Manaus Amazonas- from opera house to hammock in the jungle.

In the heart of the Amazonas, you find a city called Manaus. Its port along Rio Negro shows its past grandness with Teatro Amazonas. Manaus was a busy city with heydays between 1888 and 1912- due to the export of rubber. Today, the city does not give the impression of wealth; instead, it is the opposite. The biggest draw is its pink Opera House. Besides, it is the entrance to several river journeys on the Amazonas and Rio Negros, and into the Amazonas jungles.

Manaus

This city in the heart of Amazonas has no road connection to other major cities in Brazil. You can only reach it by boat or plane. Because of this, a visit here needs a bit of planning since it is far away from almost everything I wanted to visit on my four-week roundtrip in Brazil. The Opera House was also a big draw for me to go and see. This house does not have its own crew, but several local and guesting companies use it. It is also used for several festivals. I agree with several who say building such a big European opera house in the middle of the jungle is madness. It must also be mentioned that it closed down after only twenty years of running. It was closed for almost eighty years before being refurbished and is today the city’s most giant tourist magnet.

How to experience the jungle.

Even though Manaus and its Opera House were a great reason to go there, the main draw was the Amazonas and the jungle. I spent quite some time finding out how I wanted to spend my time here. I know many people who sail from Peru to the Atlantic Ocean. There are cruise ships and more like riverboats that take on passengers. The most adventuristic is to sleep on an open deck in a hammock. I looked into this and discovered it would take five nights to reach the Ocean from Manaus. From what I have read, it can be a little boring because the Amazonas is so broad that you are far from the shore most of the time.

The Amazon Tupana Lodge

I picked this lodge, Amazon Tupana Lodge; it is supposed to be the furthest away from Manaus but offers a pick-up service from the town. It is about three hours journey. First, they will pick you up from the hotel in the city and drive you to a fast boat that will take you across Amazonas. This is at the same place where the Solimoes and the River Negro meet and form the Amazonas River. When you are midway out, you can see where the two rivers meet because they have such different colours. And when you put your hand down in the river, you can also feel the temperature difference.

After the boat trip, we were again transported in a wan for about 150 kilometres. Ultimately, we spent about thirty minutes on a small riverboat before we reached the lodge. I was here at the beginning of July, after the rainy season. This meant the water was on the way down, but they could still go with the boats between the trees in narrow passages.

Great hospitality

The lodge is built with rustic caboclo architecture, planned by riverside dwellers not to attack nature but to offer basic comfort during their adventure in the Amazon jungle. They aim not to provide luxury in accommodation but the luxury of the forest surrounding them. My bungalow was so comfortable, without windows, just a net for the mosquitos. I slept well and woke up looking at the water passing by.

Sleeping in the jungle

However, on the first day, I was offered to join a group that would go into the jungle, barbeque, have dinner, and sleep in hammocks. This was maybe not at the top of my “must-do” list, but I also knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, I went along; the food was okay, and the group became a bit drunk, so it was noisy, but it came down after dark. However, I hardly slept all night. I can not say why, but I was primarily uncomfortable in the hammock. But yes, it was an experience for life.

Fantastic relaxing days

Besides not sleeping well for one night, I had a wonderful time at the lodge. There was no internet, so there was no connection to the rest of the world. We had several expeditions, including canoeing at night to see the Brazilian version of crocodiles, the Yacarekaiman. It was the sunset and sunrise expeditions, and we also walked into the jungle to be taught how the Indigenous people had used the forest for food and medicines. There was nothing to complain about the food either.

These days in the Amazon jungle were something I will remember for life. I will remember the calm atmosphere, all the animals we saw, no connection to the world, and the most fantastic people. I know this is a lodge made up for tourism, and all the people working there are from other places in the Amazonas. But they all showed pride in their inheritance and were willing to share their stories with us.