If you’re aiming to escape the city, one of the best places in the world to do it is staying in the Amazon Rainforest! This is the true meaning of no frills getting back to nature, and staying at this rustic lodge further enhanced the jungle experience. The trip was full of adventure, from visiting the local river community to using a machete to clear the paths through the forest! During our stay there were hardly any guests, so the whole trip was quite peaceful and we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. This was probably one of the most memorable trips we’ve been on and we hope to be able to explore other parts of the Amazon in the surrounding countries. Don’t come here expecting any fancy facilities because it’s not for the fainthearted or high maintenance travellers!

The place is quite big and you arrived at the main building that has a restaurant and viewing tower where you’re able to see the whole view of the river. Upon arrival we were greeted with a welcome drink made of local tropical fruits. The Amazon climate is very humid so this drink seemed like a lifesaver! Our guide explained the activities and gave us some time to settle in and enjoy the facilities of the lodge. Each guest stays in their individual cabin which are separate from the main entrance building. They’re actually really spacious inside but only have a fan with no A/C so be pack some really light night wear! The bathrooms were clean however don’t expect the water pressure in the shower to be the same as a hotel, you’re in the jungle! Each cabin has their own hammock outside with views to the pool or the gardens. The grounds are beautiful, and you’ll be surrounded by wildlife sounds all day. They even have wild turkeys roaming around!

The food was included in the lodge booking, except for the drinks which were an extra charge. It was always delicious and served in a buffet style for dinner, with a wide variety of local foods. There was a good selection of vegetables, chicken, fish, beef and we also got to try crocodile! There are plenty of options for vegetarians too, including yuca, which is native to South America.

As much as we love wildlife, we also love to see how the local communities live and get an insight into their lifestyle and this was the main reason why we chose to visit the Iquitos side of the Amazon over the other areas. The tour guide took us to visit the Alamas Indigenous Tribe. This seemed like a great experience but because it was just the two of us, we felt a bit uncomfortable sitting there watching them dance. At the end of it they offer their homemade handicrafts made out of local plants, seeds and wood from the area. These are great to support the local community and prices started from around £1 for a bracelet. The products were all cheap enough so we felt it was offensive to haggle here as this could potentially be their only income. This isn’t necessarily a ‘tourist trap’ but we were told by the guide later on that they weren’t the real Indigenous tribes, they were just there to represent them and show tourists their traditional rituals. The whole time we thought we were actually visiting a genuine tribe only to find out they were locals dressed up! Moral of the story is, when you book a tour make sure you ask them how Indigenous the tribe really is, or if they’re representing. It was still interesting to see but we felt a bit mislead by it all.

In the past years there have been a few kidnappings around the Brazilian side of the Amazon but there have been minimal reported cases from Iquitos. The city has limited infrastructure and this shows through their local communities where piracy is quite common. Being in the jungle did feel safe, although as it’s such a vast piece of land, it’s not easy to keep an eye and control who or what is lurking around. With that being said, during our trip we felt completely comfortable and had no worries about safety.  We’d 100% recommend getting a local guide to take you around because they’re able to navigate through the Amazon easily and will also share local knowledge about wildlife, medicinal life and their way of living.