Piranha fishing, traversing the rainforest in the dark, and canoeing through flooded forests aren’t just scenes from Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom, they’re some of the many activities waiting for you in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon. After landing in the rainforest city of Manaus, an 111 mile drive through fragrant jungle unveils the luxurious Anavilhanas Lodge.
Buried by thick greenery and lined with the alluring banks of the Rio Negro, Anavilhanas, one of the world’s most secluded, relaxing, and sustainable ecolodges, is spilling with opportunities to explore the world’s largest rainforest.
From spotting sloths to feeding pink dolphins from a floating deck, this three day guide to exploring the Amazon, highlights the best the Brazilian rainforest has to offer.
Anavilhanas Lodge cottage / Photo by Marcelo Isola
♦ Day One: Take the forest by foot & fish for toothy piranhas
After a good night’s rest in any of the Anavilhanas Lodge’s spacious cottages, wake up to the cooing rainforest and enjoy a delectable breakfast at the lodge’s restaurant. Spend the morning learning about the region’s unique trees, aromatic herbs, and enticing fruits, which Amazonian animals and indigenous communities use to survive, on a guided hike through the flourishing forest.
After a lunch of regional specialties, grab some courage and a hook before setting out in a wooden canoe for piranha fishing!
Despite their man eating reputation, these toothy fish usually feast on fallen fruit instead of people…but your friends back home don’t have to know that when you’re telling the story, do they?
Try your hand at Piranha fishing in the Amazon
♦ Day Two: Explore the archipelago & sail through the jungle at night
Take to the water for a sail through the world’s largest freshwater archipelago, the Anavilhanas. You’ll roam through the impressive paranás (channels), expansive lakes, and hundreds of islands that the Brazilian government has hoped to turn into a World Heritage Site since 1998. On your way back to your room, be sure to stop at the lodge’s floating deck to feed friendly pink dolphins.
Feel free to peruse the lodge’s handmade crafts while chatting with one of the local employees about the lodge’s sustainable infrastructure before settling in for a hypnotizing sunset.
And don’t count the day out yet! After the sun sets, sit beside a seasoned guide on an exhilarating boat ride through the dark jungle. As your senses adjust, the red beaming eyes of the Amazon Rainforest’s nocturnal birds, sloths, snakes, and caimans, will stare back at you.
Explore the diversity of the Amazon as the sun goes down
♦ Day Three: Sunrise to Sunset, your last day in the Amazon
Make the most out of your last day in the Amazon by rising before the sun for Anavilhanas’ early morning excursion.
As the birds call and float across the transforming sky, the dramatic sounds of the rainforest “waking up” will be forever imprinted on your memory.
After one last breakfast, visitors have the rare chance to hear from the indigenous community itself. Members of an isolated settlement in the center of Rio Negro will explain indigenous rituals, their intricate environmental and social structures, and the many modern challenges they face. After this enriching cultural experience, paddle through the flooded forest in a wooden canoe as your final goodbye to the Amazon.
From dawn to dusk, the Amazon is always ready to impress / Photo by Marcelo Isola
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