing at the stars. Each morning I woke up to monkeys knocking at my door and then headed into the jungle for a nature hike. On our hikes, we stopped to make crowns, sample local delicacies and trekked across a small portion of the rainforest. We were treated to an epic lunch cooked over an open fire and then swam in the Amazon to cool off. Side note... I was convinced that I was going to be eaten by an anaconda while in the Amazon. But lucky for us, our amazing guide Leon knew the ins and outs of the river and there are actually parts where it's totally safe to swim! He lead us through the river and we all made it out safe and sound 🙂
While in the Amazon we fished for piranhas and then ate them for dinner and relaxed on a patio full of hammocks with a few monkeys, who turned out to be quite snuggly, while it lightly rained.It was one of the most surreal experiences in my entire life. There was no wifi or cell service so it was a chance to truly disconnect and experience the Amazon without having to worry about any incoming distractions. The Juma Amazon Lodge is integrated into it's surroundings so all of the 20 bungalows blend right into the setting making sure not to disturb any of the neighboring habitat. The entire hotel is situated on top of stilts that tower over the ground and I'm told that in the rainy season, the water level rises about 15 feet! Juma Amazon Lodge is even opening up a 5 star resort on Manaus so its visitors can stay the night in a swanky new hotel before heading into the jungle - that way you get a little city living before diving into the rainforest! We were only in the Amazon for a few days, but there is so much more to explore! You could easily spend a week there and experience all the different excursions without ever missing home or wifi!
p.s. if you haven't entered already... today's your last chance to win a trip to Brazil just like this one!! Hop on over to Only in South America to enter!
And a massive thank you to everyone involved with planning this epic adventure, especially TAM airlines!!
Beautiful pictures Gaby! Wanted to know what camera do you have?
Hey Shan! I shot all these with my canon 5D mark III
Thanks 🙂
Gaby, I have loved following along on your trip, during the time there and now with this lovely recap! What an amazing experience. We have it on our bucket list, and just need to make the time to do it!
The lodge on stilts looks so amazing, and everything sounds like it was quite an adventure. You are so lucky to have seen first hand how amazing Brazil is. I hope to get there soon!
This looks fantastic. What a beautiful adventure!
Looks amazing! Cute monkeys,
This sounds like such an amazing once in a lifetime experience, Gaby! Awesome pictures! I totally would have been skeptical of swimming in the Amazon too... I'm even weird about swimming in the ocean because of sharks. Doesn't it make the experience so much more enjoyable when you have a great guide? Thanks for sharing...hope to travel there someday 😉