Summer has arrived in the southern hemisphere! In fact, a summer with a winter face:)
The melting ice that descends from the Andes Cordilleras and the natural cycle of the Amazon Basin (and its rainy seasons - more intense solar radiation, a lot of water evaporates, forms clouds and falls as rain, a cycle), make it possible that from December to May the water rises. Crucial period for the Mamirauá Reserve, where the “flood” phenomenon takes place.
Although many are surprised, it is a common period in the region, with differences in volume (which has already reached 30 meters in 2021, normally reaching an average of 27 meters).
Riverside communities move along narrow wooden floating walkways (known as “marombas”) and houses are built on stilts over the rivers.
Remember that Uakari Lodge is also called a “floating lodge”? It is the dynamics and constructions of this region that have adapted, for a long time, to living in this biome!
Oblivious to the overflowing of the river, they continue the routines of life naturally, also coexisting with the animals that are passing by. There are bakeries “by boat” that go to the houses, there are those who go fishing, there are children who “frexada” in the river (diving), watched over by their mothers who are afraid of the snakes that, from time to time, swim together.
Water is part of the life of riverside dwellers, who intimately understand its ups and downs. Survival craves these waters. It's routine, transportation and leisure.
Because it is located at the confluence between the Solimões and Japurá rivers, the Mamirauá Reserve is known for being the largest flooded forest in the world, which has enabled the biodiversity of more than 400 species of birds, for example.
It is a time to tell different stories. At Uakari, tours are also carried out by canoes. The employees, who are locals, tell thought-provoking stories about their ways of life.
Even with a frequency of rain, sunny and hot days are common, also at this time. In the month of May, as the forest is at the height of the flood, the jaguars appear, as they stay on the only parts of land and on top of the trees.
A period to discover other ways of life, to admire the calm of the waters and the animals that appear curious with the visitors.