I booked Juma Lodge through Luciana at Viverde Travels. We were extremely pleased with our choice. The lodge was located on Juma river. We took a boat from Manaus, then a van drove us to the river, and we took another boat to the lodge. It took us 3-4 hours to get there.
Each couple/person had one “cottage” or bungalow. The bungalows were rooms built on stilts on a riverbank. The bungalows were very clean and pretty. Each one had a hammock which was very comfortable.
BTW, if you expect luxury you will be disappointed. Amazon then is not the place for you. Juma Lodge is in the jungle, and provisions are obtained by boat. There is no luxury here.
The bathrooms have just cold water – no hot water. It is in the jungle after all. Electricity was provided by a generator, so lights were on from 6pm to 8am. But you really don’t need it during the day because of being out all the time. There was no TV or refrigerator because of this. But it was all worth it. I was very impressed with the lodge because for each meal they managed to serve a good assortment of salads despite being in the jungle. The food and lodging was much better than our hotel in Manaus.
We were there for two nights. The first day we reached in the afternoon, had lunch and a nap, and then were taken around by boat to see birds. We did not see as many as we would have liked, but this is the Amazon, not Pantanal. After dinner, the guide (Moe), who spoke excellent English and grew up in the jungle himself, showed us pictures of the birds that we saw and told us a bit about wildlife in Amazon. It was very interesting.
The next morning, we left for a jungle trek. It took us about 2.5 hours in the jungle. We saw a big spider, and learned a lot about trees and how the people there build their houses. Another group saw a harmless little boa constrictor. In the evening we went to the house of a person living there and for two hours the guide showed us around and explained to us how the people earned their livelihood. On our way back we fished for a couple of hours. At night after dinner, he took us caimen spotting. I must say a day well spent and complete value for money.
Meals consisted of salads, rice, fish and/or beef, pasta, and a sweet dish. The lime pudding was extremely delicious! For a place that is so isolated, I was impressed with the food. The breakfast was just okay, but again to be fair, what would one expect in the jungle.
Of all the places that we stayed at in Brazil, this was one well worth the money.
One last thing. I fell ill because of bathing in the cold water because I am very susceptible to cold. I am not really a jungle person so two days was enough for me. One family stayed for 5 days because their travel agent recommended it, and regretted it. 2-3 days is more than enough, because other than the activities stated above, there really is not much to do there. One package takes you to the jungle to sleep in a hammock. I would advise against that one because of the mosquitos. One tip for mosquito repellent is to bring a spray because it is easier to use outside the lodge than a paste. And you do need lots of repellent for the Amazon.
Thanks,
Pearl