Uacari Amazon Lodge

The Uakari Lodge is linked to the Mamirauá Institute’sUacari Lodge Ecotourism Program. Its planning and development were carried out in the past 10 years by local communities, researchers and technicians of the Institute. The Uakari Lodge was created to provide services for ecotourists that have great interest in the Amazon as well as in its conservation. The Lodge is inserted inside a pioneering conservation project in Brazil (the Mamirauá Reserve). Its main objectives are to generate income for the local communities, to strengthen their organization and to create incentives so that these communities promote the conservation of the natural resources of the area. The Uacari Lodge generates income through the purchase of local products and services and through the division of its profits among local communities – which are invested in projects for the improvement of the quality of life in the communities. The lodge also supports local research projects that generate scientific subsidies for the conservation of the natural area.

Facilities

The Uakari Lodge is composed by seven floating structuresUacari Lodge made out of wood and covered with thatch. These structure float because were built on floating timber. They are all connected through floating runways. The Lodge was designed for minimum environmental impact, with appropriate technologies such as rainwater collection, solar power for lighting and water heating, and a sewage filtration system. The lodge has only 10 apartments with bathrooms and the capacity to accommodate in total 20 people at a time.

The lodge also has a central floating structure with reception area, restaurant, bar, TV room, library and conference room. We also have laundry services.

Amazon Itineraries

5 Days Itinerary

At 07:50am the TRIP flight company arrives at Tefé, the visitors will be received for the Sales and Marketing Manager at the Tefé’s airport.

Around 10 minutes (by car) far away the airport is the “Flutuante do Areia Branca” where will be start the journey to Mamirauá Reserve.

The trip to the Reserve is made by speedboat and it takes about one and an half hour. In the way you can enjoy the breeze and the magic scenery also you will be to see the little boat across to the river. You might even be able to spot wildlife, such as pink dolphins (Inia geofrensis) at Tefé Lake and tucuxis (Sotalia fluviatilis) in the Solimões River during the trip until the lodge.

You will be welcomed for our staff at the lodge. 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 visitor’s registration form. At this time you will be able to meet all the employees responsible for making an excellent stay.

The Naturalist guide will accompany you in some activities and all outings have to be accompanied by a local guide. You must listen to their recommendations at all times specially those regarding your own safety.

To enjoy your first morning at the Reserve you will make a short trip by canoe.

The lunch will always be served between 12:30pm and 13:30pm.

The outings in the afternoon are starting at 15:30 when the climate is not so hot.

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). In this first hiking, eight points strategically chosen are classified and explained for them. Whole the “Flooded season” you will make a trip by large canoe among channels and lakes into forest bring together all guests’ group.

The local guides don’t speak English fluently.

During the flood (May-July) all trails will be done in a small paddle canoe (your guide will paddle you through the trail).

After the dinner, you will have the opportunity to hear and talk about the ecosystem and about the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute – its work, its research, etc. The naturalist guide will do the presentation at 20:30.

The animals wake up with the sunrise and to maximize wildlife viewing you must also to wake up early to visit the trails. But if you choose to visit a local village, this 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.

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 as the outings will only be carried out when the sun goes down a little.

In the afternoon you will go to hiking or canoe tour, always exploring a different region of the reserve.

The dinner will be served around 19:30. After dinner you can watch a video about the flooded forest or just to hear the song of animal night in your room and to relax to next day.

A new and different trail will be the scenery chosen to view the wildlife into the jungle. 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 this afternoon you will be taken on a motorized canoe to Mamirauá Lake, 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 this night to talk to the staff or to see another kind of documentary.

The animals wake up with the sunrise and to maximize the wild life view you must also to wake up early to visit the trails. The break fast is served at 06:30am and at 07:00am the activities start. Another trail will be made, on foot or by canoe, in the new scenery chosen to observe the nature. If you prefer you can practise a traditional fish or piranha fishing. This activity is a means of survive belong the local communists and it is transferred from generation to generation. The local resident will learn you with his ability to fish with harpoon and the handling with bait and long line too.

In the afternoon you have a choice to accompany a researcher’s 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 (on foot or by small canoe) 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. This trail is short and spends around 40 minutes.

Now, 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. Another trail will be made in this last morning.

The departure of Lodge will be after the breakfast around 09:30 on Friday. Before leaving, we would be grateful if you could fill in the evaluation form. It is very important for us to know your thoughts about the trip; in this way we can always improve our services.

The flight from Tefé to Manaus leaves at 18:00am, so when you come back to Tefé, our Sales and Marketing Manager will be bring together a driver taxi who will take your baggage to a trust partnership (Anilce’s Hotel) to possibility you walk and know the city. Around 14:30 the same driver picks you up in the hotel and then takes you at the Tefé’s airport.

8 Days Itinerary

At 14:20pm the TRIP flight company arrives at Tefé, the visitors will be received for the Sales and Marketing Manager at the Tefé’s airport.

Usually there is a fast crossing in the Ecotourism office to make payments of the some tourists, at this moment, is possible to go to the Mamirauá store to have a look.

The trip takes about one and half hour by speedboat to the Uakari Lodge. You may 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.

Between 15:00 and 15:30 you will arrive at the Uakari Lodge where our staff will be waiting for you. There will always be an English-speaking person who 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. The Naturalist guide will accompany you in the some activities and all outings have to be accompanied by a local guide. You must listen to their recommendations at all times specially those regarding your own safety. At 16:00 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). In this first hiking, eight points strategically chosen are classified and explained for them. Whole the Flooded season you will make a trip by large canoe among channels and lakes into forest bring together all guests’ group.

The local guides don’t speak English fluently.

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 19:30. After dinner you can watch a video about the flooded forest or just to hear the song of animal night in your room and to relax to next day.

If you choose not to visit a village you can go for another tour with your local guide.

In the afternoon you can practise a traditional fish or piranha fishing. This activity is a means of survive belong the local communists and it is transferred from generation to generation. The local resident will learn you with his ability to fish with harpoon and the handling with bait and long line too.

The breakfast is served at 06:30am and at 07:00am the activities start. In this first morning 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 excursions are started at 15:30 when the sun is hot less. In the afternoon you have a choice to accompany a researcher’s 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 (on foot or by small canoe) 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. This trail is short and spends around 40 minutes.

The animals wake up with the sunrise and to maximize wildlife viewing you must also to wake up early to visit the trails. Another trail will be the new scenery chosen to observe the nature during the morning. 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).

After the dinner, you will have other opportunity to see the mystery night fauna. However you will guest of the forest, as you will stay one night into the forest in one tree house specially designed for this end. Accompany of the local guide, you will make a trip by boat until this place and can enjoy making night-lights. When you stay in the tree house, like guest, you will hear the night sounds of the forest habitants.

In this morning you will make another visit to local 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. This time you can know more about the “ribeirinhos”, their reality and also to change experiences. The return will be around 12:00, so bring your sun block.

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 video about the flooded forest or just to hear the song of animal night in your room and to relax to next day.

In the morning you go to a longer journey in another view trail together the local guide. At this moment you need to talk low to improve your view opportunity, because de sounds impact put to flight the animals. This activity spends all morning.

In the afternoon 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.

In the last night at Mamirauá together with the local guide you will have opportunity to see the night animals again to making second night tour,but at this time the trip will be made by canoe.

In the afternoon you go to know the Araçazinho Lake or Japura Lake, two of the most beautiful lakes of the Mamirauá Reserve, there leave howlers (Alouatta seniculus) e and squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus and Saimiri vanzolinii), several species of birds like parrots (Amazona sp), toucan (Ramphastus sp), etc.

The Dinner is at 20:00. So you can enjoy your last night to talk to the staff or to see another kind of documentary.

The flight from Tefé to Manaus leaves at 18:00am, so when you come back to Tefé, our Sales and Marketing Manager will be bring together a driver taxi who will take your baggage to a trust partnership (Anilce’s Hotel) to possibility you walk and know the city. Around 17:00 the same driver picks you up in the hotel and then takes you at the Tefé’s airport.