Uacari Floating Lodge is located in Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve. It’s a site recognized by UNESCO as part of the Natural Heritage of Humanity, and it’s also the first sustainable development protected area created in Brazil. The Lodge is rustic, comfortable and located in an exceptional area in the Amazon. There are many places to go and observe the abundant wildlife. Besides, you can interact with local communities and researchers that work in the Reserve. Uacari Lodge is a Community-Based Tourism model. Its management is shared with surrounding communities and Mamirauá Sustainable Development Institute. The income generated is spent on the enterprise maintenance and on social benefits for local communities. The Reserve is one of the best places to sight the rich Amazon wildlife. Given its location, the lodge is designed for minimum environmental impact, with rainwater collection, solar power for lighting and water heating, and a sewage filtration system. Our Hints: If you’re game to take a dip with flesh-eating piranhas and wide eyed caiman, welcome to the jungle. All around you is as wild as wild gets on this planet. Expect to see lots of wildlife. Technical Information:  The rainy season begins in December and it’s the time of water level rising. The weather is cool and you’ll probably witness the famous Amazon rain, which is a remarkable experience. It’s possible to do all activities, because the trails are dry. But in mid-March some trails may be flooded. It’s a good time to observe Amazon river dolphins and they swim in the lakes. In some moment, the communities that work on turtles’ preservation releases them at the beaches. That’s also cassava’s harvest time and flour preparation. This is a good time if you like more privacy because it’s Amazon low season. Uacari Lodge has two teams. One team works in Tefé town and takes care of reservations, arrivals and departures of the guests. The other team works at the Lodge. You’ll probably have more contact with the Lodge’s team. You’ll find a bilingual naturalist guide. He’s going to be your host. Most part of the employees come from riverine communities, the management, local guides, maids, cooks, auxiliaries and janitors. The Lodge’s team works in rotation system. Each person works about 10 days a month and come back home. The objective is not to make the people depend on the touristic activity, but they can keep doing other activities. Mamirauá’s Auxiliaries and Ecotourism Guides Association was created by local people to organize tourism management and to strengthen community organization The Uacari Lodge is composed by seven floating structures 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.

3 Nights Package

First day: Friday

Arrival at Tefe 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 boat and takes about one and a 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.

4 Nights Package

First day: Monday
The visitors will be received at 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, during the trip until the lodge.
You will be welcomed by 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).
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 starts 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.
Second day: Tuesday
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.

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.
Third day: Wednesday
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 the local fauna.

The Dinner is served around 20:00. So you can enjoy this night to talk to the staff or to see another kind of documentary.

Fourth Day: Thursday

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 practice a traditional fish or piranha fishing. The local resident will show you 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 the night before. 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 dinner be ready to do a night tour (on foot or by small canoe) with high chances to see the nocturnal fauna. This trail is short.

Fifth Day: Friday
Now, you are more used to the forest. Another trail will be made in this last morning.

The departure of Lodge will be after the breakfast around 09:30 on Friday.

7 Nights Package

This is a special package for people that have more time and want enjoy a little more of the amazon-flooded forest. You’re going to do longer hiking and canoe tours that you have the opportunity to view the fauna and longer interaction with the communities. This longer package was developed for people who don’t care with the discomfort of the forest like the heat, mosquitoes and for people wish to know deeply the wonders of the forest.

It starts on Friday (together with 3 Nights package) or on Monday (together with 4 Nights package), this way the 7 Nights Package will have the sequence of activities according with the respective packages.