We booked the 5 days, 4 nights Amazon Survival Tour with Joshua and it was honestly a once in a lifetime experience. Communication beforehand was excellent, everything was well organized, and pickup was perfectly on time.
On the way we had some great stops, the Meeting of the Waters, where I even captured an amazing jumping dolphin video, plus a really interesting fish farm. After a mix of boat and car transfers we reached the lodge, with super friendly people, great vibes, and delicious food.
Our two guides, Kenrick “Jungle Boy” and Leandro, were incredible. From the first moment in the jungle, they explained so much about how life works out there, how to read the forest, animal tracks and calls, fresh signs on the ground, which plants are useful for food, medicine or tools, and how everything is connected in the ecosystem. They answered every question with patience and real enthusiasm, even after hours in the heat.
The pace of the tour felt perfect. We started with a boat tour and there was so much to see and so many moments where Kenrick and Leandro stopped to point out details we would have missed. Once we went deeper into the jungle, they showed us how to build and organize a camp in a way that actually works in that environment. Sleeping in hammocks took a little getting used to, but it became part of the adventure, and mosquito nets were absolutely essential.
Over the days we did a longer hike and learned how to move through the forest safely. One of the most special moments was spear fishing at night, the jungle after dark feels intense and beautiful at the same time. On another day we went upstream by boat, and they cleared parts of the path with machetes with impressive skill, always calm and in control. Back at camp we fished, cooked over the fire, and ate really well the whole time.
For the last night we moved to a different camp, went piranha fishing and it was delicious, and we even some caiman. We also saw traces of a jaguar and heard its call, plus capuchin monkeys, a tarantula, vultures, and toucans.
Yes, this tour may cost a bit more than some others, but after hearing stories from travelers who were disappointed or even scammed elsewhere, it felt completely worth it for the quality, safety, and the real experience.
This tour is truly immersive and takes you far upstream, much farther from civilization than many “survival tours” that claim the same thing but only go a short hop past an established camp, and because you’re really out there it’s also a bit rougher in the best way, including simple routines like showering each night on the boat using water straight from the river.
One practical note: bring proper hiking shoes and ideally shin protection. Barefoot shoes, even if you normally hike in them, are a bad idea in the jungle because of real risks from spiders, snakes, and scorpions. It would help if the website made that clearer.
Huge thanks to Kenrick and Leandro for making this unforgettable, and to Joshua for running such a professional operation. We would recommend booking with them to anyone.