Karl Whinnery
Google
Whatever expectations you may have - this place is incredible and a once in a lifetime experience. I’d rate it 10 stars out of 5.
It’s a hotel in an ecological preserve and you can book different length stays and go on different adventures based on the stays you book.
We were unsure what to expect but hoped to see the Amazon, and my god, we did. You will too. All the staff were incredibly friendly- Juan was our guide and one of our main points of contact (along with the awesome manager Hembry). Juan spoke fluent English and French along with the native languages.
Each day had a new adventure, delicious food, and incredible sunsets. More on that below.
When you arrive by boat (it’s an hour and a half boat ride on the beautiful Amazon {Madres De Rio }) you’re greeted by the manager and staff and get a delicious fruit juice drink. They grab your bags and show you to your room.
The facility is a main building with reception, bar, and dining room. It’s large and comfortable to hang out at. They also have various games. They also have a pool. They have nice walk ways going off in every direction that will lead you to your cabin, places to relax, and even a botanical garden.
The rooms are “bungalows” - they have some instructions/ rules but they’re geared to keeping insects away. For instance - don’t have opened food. It’s to keep the ants out. The jungle is not far away. The rules are common sense so no big deal.
They serve 3 meals a day - if the times seem odd - it’s to help facilitate the excursions. They like to go early in the morning to avoid the heat, which makes sense. Every day we had a different meal and they ranged from really good to omg excellent.
Excursions - one of the big attractions is monkey island. I didn’t think it would be that cool but wow I was wrong. 3 different types of monkeys on the island and they all were unique from each other. It was great to interact and watch them. They were very friendly to humans and loved our tasty bananas.
We went to multiple other places - Apu Victor, lost lake, a lagoon, a Chanel, 3 or 4 different hikes. Along the way the guides will stop and point things out, help you spot the animals, etc. they really know a lot about the flora and fauna.
I will forget everything we saw so this is just a partial list - Capybara (they’re running around every in the Eco Lodge gardens), black spider monkeys, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys, white faced something monkey, a sloth, lizards everywhere, white and black caiman of all sizes. We saw so many birds - Macaws, Parrots, king fishers, black herons (they’re awesome) and my favorite- the Hoatzin.
One night they even took us out on the boat at night to spot caimans and look at the stars and milkyway. It was impressive- we saw the Southern Cross among others.
They have nice paths in the jungle so you wont be needing to cut your way through with a machete or anything but it’s still real and you’re in the middle nature preserve with nature everywhere. You’re in the jungle.
I will be telling everyone about this place. The sunsets were beautiful, it was amazing to learn about the ecosystem, we met amazing people, and had the experience of a lifetime.
If you see this - book a trip. You won’t regret it.
PS - we went in May and it was HOT. They have a water filing station open all day or you can buy ice cold water from them. The lodge plus the rooms have fans to help cool you off. I don’t do well in the heat but was able to handle it just fine.
I saw another reviewing saying staff were rude - I can only speak for our time there but we witnessed some extraordinary customer service- they switched up a meal upon advance request, and when someone skipped the night excursion because they were feeling well, and Juan found out, he made sure to invite her to the next place. Hembry was also wonderful to work with, super friendly, and incredibly welcoming to guests.