Amazon Gero Tours

We booked online which was very convenient and did not have to book too far in advanced (despite them telling us this is high season). First off they promised to pick us up at the airport and drop us off at our hotel in Manaus the day before we were to begin the tour. Unfortunately internal communication did not happen properly and after half an hour of waiting we just forked out the money to take a taxi. Luckily we know enough Portuguese to get around and we have a Brazilian phone to call/​text the tour company. If it were my first time in the country, I would be more concerned. Though he called 3 hours later worried about us (we had already checked in to our hotel and made it to a local mall). We confirmed that we still had reservations for a 3 day trip with them and they were to pick us up from the hotel at a certain time the following day.
The next day we waited in the lobby concerned that they might have had another transportation mix up. But the driver did call the hotel and told us he would be late due to traffic, which was reassuring. Then we settled our bill in cash (this might seem a little difficult for those not carrying local currency) and we were on our way to the port. While waiting to collect a few more people, our guide gave us an impromptu tour of the fish market, pointing out the names of some local fish. This was informal but informative, since many of these fishes would appear in our meals at the Ararinha Jungle hotel. Finally the rest of the group arrived and we boarded a small covered speed boat and crossed the rivers. They paused in the middle to show us the meeting of the two rivers explaining the colder milky brown Amazon runs faster with dirt particles while the warmer slower darker acidic Rio Negro stained with tannins (like a tea with tree bark) don’t mix due to temperature, speed and pH. Then we waited for a combi bus that took us to the transAmazon highway. We made a short stop to look at the giant lily pads and then drove for another 30 mins on dirt road to a small river boat where we split up the group and rode another 20 mins into the jungle.
There was a little chaos after the buffet meal (of rice chicken beans salad) in the screened in dining area, when rooms were distributed. Our room was very basic and our sink was not functioning. There were a few dead bugs around but probably isn’t preventable out here. There was a nook with a stored mattress and parts of a bed frame which gave you an idea of the quality. The shower was minimal water and not heated. Occasionally it would turn off when too many people were using it at once. The same was true of electricity (which was only available at night).
There was a bar (only beer in the afternoon, caipirinhas, chips, candy, and soda at night) and seating area right in the front by the dock which was the main social area and mosquito ridden at night.
Tours included a sunset boat ride (very pretty, went swimming, and we spotted pink dolphins), jungle walk (not strenuous but mosquitos/​ants everywhere, caught a tarantula, learned different plants, swung like Tarzan), piranha fishing (you get to eat your catch), our guide caught a boa constrictor, saw caimans at night, and visited a village (açai, manioc mill, tree climbing) all in 3 days/​2 nights with transportation. It was the ideal amount of time (it takes several hours just to get to the jungle lodge from Manaus and an overnight trip wouldn’t be enough time to do all the activities but unless you’re ready for rustic camping style with mosquitos it was ample time to get a glimpse of the Amazon (albeit a commercial version).
Our ride back was a less coordinated. We waited for 30 mins for our boat ride back while the other part of the group went ahead and ended up waiting on at the port. Everyone was driven back to the office even though our hotel was very close to the port (easy drop off). It was chaos and high tension at the office as they attempted to organize everyone and coordinate airport drop offs. We finally got a ride back to our hotel and the next day we got dropped off at the airport (to compensate for not picking us up when we landed). It was a little disorganized and I would give this place only 3 stars if it weren’t for our awesome guide who caught a tarantula with a reed noose, a boa constrictor after climbing a tree, and diving in the water to catch a caiman. It was truly impressive.
2 stars for the accommodations, 3 stars for the business, 4 stars for the guide

My friend and I went on a jungle trip with this tour company and loved it. You can pick between 2 – 6 nights in the jungle and the arrange transport to and from your hotel.
Once you’re in the jungle, you have an English-​speaking guide and a native guide who take you on multiple excursions per day alto show you the re wildlife and economy of the rainforest.
They feed you three meals a day and transport to the airport is included as well. We have so much fun! Bring a book for the bits of downtime and definitely pack good Deet!