Day 1: Departure from Manaus to Juma Lodge
Departure from your hotel in Manaus in the early morning. The trip takes three hours via speed boat, van and speed boat again. During your trip you might encounter some pink dolphins on the way and you will stop to see the amazing Meeting of the Waters, the spot where the muddy waters of the Solimões River and the black waters of the Negro River run side by side, without mixing, to form the great Amazonas River. We will also stop at the Pirarucu Floating Dock, to see this fish (Pirarucu, also know as Arapaima) that can reach more than 3 meters (9,8 fts) and 200 kg (440 lb)! The Pirarucu Floating Dock preserves and allows us to feed them. Enjoy your first contact with the jungle and observe the giant water lily. At Juma Amazon Lodge, a welcome drink prepared with exotics fruits awaits you. Have lunch with regional and international cuisine. In the afternoon, we leave for a canoeing activity, which is a reconnaissance tour through the igarapés (Amazonian creeks) and the igapós (flooded forest), made in paddle canoes. During the trip you can swim and may encounter some pink dolphins. Return to the Juma Amazon Lodge. At night we go out in a canoe to observe the night fauna and meet alligators, frogs and birds. At some point, the guide will direct his flashlight towards the banks of the river: you will be looking straight at the eyes of an alligator. The light beam hypnotizes it, which facilitates the capture of the animal by our experienced guide. After you have had a chance to see it, the animal is returned to the river, unharmed. (L,D)
Day 2: Juma Lodge
Early in the morning we will leave for a sunrise excursion, witnessing the transformation of the sky and listening to the sights and sounds of the waking birds. Our guides are trained and equipped with binoculars to complement this experience with bird watching. Breakfast with typical fruits and regional food. Leave for a jungle hike. In this educational jungle walk. our expert guide will introduce you to the Amazon’s wildlife, showing you plants that are edible, medicinal, and useful for many other purposes. Exploration walks are constantly changed to avoid damaging the forest through overuse. Return to the lodge for lunch. After lunch, we will do a tour around the Juma Amazon Lodge, where you will have the chance to see the lodge, completely built on stilts, from a different perspective: from the bottom. It is a very interesting way to understand the lodge’s construction. The tour is organized by boat (in the flood season) or walking (in the dry season). Later in the afternoon we will board a motor boat with a guide to fish and find out more about the well-known piranha and also other Amazonian fishes. While enjoying the sunset, return to Juma. Dinner will be complemented by the fish you caught earlier, cooked the Amazon way. Later, be part in a lecture conducted by one of our guides about the Amazon life. (B,L,D)
Day 3: Juma Lodge
Breakfast. Leave for a hike and, after that, we will stop at a pleasant spot in the forest to eat lunch (regional cuisine baked over a fire) and rest in hammocks, as the natives do. In the afternoon, we will visit a house of a local native to learn more about their fascinating culture. A native will impart his knowledge about traditional medicine plants and demonstrate how manioc flour, the main economic resource in the region, is prepared. We will also have the opportunity to see how latex is extracted from a rubber tree (rubber was responsible for the economic boom at the end of the 19th century). Return to the lodge and have dinner with regional and international cuisine. (B,L,D)
Day 4: Juma Lodge
Breakfast. We will visit a gigantic Sumaúma that is approximately 300 years old. The Sumaúma tree is recognized as the biggest tree species in height and diameter in the Amazon, reaching up to 40 meters high (130 feet). Return to the lodge and have lunch. During the afternoon, on the deck at Juma, one of our guides will teach you some local craft, such as making objects from babaçu leaves, açaí seeds, fish scales and other sources. Dinner. (B,L,D)
Day 5: Juma Lodge
Breakfast and free morning. Lunch with regional and international cuisine. On the afternoon, we leave for a tree climbing activity. The Juma Amazon Lodge has a partnership with Amazon Tree Climbing, a specialized company that is a pioneer in recreational tree climbing in Brazil. The activity provides a unique experience exploring the tree tops of the biggest Amazonian trees. Return to Juma for dinner. Later, our guide takes you for an overnight stay in the jungle, where you will sleep in hammocks tied to trees. It is a fascinating experience to sleep among the forest and to hear the animal sounds. (B,L,D)
Day 6: Departure from Juma Lodge back to Manaus
After breakfast return to Manaus, arriving at about 11:00 a.m. at the airport or hotel in Manaus. (B)
