Heliconia Amazon River Lodge

I thoroughly enjoyed the trip. The food was very good and our assigned guide was knowledgeable. You do have to be willing to have a jungle experience complete with mosquitoes and rain, but if you are into that I highly recommend this lodge.

What an amazing experience we made a last-minute trip. We got to see the pink dolphins, fishing and catch pirañas. We went on a night walk and in the morning we walked in the jungle. We saw spiders, tarantulas, bullet ants, poison dart frogs. Our Room number was 20 we got to wake up to monkeys by our window. We Went bird watching in the morning, saw lily pads andsmall alligators. We got to enjoy the pool and the night sky which was filled with stars and even saw the Milky Way. It was a one of a kind experience. Very exclusive place to stay Definitely ask to get Adrian for your give he speaks Spanish English and Portuguese and knows a lot about the area.

Heliconia is a fantastic place to stay for exploring the rainforest - on top of its location, the friendly staff, tasty local food and spacious room were all excellent. Activities are well organised, at 9am and 3pm typically, with time to relax after lunch and dinner in the communal spaces. There are also some 6am/6pm options such as bird watching at dawn + jungle walk in the dark (to see the spiders and snakes!). We had a brilliant, knowledgeable English-speaking guide, Lucio, who was from the local area and knew all the spots to see sloths, iguanas, pink dolphins, poison dart frogs, monkeys and so much more. Our room kept the bugs out very well (just one grasshopper) but mosquito repellent and long sleeved clothes are essential for the activities. Also recommend bringing binoculars for the boat trips as the sloths like to sleep high up in the trees! Plus torch for the night-time walk. We visited in May when the river is flooded, which allowed the boat to take us to a wide range of places. The lodge provides wellington boots so we didn't end up really needing our walking shoes. It also sells rain ponchos for anyone who forgets theirs - but bringing waterproof trousers and a jacket of your own is a better idea in case you're caught in a downpour while out on the (uncovered) boat, which happend to us. Took a few days for some clothes to dry out. We booked through Exoticca as part of a wider package, but other guests we did activities with had booked directly with the lodge. This is my first time visiting the Amazon and thanks to this amazing trip I will be returning.

The place is even better than in the photos. Lodge is very well maintained, rooms are specious and clean. There is electricity 24h a day. Food is various and tasty. The lodge supports local community and all employees are from nearby areas. Our guide Lucio has been very attentive, kind and knowledgeable about the river, wild life and local customs. As well boat driver was very professional.