Ten things to consider when choosing a Jungle Lodge

(based on the Visit Manaus guidebook - also see our lodges listing and individual reviews)

Choosing your Amazon jungle lodge is a compromise for most people based on four things: price; level of comfort; time available; and the importance of primary forest.

Jungle lodges vary greatly in terms of all these factors, and it comes down to a personal choice at the end of the day. However there are a few things which can be generalised (but like all generalisations there are exceptions - sorry):

a) the further away you get from the city, the more likely you are to find yourself in primary forest;
b) higher prices normally are either for increased comfort and better service OR for a more personalised service; and
c) if you only have 1 night, you are limiting yourself to those lodges within a 50km radius of Manaus.

Some visitors arrive hoping to "do" Manaus and the rainforest in two or three nights, without having pre-booked a lodge and with no clear idea of what they want. It is of course possible to book something when you arrive, but finding and organising it will not only eat into your available time in Manaus, but also potentially limit your choices. More importantly, you'll find that a 1-night tour/lodge/package is both expensive (some lodges don't do them) and potentially disappointing - when you consider that it can take 4-6 hours of travelling time just to get to and from some lodges, you can see what the problem is. We recommend that you allow for a minimum 2-night excursion (although many people report that 3 nights seems to be the optimum length) plus 2 nights in Manaus, to give you 1 night in Manaus after your arrival, 2-3 nights in the jungle and a further night in Manaus to recover before you fly out. This works for most people, although of course you may have specific requirements or constraints which will affect this.

1. Location, location, location

Generally speaking, the further away you get from Manaus, the more chance you have of being in or near primary rainforest. Perhaps the closest lodge to the city is Amazon Eco-Park, which has received plenty of good reviews, but which is not particularly isolated from the 'big smoke'; while at the other extreme there are jungle lodges such as the Uakari Lodge, some 500km+ from Manaus, which are particularly remote and generally slap in the middle of primary forest. And all the others fall somewhere in the middle. Another consideration is whether the lodge is on black or 'white' (muddy brown) water - this allegedly directly affects your chances of seeing wildlife, and, at the same time, being eaten alive by mosquitoes (remember - black water = acid water = less wildlife, including mosquitoes). Nonetheless, many people believe that black-water jungle lodges provide the best compromise between wildlife and comfort, but arguably if you want a no-holds-barred mosquito-lined remote station teeming with exotic flora and fauna, you may need to order in the insect repellent and head for white water.

2. Service with a snarl

Apart from deciding on preferred location, you obviously want a jungle lodge which caters for you, and for our purposes "you" means the "typical" North American or European (or indeed Antipodean) English-speaking gringo (no sleight intended to anyone not on the list, by the way). Most of the lodges will have one or more people who speak English, and there are also lodges run by German, French, Dutch and Swiss hoteliers. But of course an ability in your chosen language doesn't necessarily mean you'll get good service. Consistently good service is still notoriously difficult to find in Manaus - if you find it, treasure it (and make sure the lodge knows how you value it!)

3. Guides

Many jungle lodges operate a system where you are assigned a guide for the duration of your visit. Again, just because your guide speaks your language, doesn't mean he can tell a turtle from a turd. In theory, guides are supposed to be qualified (but here, a qualification doesn't necessarily mean a great deal), and you might think it interesting to ask your prospective hosts who your guide would be and what qualification(s) and/or experience they have to do the job.

4. Transfers

Minivan

You will probably want a jungle lodge which will pick you up from your hotel and bring you back after your stay with them. Most lodges offer this service for free, and it is always worth confirming this with them. Please note that there is generally a big difference between lodges that have their own transport and those that use hired (third-party) transport. With the former, you will find the operation much smoother and both more efficient and more timely. With the latter, you are reliant on the third party - which can be anything from a grumpy idiot in a beaten-up old taxi to a knowledgeable and professional guide in a coach or mini-van - and lodges will blame the third party if anything goes wrong (even though we think it is clearly the lodge’s responsibility). Finally, if anything does go wrong with a transfer and the lodge offers to put you in a taxi for all or part of the journey, do not accept unless it is 101% clear that you will NOT be required to pay the taxi driver - better still, see that the taxi driver is paid by the lodge staff before you get in the taxi. This problem has been reported several times, with a documented instance occurring with the Juma Lodge. Unless specifically noted in our text, you might wish to ask your lodge whether it has its own transport service.

5. Size matters

If you want a jungle lodge with that personal touch, you probably won't want one of the big lodges, for whom the business is potentially just a numbers game. One or two of the lodges are very large, with air-conditioning, conference facilities, electric carts to ride around on, helicopter pads, libraries, souvenir shops etc, but if that's what you want, perhaps you might want to reassess your objectives for your visit the rainforest. However there are valid exceptions: these lodges may be perfect for large groups, the elderly or infirm, people travelling with young children, business travellers etc. In these cases, the more luxurious lodges may offer a more realistic or relaxing service.

6. All the comforts of home

As noted above, jungle lodges come in various shapes and sizes. The degree of comfort you are looking for will also dictate your choice of lodge, and probably the most critical elements of comfort for many people are air-con and the availability of 24-hour electricity. Our listings give details of these and other items, so that you can see what you can expect. The only thing we would say is that, if your trip is only going to be for, say, 3 nights, it IS possible to survive without these things and enjoy yourself - really. No, it´s not going to be the most comfortable time of your life, but then how many times in your life are you going to see the Amazon rainforest? In short - don´t automatically dismiss a lodge because there´s no internet connection or you can´t recharge your i-pod!

7. Floating or non-floating, sir?

Whilst our personal preference is for a floating lodge (we just like it), there are some excellent dry-land lodges around, and you may feel that it's better not to sleep on a few sticks of wood surrounded by shoals of marauding piranha. So do check what sort of lodge it is - dry land, walkway (built amongst the trees, and raised off the ground) or floating.

8. Prices

Most jungle lodges take their bookings through agents. In exchange for the agents' services, the lodges will give the agent a commission (usually 20%), and undertake not to discount prices on direct enquiries. To be competitive, many agents will split the commission with the client, so that you will probably pay LESS by booking through an agent than by going direct to the lodge. Please note that prices fluctuate, and most lodges offer a wide variety of packages. There are ‘basic’ lodges, ‘luxury’ lodges and lots of lodges in between. We do not quote prices for the lodges in our lists, and you should check current prices directly with the lodge or agent.

9. Ecology

There are few if any definitive guidelines for judging a jungle lodge in the context of ecological impact. Based on guidelines developed in Brazil, you might like to consider some or all of the following factors when assessing the sustainability or otherwise Ecology

of your chosen lodge:

    ►Architecture and construction - harmony with the environment/use
        of sustainable materials.
    ►Energy use - use of alternative energy sources, energy conservation.
    ►Water & sewage - water treatment, drainage and solid waste residues.
    ►Waste - organic and inorganic waste treatment/recycling.
    ►Education - environmental education programmes.
    ►Community involvement.

10. “Tied” Accommodation

You should beware of lodges who insist on or ‘strongly advise’ that you use a particular hotel in Manaus before and/or after your stay. The jungle lodge may be great - the hotel may not. In any case, good lodges will be happy with whatever accommodation you choose. I have even seen an email from one lodge-owner suggesting to clients that they shouldn’t go to a particular hotel because there would be a greater risk of malaria in that particular area of Manaus. Ignoring the stupidity (and inaccuracy) of the advice for the moment, it was clear that they just didn’t want to have to pick clients up from anywhere other than their favourite spot (in this case, their own hotel).