Hi!
We had a wonderful time at Uakari Lodge!.
Lots of wildlife in the area around the lodge! Monkeys, crocodiles, sloths, birds, river dolphins, amazing bugs, frogs, lizards. Loads of different fruits, trees, vines, epiphytes. Great time seeing lots of diversity.
Staff are excellent. Professional and helpful, guides are very knowledgeable (being born and raised in the area). They speak Portuguese, so if you don’t, you’ll miss out on their detailed knowledge of the flora and fauna. There is a person who organizes activities who speakes both English and Portuegese, but who cannot be on five canoes at once, so on the outings, you’ll most likely be without a translator.
Food is fantastic! Three meals a day of great regional cuisine, as much as you can eat! Freshly made fruit juices with every meal. And dessert! Bar with reasonable prices.
Rooms are comfy and spacious with a nice porch. Hot water in showers.
No a/c. Screened, and also with mosquito nets hanging from ceiling that go around the beds.
Outings occur in the morning (7-11) and afternoon (3:30-6:30). Some outings are in a small 3 person canoe that is paddle by a guide (with1 or 2 tourists). It is amazing to move silently through the forest in a tiny canoe, expertly paddled by a guide. In some places, the way will be blocked by vegetation, and the guides will use their amazing one-handed paddling technique while weilding a machete in the other hand to cut a trail. Other outings are in larger canoes with motors that seat up to 10 tourists. There are also some after-dinner night outings, and the guides will have spot lights to look for animals.
Middle of day is hot, so no activities from lunch to 3:30. Good for a nap, reading, or working on your photos. No options to do stuff on your own during this period, since guests are not allowed to go out in canoes without a guide, and there are not walking trails (there is no land, only water and trees!). No swimming is allowed from the lodge.
These safety considerations are very sensible (the big black caiman wants to eat you), but if you are an outdoorsy type who has paddled canoes a lot, you might feel a bit trapped. There isn’t much of a way to get exercise while at the lodge.
The lodge is not too close to the forest, so you can see birds with binoculars, but you won’t get photos unless you have a lens the size of a bazooka. There will be some birds flying around the lodge, and maybe some caiman swimming up to (and under) it. If you are into birding, it would be worth it to bring a spotting scope for birding from the lodge.
Since the tours are done by moving through the area in a canoe, the wildlife will typically be aware of your presence. This means that, while you will see a lot of wildlife, it will most often be in the process of leaving the area. One thing that would be a wonderful addition to this fantastic lodge is a canopy platform with a hide, where you could sit for hours and be very quiet, so that you could see animals doing their normal activities.
There are visits to communities, which are very interesting. These communities are not indigenous Amazonian Indian communities, but rather communities of people who moved into the area following the the rubber industry boom. They live off the forest and the water, and are extremely knowledgeable about the ecosystem and it’s wildlife. They are gracious and generous, and very willing to share their knowledge and help you to learn and have a wonderful experience. Again, you will need Portuguese or a translator.
Kevin Weng