Uakari Lodge - Mamiraua

I'm in the Pousada Uakari which is in the heart of the protected wildlife refuge of Mamiraua where only some local indigenous groups live, fish and hunt. This reserve was created thanks to the initiative of a Brazilian studying in Germany, who came across a photo of a Uacari monkey and thought it strange that being Brazilian he had never heard of it. When he finished his studies he returned to Brazil and began to investigate this area, found the monkey and it's habitat and pressured authorities to create what has become - together with the neighboring area of Amanã - this giant 3.474,000 hectare swath of protected jungle and flooded forest. 

From Manaus it's a one hour flight to Tefe where you are picked up and put on a boat for another hour long ride to the lodge

Tefé is a rough town and while I am sure it has it's charms, I did not succumb to them and felt no desire to stay there

Arrival at the lodge - stunning  

Lobby or reception area and ding room. I preferred to pay the single supplement rather than sharing a room with a potential snorer

The schedule is somewhat regimented starting with breakfast at 6:30 AM, lunch at noon and dinner at 7 PM. In between, tours by boat and canoe to spot caimans, birds and sloths. Also, visits to communities in the reserve who are benefitting from the research and tourism here. 

This guy lives under the floating lodge and occasionally makes his way onto decks at night. Rule number 1 here is 'no swimming'. No kidding. 

I have taken many awful, blurry and too far off in the distance photos of birds, none of which you will see here; wifi is far too weak for major uploads. But I have already seen sloths, toucans, hawks, our friend the caiman and monkeys - howler and cappuccin. To hear the howlers at night is a frighteningly surreal experience! 

Dawn at Uakari

School visit at an indigenous community located at the edge of the reserve, called Boca de Mamirauá  

The younger kids study in the morning; older kids in the afternoon