AMAZON RAINFOREST ON A BUDGET

10/3/2023

AMAZON, LETICIA, COLOMBIA, AMAZONIA, AMAZON RAINFOREST

IT IS NOT DIFFICULT OR EXPENSIVE TO DISCOVER AMAZONIA.
YOU CAN ACCESS THE BIGGEST RAINFOREST ON THE EARTH WITHOUT TAKING A COSTLY BOAT CRUISE WHICH MAY HAVE DISCOURAGED YOU FOR YEARS LIKE MYSELF. .

table of contents
1- HOW TO PLAN YOUR AMAZON TRIP ON A BUDGET IN 3 STEPS
2- WHERE TO STAY ON A BUDGET IN AMAZONIA
3- WHAT ARE THE BEST TOURS IN AMAZON
4- BEST TIME TO TRAVEL IN AMAZON RAINFOREST
5- HOW LONG SHOULD YOU STAY IN AMAZON RAINFOREST
6- WHAT TO PACK FOR THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

HOW TO PLAN YOUR AMAZON TRIP
ON A BUDGET IN 3 STEPS

1- Choose the country
There are four countries where you can access Amazonia by taking an internal flight.
Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia.
The cheapest country to visit the Amazon rainforest is Colombia.

2- Buy a domestic flight ticket to the Amazon access city in this country.
You can access Amazonas by taking an internal flight to the following cities. Manaus (Brazil), Leticia (Colombia), Iquitos and Puerto Maldonado (Peru) and Coca (Ecuador). Stay the first night here to avoid any misconnection.
Even if you arrive in the region without any plans and reservations, you can find a recommendable travel agency to join an excursion or expedition suitable to your budget.
3- Choose your Accommodation on the Internet
Nowadays even the most remote Amazonian accommodation options are available on the internet. Choose a local b&b in a distant village or a lodge in the heart of a rainforest. The further it is from the city, the more promising it is. Booking.com and Airbnb offer very handy map tools.
You may want to spend the first night at the access city to avoid any risk of misconnections. You can also purchase your boat tickets if you need to and move early the next day.

WHERE TO STAY ON A BUDGET IN AMAZONIA

1- Staying in a Lodge in the Amazon Rainforests: You can choose among a variety of lodges, from basic eco-lodges to luxury or boutique ones. The program offered is similar. They offer you a full board service, sometimes including the costs of excursions and transportation from the access city. Since there will be nothing around the lodge but the jungle, assure that they offer excursions and read the reviews about them. Prefer the lodges offering free canoes to the guests. Check if they provide any towels, otherwise, you may need to bring yours. The food is generally very good. The menu is made of local fish, rice, bananas or yuca and exotic fruits.

2- Staying in a Hotel/Hostel/B&B in the Amazon Rainforests: In some areas of Amazonia, there are remote villages that became little tourist hubs like Puerto Narino in Colombia. They are authentic villages that live on tourism. Locals transform their houses into hostels or b&bs. You can get your excursions from a local tour operator and get your food from local restaurants. This is a much cheaper option than the Lodge stays. You will also save money on transportation, as there will be public boats to arrive in the villages. Ask your hostel's owner about the options and try to make a plan before your arrival. You can also add one or more night stays at the tribal homestay. Expect a spartan stay.

3- Riverboat: A comfortable way of seeing the Amazon is by riverboat. These range from basic to air-conditioned and luxurious. The vessel serves as your home base; you take excursions in canoes up the smaller channels.

Double-check the zone where you stay if it is malaria-free.

What are the best tours in Amazon?

Almost all the tours and excursions are similar in Amazon.
There may be some special excursions specific to where you are, like visiting a close lake or a rehabilitation centre for species in danger of extinction.

The most common excursions are:
Jungle Walking Tours, river excursions to observe dolphins, night walks in the jungle, piranha fishing, night excursions by boat to observe nocturnal animals such as caymans and visiting tribal villages and houses.

On the river excursions, you will most probably witness the playful dolphins and have the opportunity to swim in the Amazon River.

During the walking excursions, you will learn about flora, natural medicines and the behaviour of the animals in the Amazon Rainforest.

Do not be disappointed if you don't see many animals because it is very challenging spotting them in the jungle. It is not like South African safari tours that the animals are inside the fenced game reserves and you can spot them without much effort.

In some lodges, wild animals are domesticated and used as tourist attractions. It is a very sad thing to see and not to be encouraged.

The most rewarding thing to do is to get a canoe and row by yourself if there are smaller channels around where you stay.

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL IN AMAZON RAINFOREST

Any season has its pros and cons in Amazonia.

The dry season (July to December) with temperatures between 26 to 40ºC

Pros:

Best for jungle exploration thanks to the dry terrain.
Lower levels of water make it more likely to spot caimans

Cons:

The low level of the river causes the animals on the trees too far to spot.
The temperature will be higher

The wet season (January to June) with temperatures between 23 to 30ºC

Pros:

Best season for river cruises and kayaking. Increased level of water enables you to reach remote locations by boat instead of long hours of walk.
The rainforest will be cooler due to frequent rain.
You will be closer to the animals on the trees.
The colours will be stunning.

Cons:

You should be especially careful about malaria and dengue as humidity brings more mosquitos.
The terrain will be very slippy and hard to walk, despite the boots provided by the operators during the excursions.

HOW LONG SHOULD YOU STAY IN AMAZON RAINFOREST

The sufficient duration of stay in the Amazon Rainforest is normally 3 or 4 full days.
In this way, you have enough time to try all the excursions and activities satisfactorily.
If you want to explore different regions, then calculate a maximum stay of 3 full days in each place.
Of course, the more you stay, the more you spend.
If you have limited time and budget, the minimum stay of 2 full days can also be rewarding.
Do not forget to calculate the first night at the access city and plan the return.

WHAT TO PACK FOR THE AMAZON RAINFOREST?

The colour of your clothes should match the forest colours like brown, beige and green. White colour clothes should be avoided.
Shorts and cool t-shirts
Long-sleeved shirts, trousers and long socks for jungle walks. Be cautious with the fabric; it shouldn't be accommodative for mosquitos.
Mosquito repellent
Swimming suits
Trekking or walking shoes and sandals
Torch and binoculars
Waterproof bag for your valuables
Kagool/light raincoat with hood
Sun hat and suncream no odour suncream

2 Comments

Ane Gorset

1/12/2024 17:02:35

Hi/ciao!
This was very helpful and what I was looking for. I am doing a solo trip to the Amazon rainforest in mid February and plan basically to organize it myself.

Can I ask you where exactly you went? Which country and cities/villages? I am trying to decide where to fly to and for me the important thing is the views/experiences and maybe also the least "touristy" / easiest place to organize myself - like you described.

Thanks in advance!

tasteofeverywhere link

10/12/2024 19:01:11

Dear Ane,
Thank you very much for your comments on my blogpost. I am really happy to read that it was helpful. I have been in Colombia, Brasil and Ecuador. To Peru side, I have just passed through Colombia for a daily tour. Actually it is always the same Rainforest, but I know that Peru side is more expensive then Colombia. Brasil side is really much more developed and organized for tourism. The main attractions almost everywhere are the same. Daily walking tours, night walking tours, depending on the area maybe fishing piranas.. In Brasil we enjoyed canoeing with Dolphins on our own, as the lodge where we stayed had canoes and let us take them free of charge. But the cost of the lodge were definitely more expensive. If you are on your own, then I would definetely suggest you Colombia, Puerto Narino area. There are many things to do and when you organize with a local tourism agency in the village, it is really much more affordable. You can also tell them what you are actually looking for they will advise you different itineraries. I wrote about Puerto Narino if you would like to read here is the link: https://www.tasteofeverywhere.com/puerto-narintildeo-colombian-amazonas.html You should fly to Leticia (a domestic flights are available at around 70 eur o/w and then take a cheap public boat to Puerto Narino). I also strongly recommend you to visit the Monkey Sanctuary in MOCAGUA VILLAGE. Let me know I can provide you with more ideas or suggestions. cheers xxx deniz.