Unforgettable trip to Brazil - Rio, Iguacu, the Amazon and Salvador

Brazil | Dec 19 - Dec 30, 2025

The hotel room was very clean but the bed was so large that we had trouble opening our large suitcases on the floor. Enjoyed the breakfast with coffee, fruits, salad, cereal, hot milk and yogurt. The staff was not very friendly compared to the other places that we stayed at. It took us more than a day to figure out how to get room service or call the front desk. A paper with the key services would have helped as the icons on the phone were not very intuitive.

The room was very clean and we had ample room to open our suitcases. The staff at the hotel was exceptional as they answered all our questions and directed us to laundry service/laundromats close to the hotel. We didn't have enough time for the laundry service but the automated laundromat near the hotel saved our day.

We had a stay for a few hours in the night as we landed around midnight on Christmas. The staff was very friendly. However, we did not get any hot water in the morning. Seems like instructions to get hot water should be handy.

The Amazon Tupana Lodge was the perfect place to enjoy our Amazon jungle adventure. The rooms on stilts, a common area with hammocks and comfortable chairs and of course, the buffet area and the steps leading to the port dock were all so beautiful. We saw wildlife right at the port deck - dolphins, herons, vultures, tepir and several birds. The stray dogs were too friendly and almost bit my hubby as we walked up the deck stairs. The stray cat was very cute though. The room was quite good and the fan really helped. Opening the curtains a little at the night helps cool air enter. The buffet meals were all amazing especially as they had several vegan options. They also took care to not contaminate vegetarian food with the meat - this was our highlight during the camping dinner at the forest. All the staff and guides were very friendly. The activities were all exceptional. Night or forest walks require us to wear long sleeves and pants. So, packing thin kurtis with long sleeves or thin slacks/leggings will help prevent mosquito bites.

This boutique-hotel was in a perfect spot, surrounded by chapels, attractions and shops. The room itself was breathtaking, with lovely decor, tables, mirrors, sofas, a table for the custom breakfast served in the room. We stayed only 1-1/2 nights though. The staff did not speak much English but were extremely friendly.

The most interesting part was reaching the Amazon Tapuna lodge from Manaus via 2 motorized boats and a 4*4 - a total of 4+ hrs. None of the staff or drivers spoke English and we didn't have internet coverage en route so Google translate didn't work (key takeway is to download the language package before your trip). When aboard the first small motorized boat, we feared we would be in this boat for 4 hours and so quickly wore the life jackets. Thankfully, it was only for 40 minutes or so. The driver stopped in the middle of the river and showed us flags of Peru, Columbia and Brazil. We saw that the color of the water had changed at that point too - apparently it was the meeting point of two rivers moving in different directions. We then went on the 4*4 trip for 2.5+ hrs. with one truck stop/toilet break. The final hop was a 1/2 hr. boat ride to the Amazon Tapuna lodge. The beautiful view of the lodge on stilts, the steps from the port deck and the hammocks, etc. were indeed breathtaking. We had arrived in the jungle.!!! We were greeted with a welcome drink by Carlos, our awesome guide who spoke perfect English in addition to Portuguese and Spanish. We were thrilled to learn that we would be getting vegan food for all our meals - our Brazil trip highlight. We loved doing the tours with a Japanese Brazil family and a British woman. Since we left at 7am or so from Manaus, we were at the lodge by 11:15am. We had lunch at 12:30p (the lunch time at the lodge) and had 2 tours that day. The 4pm tour on the boat was to meet a local family, learn about their hard life and taste their awesome farina/farofa (the toasted cassava flour used on all salads, rice and beans, etc). We got a demo of making farina and tapioca. After our awesome dinner at 7:30p, we left on a boat tour to see alligators. It was awesome to see a baby alligator from up-close.

Our trip to Brazil was unforgettable, thanks to Bruno and kimkim. Bruno helped us with our custom itinerary and was always available to answer any questions before and during the trip. The guides were very professional, knowledgeable and friendly and made our trip memorable and worthwhile. Marcelo at Rio, John at Foz do Iguacu, Carlos at The Amazon and Luiz at Salvador were our amazing guides. Our trip highlights - seeing Christ the Redeemer at Rio on a cloudy day and catching a glimpse for a few moments, Sugar loaf mountain at Rio (saw marmosets and vultures), Iguacu falls (Argentine side was our highlight) and the boat tour under the waterfalls at the Argentine side (we got soaked thrice), Bird Park near Iguacu falls, Brazil, amazing Amazon experience (canoeing, fishing, sunrise and sunset tours, forest walks), Salvador city tour. We saw exotic wildlife everywhere and endangered birds at the bird park. The hotels were all very good but with the Salvador hotel being our favorite as it was a boutique hotel located in a historic center surrounded by chapels and shops. We were able to get vegan food in all places with the Amazon Tapuna lodge being our highlight as several vegan options were available with breakfast, lunch and dinner. We had difficulty in finding vegan food in small airports. Latitude at Rio international airport was a great place for vegan food.