Brazilian Amazon Wellness Tour
We’ve got 15 fantastic days planned for you!
We’ll start and end in Manaus, Amazonas, Brasil. Manaus is a city of 2.4M with an International Airport. And maybe some cool shopping ;).
THE WELLNESS TOUR IN TWO PARTS
PART ONE
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We’ll hit the river right away with a day tour of various river attractions: pink river dolphins, indigenous community, massive Amazonian plants and cool animals, all are part of the fun. Then we’ll meet up with our ride to take us down the Rio Negro to our next spot near Iranduba.
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Guests have 2 options in Iranduba:
- a pousada with a bed and AC (shared rustic rooms), or
- staying with the indigenous community and sleeping in a hammock under a thatched roof. Shaman Cacique leads that tribe, and has learned his tribe’s ways as practiced since the beginning of time. You can do ayahuasca with Shaman Cacique if you like. Cacique has led hundreds of people through the ayahuasca experience. We’ll make arrangements to have our meals at the pousada.
We’ll spend 2 nights in the riverside communities near Iranduba. On Day 4, we’ll return to Manaus (about 1.5 hours distance). We’ll spend the afternoon and night in Manaus.
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This is Part I of our trip, days 1-4. Day 5 is a travel day. If you can’t join us for the full 15 days, day 5 is a good day to depart or join us (arriving day 4 for 5 am boat departure day 5).
PART TWO
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On day 5 we will catch a boat at 5 am that will take us up the Amazon to Santarém. We’ll arrive at night and will sleep in Alter do Chão. We’ll rest for a day in Alter do Chão.
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On the following day, we’ll go to FLONA, deep in the jungle. We’ll meet riverside communities, a small tourism economy, and a vibrant jungle filled with life. We can’t enter the FLONA reserve without an official guide, so we’ll have one with us. Our guide will show us the sites in FLONA including the latex harvesting industry. Here, you can buy items handmade with natural latex, such as purses, small bags, and shoes.
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After a few days in FLONA, we’ll go back to Alter do Chão. We’ll hang out there for a couple of days, in a small community deep in the Amazon, sleeping to the magical sounds of the night jungle. We’ll rent some adorable bungalows and a couple of lakefront rooms so everyone can have their own space here. We’ll make friends with the monkeys, relax, enjoy, swim in the lake, and appreciate the nature.
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Coming to an end, we’ll return to Santarém and spend the night to meet our early boat back to Manaus. A day’s boat journey and one last night in Manaus, and head on home on day 15.
WHAT MAKES THIS EXPERIENCE A “WELLNESS” TOUR
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Every one of our destinations primes our wellness. They are quiet, serene spaces. Sometimes there are energetic healing options available, though this is a fading skill. We will eat delicious healthy plant-based food shown to reduce inflammation and improve overall health. We’ll have fresh açaí and other Amazonian fruits every day. We will meditate daily. When our schedule allows, we will have a wellness-based lecture or reading in the morning followed by journal prompts. When our schedule allows, we will have conversations about the journal prompts and those wellness topics. Focal areas include understanding our emotions, managing fear, managing anger, and building compassion, among others.
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We’ll also have yoga every day that it makes sense. That will happen most days, but not every day. Alli will lead us in a variety of yoga styles, some gentle and soothing, and others tough and sweaty. Please bring a yoga mat or thick woven blanket to practice on. Also, please be patient with the surroundings we find ourselves in — they were not designed for yoga classes!
WHAT MAKES THIS EXPERIENCE A WELLNESS “TOUR”
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As opposed to arriving into the amazon and “retreating” to only one location, we will be traveling along the river, visiting several different communities and locations. We think you want to have an authentic Amazonian experience but still be comfortable. Comfort is an important element of well-being, and there is no shame in wanting to still be comfortable in the jungle. We have limited options, but the basics we can get. So we will stay at local pousadas in the jungle along the river; sometimes there are not options to select from. We will sleep in beds not hammocks, unless you opt to stay with Cacique’s tribe for a couple of nights. We will make decisions with priorities of comfort, meaning privacy, good food, hot showers, and soft things to sit on, whenever possible. We’ll travel around the city by Uber. This is what makes us a tour.
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DR. MICHELE POFF, PHD
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RETREAT LEADER
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WELLNESS LEADER
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Michele is dedicated to wellness and living the best life possible. She travels solo a lot, and when she discovers someplace magical and exceptional, she delights in sharing it with others. Michele is a caring and attentive retreat host, with many years of hospitality and many more years of adult instruction in her background. She’s also an avid meditator and has found immense wellness through a meditation journey. She has put this package together for you to not only enjoy, but grow from — indeed, evolve. It’s meditation, yes, but you can do that anywhere. This is meditation in the Brazilian Amazon. Smack in the middle of the rain forest. With nature’s voices all around, and a human silence that is stupendous. Here, you can connect to your self. Here, you can hear yourself think. Here, you can relax, commune with Mother Nature, and learn more than you’d imagine. Here is an excellent location for focusing on wellness. Michele will take you to the best places she has discovered in the area.
Allison is a tree hugger, food lover, traveler, and fitness teacher. She cares for each living being as a whole, understanding that every “body” wants to move freely, to move without pain, and to move in a way that can bring them back to witness their unique physical body through their own spirit. Allison received her mat-pilates teacher training while living in Dubai and traveled to Nepal to receive her 200h YTT. Though she was born and raised in Southern California, she has spent her last two years living in a small town in Costa Rica, embracing the pura vida lifestyle, soaking in the sea, and watching sunsets. She currently teaches pilates and yoga, as well as gymnastics for kids at a non-profit sports center in the community.
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ALLISON BRENNAN
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YOGA INSTRUCTOR
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WELLNESS LEADER
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WHAT'S INCLUDED
This all-inclusive package includes
- Accommodations for every night for 14 nights. Accommodations are generally very simple so we can be closer to nature.
- Plant-based meals for every day between arrival and departure.
- Tour fees
- Boat fare to and from Santarém
- Transportation fees during the tour’s 15 days
- Uber to and from the airport (may delay to wait for additional guests)
This package does NOT include
- Fees for other medicine / shamanic treatments with other medicine men or women
- Restaurant food you want to try
- Any additional excursions or outings you want to take
- Alcohol is discouraged but if you want it, it’s not included
- Insurances
- Airfare to/from Manaus
- VISA for entry to Brazil (required as of 4/24)
We all have ideas of what the Amazon is like. But is it really? Here’s a few things you can expect.
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- A small group. We’re taking 3-9 guests. With 2 or more leaders, this also allows for breaking up the group to do different things if desired.
- A little discomfort. We are intentionally not renting out lux spaces because we want to keep things simple and have the experience be as authentic to the region as possible, without being uncomfortable. Also, deep in the jungle there are no lux spaces.
- If you stay with Cacique, you will definitely sleep in a hammock.
- Bug bites. You’ll get bitten by mosquitos for sure. Also ants for sure. You’ll most likely get stung by a wasp. But hopefully that will be the worst of it. If you’re allergic, be sure to bring your medication!
- Boat rides, sometimes very wet. This is a life of the river. Put electronics in dry bags and bring large plastic bags to cover your pack.
- Occasional rooms that are more comfortable. When we come back from the jungle we’ll stay in a more comfortable space, with hot showers.
- Delicious plant-based food, but a lot of beans. Brazilians make the most delicious beans! That’s about all they do that’s plant-based though, so expect to be eating a lot of beans.
- Plenty of surprising exotic fruits available only in the Amazon. Get your fill of fresh açaí!
- Critters. Much of our sleeping is open air. So you’ll want to pay attention but not be afraid.
- Not a lot of scary critters. We may come across one or two, or none at all. But don’t let your fear of snakes or giant beetles prevent you from booking this trip!
- Noisy communities sometimes. Brazilians and their loud music at all hours sometimes… You should bring ear plugs.
- No wifi deep in the jungle. Maybe, but probably not. Your wifi access will be irregular and not daily.
- Sometimes private rooms and sometimes shared rooms.
- Local guides.
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PRICING
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FULL 15 DAY TOUR
$5555
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PART ONE OR PART TWO
$3333
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FULL REFUNDS FOR 30 DAYS or until 45 days prior to departure
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save 11% with coupon “earlybird” until 60 days prior to departure
- We agree to provide all items in the “included” section above
- We agree to provide full refund within 30 days or for later bookings, until 45 days prior to tour departure
- We agree that payment plans are available. Please deposit 15% and pay 75% of total prior to arrival. Remaining 25% may be paid upon arrival.
- We agree to never sell your personal information
- You agree to not hold us or our agents or representatives, including drivers and tour leaders, responsible for any injury, harm, loss, or damage to person or property, including accidental death
- You agree to allow us to use your images in our marketing
- You understand that travel insurance is recommended but not provided
* Part 1 and part 2 are the same price even though the number of days is vastly different. This is due to the not-insignificant local expense of staying with Cacique and possibly enjoying the ayahuasca that comprise Part 1 of the tour.
